Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota on Tuesday joined a wave of states suing TikTok, alleging the social media giant preys on young people with addictive algorithms that trap them into becoming compulsive consumers of its short videos.

“This isn’t about free speech. I’m sure they’re gonna holler that," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. "It’s actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation. This is about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or inform users of the risks.”

The lawsuit, filed in state court, alleges that TikTok is violating Minnesota laws against deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. It follows a flurry of lawsuits filed by more than a dozen states last year alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health. Minnesota's case brings the total to about 24 states, Ellison's office said.

Many of the earlier lawsuits stemmed from a nationwide investigation into TikTok launched in 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users’ mental health. Ellison, a Democrat, said Minnesota waited while it did its own investigation.

Jeans ad is regressive as can be

American Eagle thought it would be a good idea to have a woman who embodies western beauty standards talk about inherited traits in a commercial and then seemed surprised when people online were like “hmm, this seems like an ad for eugenics.”

Winnipeg-based TV ad delivery firm Taiv switches on at home

A small gong sits in the middle of Taiv Inc.’s headquarters in Winnipeg’s Exchange District office. Whenever there’s an achievement to celebrate at the advertising technology company, staff pick up a mallet and strike it.

Book Review: ‘Algospeak’ shows just how much social media is changing us

How much has social media changed the way we talk and behave?

That’s the question linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic sets out to answer in his debut book “Algospeak.”

If you already know what words like “yeet,” “rizz,” “brainrot” or “blackpilled” mean, some of this information might not come as a surprise to you. Still, Aleksic’s analysis reaffirms how this language came about and why it continues to proliferate. For those unfamiliar, it acts as an accessible entry point into social media slang and its evolution.

“Algospeak” touches on a wide array of topics, including in-groups and out-groups, censorship, language appropriation, extremism online, microtrends, clickbait and generational divides. The chapters build on each other with a textbook-level attention to vocabulary.

‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

It used to be that dating was as simple as deciding between dinner, a trip to the movies or an arcade. Now, understanding the dating scene has become intermingled with smartphones, matchmaking apps and one’s ability to navigate thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate.

“Love Island,” a widely popular international reality television franchise, is emblematic of the complexities of modern dating. It has also sparked heated discussions among fans about the desirability of Black women and darker-complexioned people both on and off air.

The show, which aired the finale of the seventh season of its U.S. version Sunday and is airing the 12th season of its U.K. version, casts conventionally attractive “islanders” who are generally in their early to late 20s for a six- to eight-week stay in a luxury villa. Men and women compete for long-lasting relationships and a cash prize.

But as the show’s daters face challenges meant to test their bonds, as well as elimination by villa mates or by fans’ vote, notions of who is and isn’t desirable frequently come up for viewers and contestants alike. In the end, many fans are left with the perception that racial bias, colorism and misogyny are especially inescapable for Black women on reality dating shows.

First school year of cellphone ban well-received: minister

Sweeping restrictions on cellphone use in schools are here to stay, despite frustrations related to inconsistent enforcement and student workarounds during the 2024-25 rollout.

Manitoba banned phones in elementary classrooms last summer and introduced new rules to silence devices and keep them out of sight during Grade 9 to 12 lessons.

“How practical is that going to be in the real world? AI exists. Cellphones exist. Banning them is only going to make us sneakier,” said Diana Bonakdar, who just finished Grade 11 in Winnipeg.

Diana and Nadia Lovallo, the new co-presidents of the student council at St. Mary’s Academy, question the effectiveness of the policy and its long-term impact.

Keeping fur babies fed in a fire zone

FLIN FLON — Harley Eagle became an expert at breaking into houses during the month-long evacuation of this northern community as a wildfire raged nearby.

However, he had the homeowners’ permission.

While 5,100 Flin Floners waited out the fire in southern Manitoba, Eagle and his wife, city councillor Judy Eagle, offered to stay behind and feed animals that didn’t make the trip with their owners.

