AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

The Department of Justice’s civil rights division has reportedly begun hiring numerous partisan lawyers to fill its ranks, with some having criminal histories.

As noted in a Tuesday report from The New York Times, the division has lost at least 300 lawyers since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. At the time of writing, 130 lawyers have been hired to fill out the short-staffed department. New hires have been overseen by Assistant Attorney General of Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

Many of those hirings, the Times pointed out, have backgrounds that likely would have disqualified them in the past. The report read:

Among her top hires: The gun rights activist Barry Arrington, the acting chief of a new Second Amendment unit, is a high-profile opponent of the theory of evolution and same-sex marriage. Last year, he successfully challenged Colorado’s ban on so-called conversion therapy before the Supreme Court.

The person she appointed to temporarily lead the voting section — the epicenter of the department’s aggressive actions ahead of the midterm elections — is Eric Neff, who tried more than 50 criminal cases during a 12-year career as a prosecutor in California. His stint as a prosecutor in Los Angeles County ended in rancor.

In 2022, Mr. Neff was placed on administrative leave after the office withdrew his indictment of an executive at a software company for storing data on poll workers on a Chinese server. His bosses cited irregularities in the case. The county ended up paying the company $5 million in a settlement.

Mr. Neff was reinstated in 2024 and has filed a whistle-blower claim against the county, which remains unresolved.

Another DOJ official, identified as David Michael Levin, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in 2016 after he hacked into the voting system of Lee County, Florida.

In a statement obtained by The New York Times, Dhillon praised the new hires for their prior work in the legal system. She said the ones mentioned in the report “have collectively tried hundreds of cases, prosecuted those who prey on trafficked children, won at the Supreme Court and practiced law for decades.”

“That is the experience this division needs to enforce civil rights laws for every American,” Dhillon said.

The post DOJ’s ‘Depleted’ Civil Rights Division Has Resorted to Hiring ‘Hyperpartisan’ Lawyers with Questionable Backgrounds: Report first appeared on Mediaite.

If you're like most people, you might still be getting used to iOS 27 on your iPhone. Perhaps you haven't even installed it yet, or maybe you're confused about why iOS 27.0.1 exists. (The short answer: The iPhone 18 Pro is a bit glitchy.) But there's a new iPhone update on the horizon that adds even more new features and changes to the mix: iOS 27.2. While this update isn't nearly as big of an overhaul as iOS 27 itself, it's still impactful, especially for Health app users. Here's what's new.

The update is currently in testing, so if you want to try it out early, you can enroll your iPhone in Apple's beta and check these features out today. Just know that all betas come with some level of risk, so if you decide to go down this path, create a proper backup of all important data before installing the beta.

iOS 27.2's new Health app

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

With iOS 27.2, Apple is totally overhauling the Health app. This is perhaps the biggest change coming with Apple's update, and fitness users will likely welcome many of these new features. With the new Health app, you'll be able to see your Fitness rings within the Health app, rather than the Fitness app; there's a new "Longevity" tab that gives you insights into key aspects of your long-term health, including mental wellbeing, nutrition, daily movement, heart health, metabolic health, sleep, and hearing health. There are also new assessments you can take to analyze your current overall health and where you can improve, including a new "Health Age" feature. You can even allow your iPhone's camera to watch you exercise in order to rate your fitness in categories like flexibility, balance, VO2max, and strength.

This is by far the Health app's biggest revamp in years, and I'm looking forward to exploring the new features when the update drops. For more on what's new with the Health app in iOS 27.2, check out Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki's guide here. (Beth is particularly fond of the new step count that appears at the top of both the Health and Fitness apps.)

iOS 27.2 expands "Call Context"

Call Context is an excellent use of Apple Intelligence. When you're on a phone call, Apple Intelligence checks if the phone number you're calling is related to a business that you have relevant information for elsewhere on your device. If so, it fetches that information for you and displays it on the call screen. For example, if you're talking with your airline's customer service line, Call Context can proactively display your flight number based on the itinerary it finds in your email.

With iOS 27.2, Call Context now includes anniversary alerts. If you're on a phone call with someone you have a saved anniversary for, that alert will appear on-screen. That way, you can get a small reminder if you call a friend on their birthday, but you happened to forget the occasion. (Thank you, technology, for saving some of us from our thoughtlessness, even if you are enabling bad habits.)

