Screen Time Study, Brian Wilson, & Pope Merch

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Adam Rogers
June 12, 2025

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Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys mastermind behind Pet Sounds and California's soundtrack, passed away at 82.

Born in Inglewood in 1942 with perfect pitch, Wilson transformed the Beach Boys from a simple surf band into sonic innovators using experimental studio techniques, including unconventional instruments like Coca-Cola bottles as percussion. His 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds inspired The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's and earned recognition as potentially "the greatest album of all time."
His prolific early period produced hits like "Surfin' USA," "California Girls," and "Good Vibrations," helping the Beach Boys release 19 studio albums between 1962 and 1973. However, intense work pressure and drug use triggered severe mental health struggles that led to hospitalizations in the late 1960s and derailed his ambitious Pet Sounds follow-up album, Smile.
Despite decades of personal battles, including family lawsuits and management issues, Wilson continued creating music until retiring from touring in 2022. He was placed in conservatorship in 2024 after a dementia diagnosis, with tributes calling him "our American Mozart" and noting that "no one will EVER sound like this again.”

Three Democratic governors are trying to reverse their own immigrant healthcare expansions due to budget pressures.

Governors Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Tim Walz of Minnesota have moved to cut state-funded healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants they previously expanded.
Illinois will end coverage for over 30,000 undocumented adults by July 1, while Minnesota's legislature passed a bill Tuesday eliminating adult coverage for about 17,400 enrollees through its MinnesotaCare low-income insurance program. California plans to freeze new enrollment in its Medi-Cal program for undocumented adults starting in 2026 and add a $100 monthly premium beginning in 2027, though 1.6 million existing enrollees won't lose coverage. All three states will continue covering undocumented children.
The reversals reflect higher-than-expected enrollment costs, with Newsom saying the changes will help balance California's "multibillion-dollar" budget shortfall. Trump's domestic policy bill also threatens to slash federal Medicaid funding for states that cover undocumented immigrants.

A study of 300,000 children revealed that screen time both causes and results from emotional problems.

Analysis of 117 studies spanning 52 years found children who spent more time on devices faced higher risks of developing aggression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, while children already struggling emotionally tended to increase their screen use. The two-way relationship suggests screens can trap vulnerable children in a cycle of worsening mental health.
Gaming consoles showed particularly strong links to emotional problems compared to TV or educational apps, though researchers found this wasn't necessarily due to violent content. Study author Dr. Michael Noetel noted that "gaming in general -- regardless of the specific type -- showed much stronger links to emotional problems than other screen activities."
The findings come as more than 40% of children ages 8-12 exceed recommended screen time, using devices over four hours daily, while mental health disorders among children continue rising. The study authors emphasized that moderate screen time for educational purposes poses lower risks, but children should learn not to use screens as their sole emotional outlet and ensure screen time doesn't interfere with sleep and physical activity.

President Trump plans to phase out FEMA after hurricane season, reduce federal disaster aid to states, and distribute relief funds directly from the president's office. (More)

Officials agreed on a US-China "deal" pending final approval after London talks, exchanging Chinese rare earth metals for the US backing down on student visa threats. (More)

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli won their parties' New Jersey gubernatorial primaries, setting up one of the year's most closely watched races. (More)

Argentina's Supreme Court upheld former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's six-year prison sentence Tuesday over corruption, banning her from running for legislative office days after she launched her campaign. (More)

Northern Ireland police restored calm in Ballymena after two nights of violent riots that injured 17 officers. Attackers hurled stones and gas bombs at police vehicles, while also targeting buildings and residences. (More)

South Korea suspended loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts to North Korea after new president Lee Jae-myung's election, seeking to "restore trust" between the countries. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Wednesday (S&P -0.27%, Nasdaq -0.50%, Dow -0.00%). Markets reacted poorly to a lower-than-expected increase in the consumer price index in May. (More)

Google confirmed job buyouts across search, advertising, research, and engineering divisions amid cost-cutting before a court decision that could force a company breakup. (More)

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol accelerated his 'Green Apron' model rollout to improve customer experience, aiming to implement it in all 18,000 US stores by summer, up from the one-third of stores originally planned. (More)

A Manhattan jury convicted Harvey Weinstein of a criminal sexual act, finding him guilty of assaulting Miriam Haley in a retrial after an appeal overturned his earlier conviction. (More)

Eight female athletes appealed the NCAA's $2.7 billion antitrust settlement on Wednesday, arguing that women won’t receive a fair share of back pay for name, image, and likeness royalties. (More)

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 in Game 3 on Wednesday, taking a 2-1 NBA Finals lead and moving two wins from their first championship (More)

Nintendo Switch 2 became the fastest-selling home console ever with 3.5 million units sold in four days, surpassing Sony's PS4 and PS5 launch records. (More)

Paleontologists discovered a new T. rex-related dinosaur species after reanalyzing 1970s Gobi Desert fossils that had been misidentified. (More)

Northeastern researcher James Monaghan found retinoic acid tells axolotls which body part to regrow, potentially advancing human limb regeneration medicine. (More)

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