“It was groundhog day every day. You get up at 5:30 a.m., go to the community hall, make the coffee and then that’s when you start caring for all the animals,” he said Wednesday afternoon, as residents slowly made their way back to their homes and pets.

Graphic novelist to lead free workshop for aspiring artists

Jonathan Dyck’s most monumental piece of advice? Start small.

Downtown pilot project will add furniture, art, picnic tables to Graham Avenue

Over the next three weeks, the city aims to breathe new life into a four-block stretch of Graham Avenue, with a bright new look, ping pong tables, street furniture and art.

As the Free Press reported last week, a pilot project will see Graham reserved for cyclists and pedestrians between Carlton and Garry streets, once a new primary transit network removes buses from the area on June 29.

On Monday, the city laid out its vision for the pilot, which is expected to continue at least until the end of summer.

“The buses will move off of Graham Avenue and in just three weeks … after that, we will completely transform this stretch of Graham,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

Animal Services asks for help building sensory garden

The City of Winnipeg is counting on dog lovers to make life easier for furry companions who end up in its shelter.

Jennifer Medlicott, the communications co-ordinator at the Animal Services Agency, said there’s a desperate need to create a sensory garden in the facility’s outdoor play yards. The agency, at 1057 Logan Ave., generally houses more than two dozen dogs at a time.

“We’re just looking for opportunities to make the lives of the animals in our care better and I just think we just saw an opportunity,” said Medlicott on Friday. “We dream of a future where we have a large-scale transformation, but we were also trying to look at some short-term solutions and that’s where the sensory garden came up.”

A sensory garden is an area designed to stimulate one or more of the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. It incorporates trees, flowers, and any other elements in nature to help reduce stress.

Mass tourism a modern ill

When I went to Paris in 2012, I skipped the Louvre. Sacré bleu!

Wildfire smoke changing outdoor sports landscape

Air quality concerns due to wildfire smoke are changing the landscape of sporting events in Winnipeg. From community centre-run programs to professional leagues, outdoor sports have been impacted by smoke delays, cancellations and playing in less than ideal conditions, leading some to rethink how summer outdoor seasons should be planned going forward.

Krista Fraser-Kruck, general manager of Riverview Community Centre in South Osborne, which offers baseball, soccer, softball, ultimate (frisbee) and summer day camps, says wildfire smoke has forced cancellations and caused rescheduling challenges, especially difficult in a short summer season.

“The priority is keeping kids safe,” said Fraser-Kruck. “For our community, we just want to keep our kids safe, and so doing what’s in the best interest of their health is our priority.”

For their youth soccer games, Riverview Community Centre follows the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association’s policy, which calls for citywide cancellations if Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reaches seven or higher.

More than 7,000 elms felled in Winnipeg last year due to disease

A city report reveals elm trees were chopped down more than expected last year due to Dutch elm disease.

Young swimmers look to make a splash at provincials

Young swimmers from across Manitoba and northwestern Ontario are racing against the clock Friday and Saturday at Pan Am Pool as over 260 athletes compete in the 2025 Manitoba Junior Swim Provincials, hoping to advance to the ManSask Championships in July.

Should you let pets sleep next to you? (Does it even matter what the experts say?)

It turns out, our furry best friend might be our sleep enemy.

Lots of pet owners let their animals sleep on the bed with them, which usually disrupts sleep. But many would say it’s worth it.

And researchers don't necessarily disagree.

Melissa Milanak, a professor at Medical University of South Carolina specializing in sleep health, said most people at her clinic say their pets disturb them often at night.

Right To Play International asks people to play and share their stories on Wednesday

As two of Canada's most experienced Olympians, Miranda Ayim and Erica Wiebe have made careers out of playing sports at the highest levels of competition.

But some of their most formative memories are of playing as children with almost no stakes.

"We basically would have a neighbourhood-wide game of tag where we were just jumping fences from yard to yard," said Ayim, who was on Canada's women's basketball team at four Olympics.