FaceTime is getting ASL support

As part of a previous announcement of accessibility features, Apple revealed it was adding a new API to FaceTime that supports adding a human interpreter to video calls. This feature did not make it to iOS 27, but it appears to be rolling out in Apple's next update, making video calls more accessible going forward.

Apple TV profiles are coming to iPhone and iPad

If you have an Apple TV, you likely know you can set up profiles, so individual users can personalize the experience when watching shows and movies. As MacRumors highlights, these profiles are now coming to the Apple TV app in iOS and iPadOS 27.2. That way, multiple users can personalize the Apple TV experience on a single device: If your family shares an iPad, for example, each user can switch to their Apple TV profile when it's their turn to watch. Now, if we could only get system-level profiles too, Apple.

Siri AI is coming in more languages

At launch, Siri AI is only available in English. But with iOS 27.2, Apple is expanding that list. Once you update to the latest version, you'll be able to use Siri AI in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

iOS 27.2 introduces small UI changes

Apple isn't thrilled with how some of its apps look in iOS 27, apparently. MacRumors also spotted that in the Music app, Apple removed some of the red accents and turned certain buttons from red to black—including the Play and Shuffle buttons, and the icons in the Library sections. In the Clock app, "AM" and "PM" are now smaller than the time when setting alarms. In Podcasts, "Up Next" is now "New Episodes," perhaps adding a touch more clarity. Finally, Apple changed "App Access" in Siri to "Excluded Apps," and now allows you to exclude multiple apps from Siri at once.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Ever since the Fitbit app became the Google Health app, the app’s AI features became impossible to avoid for Premium users—or at least it may seem that way. There are two ways to avoid the long-winded, sometimes judgy insights that pop up on your screen multiple times a day. I'll show you both: a way to turn off the AI entirely, and a way to get those insights to go away without turning off all the AI-enabled features.  

Google Fitbit Air - Obsidian

$99.00 at Amazon

Shop Now

Shop Now

$99.00 at Amazon

Why you may want to turn off the Google Health Coach

The AI-based Health Coach is the centerpiece of the Google Health app, at least if you have a premium subscription. You may have accepted a three-month free trial of Google Health Premium when you connected a new device, or you may pay for Google AI Pro or Ultra, which includes the Health Coach. 

When the Coach is enabled, it updates the main screen of the app with a few paragraphs of text several times a day. (You’ll also get a notification with each of these updates). The Coach will tell you how well you slept, congratulate you on a hard workout, or suggest workouts for the day given how recovered you seem to be. 

But, as I wrote in my Fitbit Air review, the Coach hallucinates pretty often, misreporting your workout data or misunderstanding what you’ve told it are your goals. One user, returning to their normal routine after surgery, posted to Reddit that the Coach keeps trying to talk them out of doing workouts. They called it a “Demotivation Coach.” Others have pointed out that the Coach doesn’t seem to be reading its own data correctly. On a more personal note, the Coach uses a tone that I find insufferable: arrogant and excessively positive, except when it’s being unnecessarily negative. I’d prefer neutral, factual feedback or none at all.

To be fair to Google, the team has been hard at work on the Coach, and I've noticed its insights become a little more readable and a little less random since the feature first launched. But I'm still not always in the mood to see the Coach's chipper little pep talks.

How to turn off the Coach "insights" without losing other AI features

Left: the Today screen with no insights. Right: asking the Coach for an insight on-demand still works. Credit: Beth Skwarecki

Those unprompted pep talks are what the Google Health app calls "insights." Google quietly added a setting to turn them off in the August 2026 feature update. Tap on your profile picture, then Google Health Settings, then Coaching, and select No Coach Insights.

Once I turned off the feature, the insights stopped, as promised. But if I miss them, I can still tap Ask Coach in the bottom right corner of the screen, and ask the Coach how my day is going. All other features still work, including the AI-powered ones, like logging nutrition and workouts from the chat interface.

How to turn off the Google Health Coach entirely

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

If you're sick of the entire Google Health Coach, you can disable it: The same August update that gave us the "no insights" switch also made the Health Coach easier to turn off. To reach it, tap on your profile picture, then Google Health Settings, then Coaching. Then you can tap Turn off Google Health Coach. As the next screen explains, "your app will stop providing tailored guidance like fitness plans, recommendations, and proactive summaries of your sleep, fitness, and health trends. You also won't be able to ask questions or log your progress by chatting with the coach. You can turn this back on anytime."

