In 2025, people who built their careers by being some form of Very Online are now some of the most powerful people in the world. Topping the list-as we predicted he would last year-is Donald Trump. The 79-year-old president of the United States quite literally rules by decrees posted to his social network, Truth Social. The US government, meanwhile, is run by a ramshackle crew of former conspiracy theory podcasters, TV hosts, vaccine skeptics, and entertainment moguls.
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum.
Most of us like to believe we're too sophisticated to confuse money with purpose. Yet a surprising number of people, especially younger generations, slip into that trap without ever consciously choosing it. The idea that "my purpose is to make money" has become so pervasive that it rarely gets questioned. It's simple, it's measurable, and on the surface, it makes sense.
Black Friday used to have a very specific look: people bundled in blankets, holding warm coffee, standing in long lines outside stores before the sun came up. Some still show up for that, but most of the day has shifted online. It's less about crowds and more about scrolling in a warm bed, checking deals between tasks, and letting the hype find you wherever you are. The tradition didn't fade, it just changed shape.
While the decision initially felt right, I entered months of self-doubt and indecisiveness. In retrospect, it's obvious to me that my lack of clarity was social media-fueled - after all, it can make life feel like a competition over who can look the coolest and most successful. My own desires felt clouded by what I saw through small, digital windows.
The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event, You got to see her live, she's lovely to speak to. And she's brought a lot of viewers through Instagram, and things like that, who normally don't watch women's golf. That was the hope. And we're seeing that now.
A mother whose 16-year-old son was murdered with a machete has called for more education to challenge a "deadly myth" among young people that there is a "safe place" to stab someone. Kamari Johnson was attacked in a row over a stolen moped in Bourne Avenue, Hayes, in west London in May last year. His story is featured in a campaign video by the charity StreetDoctors, being shown in hundreds of cinemas across the UK.
He was referring to Helen's jaw and neck. She was horrified. "I'm not about to start contouring," she thought to herself. "I don't even wear foundation." So what was there to do about it? The mere question seemed to open the social media floodgates with surgical possibilities. "My Instagram and YouTube explore pages were so deeply dark," Helen, 41, says. "My boyfriend made me take a screenshot of it so I could remember this."
We figured we would spend only a few days out of the country. We figured that within a week of publishing, some other matter would distract the Salvadoran government. We would weigh the risks of returning and would then go back. We left with carry-on bags: no one was carrying more than 10 pairs of underwear. We had invented a routine for these situations, which had worked out fine so many times before: preventive departure.
So Adams posted his complaint on X, saying Kaiser of Northern California, his health insurer and care provider, had "dropped the ball" in scheduling a procedure needed to treat his metastatic prostate cancer. Adams wrote he was going to ask Trump to help save his life, and he added: "I am declining fast. I will ask President Trump if he can get Kaiser of Northern California to respond and schedule it for Monday."
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
We are seeking votes for our candidate, Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan our mother with all our effort and commitment, the 37-year-old told the crowd, posting photos and videos to her 11 million Instagram followers. Her account, filled with pro-government content including a profile picture of the president, goes beyond simple celebrity support. It is emblematic of an unfolding digital battle as Tanzania prepares to vote on October 29.
🌏 The women's sports fan community is global, growing, and connected. Globally, 62% of all sports fans follow women's sports, with 56% of fans noting their interest in the women's game is growing. Additionally 57% of women's sports fans surveyed said following athletes and creators makes them feel like part of a community. ♥️ Fans notice and acknowledge sponsors. As seen in previous data, these women's sports fans appreciate sponsors in the space - 69% want to see brands support communities built around women's sports.
Listen, if you're here looking for the inside scoop on trends, let me tell you a secret: They don't exist. At least not they used to. The zeitgeist has shifted. I mean, as long as I'm using the term zeitgeistclosely associated with Hegel, though he used more classical and uncompounded German: "Geist der Zeit"why not throw a big philosophical bomb in here.
Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) show facelifts are on the rise in the UK. In 2024 there were 1,882 procedures, up 8% from the previous year. Women accounted for the majority, with numbers rising by 7% to 1,742. But the steepest increase came from men: procedures grew by 26%, from 111 in 2023 to 140 in 2024.
On Monday afternoon, a few hours before the first ferocious attacks of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza City made buildings tremble as far away as Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Jerusalem for an economics conference. With his far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, sitting in the front row, Netanyahu took the stage, looking a little peeved, and berated the event's organizers for muddling his slide show.
Secretary of war Pete Hegseth has fired a navy trans healthcare specialist, Janelle Marra, after being "tipped off" by Libs of TikTok. The right-wing social media account, run by founder Chaya Raichik, has regularly attacked the LGBTQ+ community over the years. Their latest target was commander Janelle Marra whose Defence Health Agency bio revealed that she "began her naval service through a health professions scholarship programme in 2004".
The mum of two and internet sensation is on a mission to make people more informed about ultra-processed foods. Here, she talks about her viral supermarket swaps videos, how buying better can mean spending less, dealing with online critics and why she refuses to work with supermarkets or brands
On TikTok and Instagram, a chorus of young influencers are advising women in their age bracket to ditch their hormonal birth control pills, saying they cause a cavalcade of problems for physical and mental health. The only problem? Unless you also ditch men entirely, going off birth control means it's statistically way likelier that you're going to get pregnant. Look no further than a Texas-based young woman named Ashley Hamrick,
Granny Wang, real name Zhao Mei, has captivated crowds in Kaifeng, China, with her matchmaking performances, drawing hundreds to her daily shows at a theme park.
Microsoft has observed two named Chinese nation-state actors, Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon, exploiting vulnerabilities targeting internet-facing SharePoint servers. Additionally, the actor Storm-2603 has also been exploiting these vulnerabilities.
