Colbert’s first post-cancellation ‘Late Show’ is tonight — will he speak out against CBS? | CNN Business

July 22, 2025July 21, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Network late-night shows have been losing viewers for years, but “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is primed for a ratings bump right now.

That’s because Monday night will be Colbert’s first new episode since CBS shocked the media sector by announcing “The Late Show” will end next May.

Colbert is slated to have two Hollywood stars, Sandra Oh and Dave Franco, as his guests. Later in the week, he will interview Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Last week’s cancellation announcement sparked speculation among fans that CBS might have pulled the plug for political reasons, given Colbert’s status as an outspoken critic of President Trump. The network, however, said it was “purely a financial decision” in a declining broadcast industry.

Proposal to sell federal lands getting mixed reactions from Western governors | Fast Company

June 26, 2025June 25, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A Republican-sponsored proposal before Congress to mandate the sale of federal public lands received a mixed reception Monday from the governors of Western states.

A budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee would mandate the sale of more than 3,125 square miles (8,093 square kilometers) of federal lands to state or other entities. It was included recently in a draft provision of the GOP’s sweeping tax cut package.

At a summit Monday of Western state governors, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the approach is problematic in New Mexico because of the close relationship residents have with those public lands.

Texas passes food additive warning law, but the list has inaccuracies | Fast Company

June 26, 2025June 25, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A new Texas law promoting the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda requires first-ever warning labels on foods like chips and candies that contain dyes and additives not allowed in other countries.

It could have far-reaching effects on the nation’s food supply, but a review of the legislation shows it also misrepresents the status of some ingredients that would trigger the action.

The law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday will require, starting in 2027, that foods made with any of more than 40 dyes or additives include labels saying they contain ingredients “not recommended for human consumption” in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the U.K. However a review shows that nearly a dozen of the targeted additives are either authorized in the cited regions—or already restricted in the U.S.

IBM Launches New Software to Streamline Governance and Security for SMBs

June 25, 2025June 24, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

IBM has recently unveiled its new AI-driven capabilities aimed at transforming the way small businesses interact with customers and operate internally. With small businesses often limited in resources, these advancements present a significant opportunity to enhance efficiency and improve customer experiences.

The newly launched features leverage IBM’s robust Watson AI technology, which has been tailored specifically for small organizations. Integrating these tools can provide immediate benefits, allowing business owners to streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and better analyze customer insights.

Supreme Court Ruling Empowers Small Businesses to Fight Regulatory Overreach | Small Biz Trends

June 25, 2025June 24, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is a significant win for small businesses across the country, affirming their right to challenge government regulations they deem excessively harmful. In a decision handed down on June 20, 2025, the Court reversed a controversial ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court that had imposed stricter standing requirements for indirectly regulated entities when contesting federal actions.

This decision has immediate implications for countless small business owners who may find themselves adversely affected by the regulatory actions of agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The case in question, Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency, centered around waivers under the Clean Air Act, a potential source of confusion for businesses navigating a complex regulatory landscape.

Donald Trump to extend US TikTok ban deadline, White House says | BBC News

June 18, 2025June 17, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

TikTok will live on for at least another three months in the United States, as President Donald Trump is poised to extend a sale or ban deadline for the third time since taking office this year.

“President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

The popular video-sharing app was supposed to be banned in the US after its Chinese owner, ByteDance, refused to sell it to a US buyer by a January deadline.

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the BBC.

Instagram users complain of mass bans, pointing finger at AI | TechCrunch

June 16, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Instagram users have for weeks complained about a significant increase in accounts being mistakenly banned or suspended. Many suspect, without direct evidence, that the issues may have to do with the use of AI automation.

Reached for comment, Meta has so far not offered an on-record statement.

According to a growing number of social media posts, including on sites like Reddit and X, Instagram users report that their accounts were banned even though they had not violated the company’s terms of service or other policies. In addition, when they submitted an appeal to have their account reviewed, some claimed they received no response.

Google, Spotify Down in a Massive Outage Affecting Thousands | Entrepreneur

June 13, 2025June 12, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google Cloud and Spotify are down for tens of thousands of users, according to Downdetector.com. Early reports suggest a massive Cloudflare outage is to blame.

Is Google Down?

The Google Workspace Dashboard noted that the company was “investigating reports of an issue” with a slew of Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Cloud Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Tasks, and Google Voice.

“We will provide more information shortly,” the post says. “Our engineers are currently investigating the issue. We apologize to all who are affected by the disruption.”

YouTube is bringing more ads to Premium Lite plans | Mashable

June 9, 2025June 8, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When YouTube introduced its Premium Lite tier in March, the goal was to give people a way to see fewer ads on YouTube. It took only three months, but YouTube is already increasing the number of ads that Premium Lite subscribers will see, according to Dextero.

News of the ad hike spread to subscribers through email, as spotted on the TWiT Community forums and reported by German news site Deskmodder.

“We are writing to let you know that beginning 30 June 2025, ads may appear on Shorts, in addition to music content and when you search or browse,” the email reads. “Most videos will continue to remain ad-free.”