Confirm your decision, and the AI will be gone. When you return to the Google Health app, you’ll still see the paragraphs of text that the Health Coach previously wrote, but you won’t get any new ones. There will be a card inviting you to re-enable the Health Coach, but you can tap “not now.” You can re-enable the Coach at any time by hitting the “Ask Coach” button in the corner (it does not go away) and following the prompts to turn it back on. 

(Photo by Andrew Thomas/NurPhoto via AP)

A judge extended the temporary block on President Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico until at least Tuesday.

During a federal court hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly extended his temporary order allowing the outlets to enter the grounds of the White House, according to a Thursday report from CNN.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sept. 18, announcing he had banned the outlets from covering events at the White House over what he deemed to be biased, negative reporting of his administration.

The abrupt ban set off a political firestorm and a subsequent boycott when CNN was later prevented from carrying out its duties in the White House press corp television pool.

The ban prompted a lawsuit from the three news organizations which resulted in a temporary restraining order from Kelly allowing them back inside the White House — but correspondents from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were turned away at the door and even had their press badges revoked after the judge’s order.

Even after the judge’s initial temporary restraining order, the White House has at separate times barred CNN and Politico from Air Force One.

Additional reporting from Politico’s Kyle Cheney suggested that Kelly was also leaning toward a “longer-term” block on Trump’s ban. Cheney said:

Judge Kelly appears inclined to grant longer-term block on President Trump’s ban of POLITICO, CNN and MSNOW from the White House. He seems most bothered by the lack of due process preceding the ban but is also weighing First Amendment concerns. Details TK

During the hearing an attorney for the Department of Justice claimed it’s “within the discretion of the president” to remove reporters or news outlets from the White House — and said Trump “doesn’t mind negative press stories if he deserves them,” according to CNN.

The post CNN, MS NOW and Politico Keep Access to White House — For Now first appeared on Mediaite.

Last month's Apple event was a big one. The company announced (and subsequently released) the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4. It also announced the iPhone Duo, though the company's first foldable phone still isn't out yet. Despite all these new products, Apple apparently wasn't finished. Next week, the company will host another product announcement, titled "Welcome Home." Here's what we know.

What will Apple announce at its "Welcome Home" event?

Apple's product announcement hints are usually pretty subtle. This time, it isn't. "Welcome Home" is almost assuredly referencing Apple's long-rumored smart home devices. Sure, the company makes some smart devices, like the HomePod and HomePod mini, but leaks suggest the company has some big updates up its sleeve.

Perhaps no announcement will be bigger than its smart home hub. This device, according to the rumor mill, will be a mix between an iPad and a HomePod, competing with similar devices from companies like Amazon and Google. It may ship with a six-inch display (some reports suggest the screen is a square), but it won't be like an iPad on a stand. Instead, the experience seems more focused, letting you control smart home devices, make and receive FaceTime calls, watch videos, display the news and water data, and check your calendar. Of course, it will likely work with Siri AI, the company's new AI-powered assistant.

Apple may even expect users to buy more than one of these hubs. The idea could be to have multiple hubs throughout your house, which could let you use them like intercoms. (Apple currently offers a similar feature with its HomePods.) If the rumors are to be believed, the smart hub will understand the voice of whoever is talking to it, and tailor the experience to that user personally. If you have guests over, you could switch to a "visitor mode" to avoid revealing sensitive information.

While the smart home hub may steal the show, Apple is planning some updates to existing devices as well. The HomePod mini may come in new colors, and is expected to get both the N1 chip for improvements to wifi and Bluetooth, as well as an upgraded S-series chip for Siri AI. Apple may also update the Apple TV 4K with the A19 or A19 Pro chip, as well as that new N1 chip, and a new Siri remote. Apple may take this opportunity to reveal its new OLED iPad mini, but the company may keep the focus on smart home specifically.

When is Apple's "Welcome Home" event?

According to Apple's announcement, "Welcome Home" kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT). That's an early start time, considering the company is based in California, though it seems Apple is hosting the event in New York City this time around. For context, Apple's events usually kick off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) when the company hosts them in Cupertino. It's not yet clear if there will be a livestream of the event, or if it will be exclusive for invited members of the media.

MS NOW contributor Elise Jordan found a surprising amount of support for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed among voters who supported President Donald Trump, while the Trump-backed Mike Rogers got no love in the room.

Jordan joined Peter Alexander on State of Play on Tuesday, where she shared a focus group discussion from Michigan where El-Sayed and Rogers are in the midst of a tense midterm battle. Recent polling has shown El-Sayed with a narrow lead over Rogers.

Jordan spoke with a group of Trump voters, many of whom expressed “buyer’s remorse” over their previous votes for the president.

“I think a lot of people looked at his 2016 win and how much better the country was before Covid, and hoped that it would replicate that. And it doesn’t. I mean, to me, it doesn’t seem like it has,” one man said.

A woman called Trump a “good liar,” and another said she feels like her vote “bit” her “in the butt.”

When Jordan asked about how everyone was voting in the Michigan Senate race, six of the 10 voters said they had decided which candidate they are backing. Five of those six voters said they’ll be throwing their support behind El-Sayed. Just one said she will vote Rogers, but she’s “not happy about it.”

Another woman said she’s leaning Rogers “heavily,” but said she remains undecided.

“I’m still reading and deciding. I have not definitively decided. And I may not until I get to the voting booth. I’ve done that before,” she said, adding she “might be trying to talk” herself “out of it.”

The others remained undecided on where their support will land.

“I was surprised that there wasn’t more support or more leaning Rogers in that group… but then you look at some of the polling, and El-Sayed is pulling more from Trump voters,” Jordan told Alexander after the focus group.

Jordan was referencing a Fox News poll last week that showed 8% of Trump voters backing El-Sayed. It also found 6% of voters for former Vice President Kamala Harris are backing Rogers.

MS NOW also held a focus group this week in Michigan with Black voters, who expressed more doubts about the candidate.

Watch above via MS NOW.

The post MS NOW Finds Surprising El-Sayed Support Among Trump Voter Focus Group, While Mike Rogers Gets No Love first appeared on Mediaite.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Amazon collects data about you based on what you buy. And now, you can get a direct look at what the company has concluded from all that activity.

Amazon's "About You" page, currently in beta after launching this May, uses data from customers' activity to generate details about them in categories like Product Preferences, Interests & Hobbies, and Home & Family. Amazon uses those details to personalize the shopping experience. Here's how to navigate and personalize your "About You" page in your Amazon account.

What Amazon thinks it knows about you

The results can be oddly specific. My editor-in-chief, Jordan Calhoun, shared his page, which includes these entries:

• "Likely has 2 adults"

• "Owns a PlayStation 5 console"

• "Prioritizes plant-based meat alternatives over traditional options"

• "Subscribes to multiple streaming services continually"

• "Owns a large dog"

• "Likely has a cat"

Full disclosure: I try to never use Amazon personally. I pretty much exclusively use it to round up deals for you, my dear reader. That being said, here's what Amazon thinks it knows about me: "Values durable travel gear," "prefers athletic and casual clothing styles," "practices yoga regularly," and "listens to music frequently."

What counts as data

In its Privacy Notice, Amazon lists every activity that provides user data to the company. That includes the obvious, like searching for items and placing orders. It also includes actions you may not realize are being tracked, like interacting with Alexa Voice Service, participating in discussion boards, or linking an Amazon account to a third-party business.

How to view your own "About you" page

On desktop:

1. Hover over where Amazon says "Hello, [your name]" in the upper right corner.

2. Under the "Your Account" section, click "Account."

3. Under the "Ordering and shopping preferences" section, click "Your Shopping preferences."

From here, you can add information of your own, like your shoe size, interests, and dietary preferences. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you'll see a blue hyperlinked option that says, "Manage your information." Click it, and you'll see what dirt Amazon has on you.

On the mobile app:

Tap the hamburger icon in the bottom menu bar, then go to Account > Shopping preferences > About you.

You can edit it, but not opt out

Shoppers can't directly opt out of the "About you" feature. They can, however, customize the data by adding details they want Amazon to know and deleting assumptions they consider inaccurate or too personal.

Importing data from other AI chatbots

On the "About you" page, customers also have the option to "make Amazon even more personal to you" by importing personal data they've shared with other AI agents. Amazon provides a prompt for you to feed to your chatbot to generate a shopping profile, then asks you to copy the bot's response and paste it back into Amazon.

Whether that's worth doing is up to you. Given how much Amazon already infers from your browsing and buying, handing over a profile from another AI service is a choice worth thinking through. Either way, taking a few minutes to review your page and delete anything inaccurate or too personal is a simple way to see and shape what Amazon knows about you.