"I don't know if our parents really appreciated that, but we felt so adventurous going from yard to yard and running but still feeling safe to do so in that neighbourhood, and enjoying that time and that feeling of freedom."

Enhanced Games perpetuate a growing problem

We appear to be entering a new golden age of steroids.

Years of scandals out of the Olympics, pro baseball, pro wrestling, and other athletic fields should have put to bed the notion that there is any athletic or cultural value in using performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs, to get an edge. With every suspension, with every prize stripped from a competitor or left tainted by the way it was obtained, the message was clear — it’s cheating, and it’s not worth it.

Some haven’t received the message. The Enhanced Games hopes to hold its first-ever event in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Enhanced Games, as the name suggests, is a multi-sport athletic competition in which athletes are openly using PEDs. The games’ website makes much ado about the close supervision the athletes will be under, overseen by medical professionals to ensure their health and safety.

Part toy, part fashion, the arrival of the viral Labubu was a long time in the making

Labubu, the plush toy from China's Pop Mart is a social media darling, but the toothy little monsters are far from an overnight success. Having appeared a decade ago, Labubus may have finally cemented their place in the collectible toy market for years to come.

The Labubu, by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung, first appeared with pointed ears and pointy teeth, in three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology in 2015.

In 2019 Lung struck a deal with Pop Mart, a company that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers, to sell Labubu figurines. But it wasn't until Pop Mart started selling Labubu plush toys on key rings in 2023 that the toothy monsters suddenly seemed to be everywhere, including in the hands of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and NBA star Dillon Brooks. K-pop singer Lisa of Blackpink began posting images of hers for her more than 100 million followers on Instagram and on TikTok, where Labubu pandemonium has broken out.

There are 1.4 million #Labubu TikTok posts and counting, videos of fans unboxing them, showing styles inspired by them, and of course, Labubu cosplay.

Toronto school board, firefighters warn of ‘dangerous’ social-media trends

TORONTO - The Toronto Catholic District School Board, along with some emergency responders, are warning parents about "dangerous" social-media challenges that are trending among students in Ontario schools.

The board said the challenges are recorded on video and shared online to encourage others to participate, but they can pose serious risks to students and the entire school community.

Among them is the so-called "paper clip challenge" that involves students inserting metal objects such as a paper clip into an electrical outlet and dropping a coin onto the prongs to cause electrical sparks.

The board said the "Chromebook challenge" involves placing paper clips, pencils or other objects into Chromebook USB ports to deliberately cause them to short-circuit, which can lead to overheating, burns or fire.

Oreo maker Mondelez sues Aldi, alleging grocery chain copies its packaging to confuse customers

Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi's store-brand cookies and crackers “blatantly copies” Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos.

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi’s packaging was “likely to deceive and confuse customers” and threatened to irreparably harm Mondelez and its brands. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks.

Aldi didn't respond to messages seeking comment. The U.S. branch of Aldi, which is based in Batavia, Illinois, was named in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Mondelez displayed side-by-side photos of multiple products. Aldi’s Thin Wheat crackers, for example, come in a gold box very similar to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. Aldi’s chocolate sandwich cookies and Oreos both have blue packaging. The supermarket's Golden Round crackers and Mondelez’s Ritz crackers are packaged in red boxes.

Dive-bombed or not, Vancouverites are still pro-crow, researchers say

VANCOUVER - Along her journey towards understanding Vancouver's crows, psychology professor Suzanne MacDonald says she made a friend.

It's a crow that brings her gifts after she set up a bird feeder at her home in the neighbourhood of Kitsilano.

Once, it was a barnacle-covered shell, which MacDonald treasures. Other times, it was "bits of garbage" that MacDonald doesn't fancy much, though she "appreciates the sentiment."

"I think he definitely recognizes me. When other people go out on my patio, he doesn't come to them. He knows me," said MacDonald.

Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run

MONTREAL - Quebec's language watchdog contacted the Montreal transit agency at least six times in the wake of a complaint about using the word "go" on city buses to cheer on a local soccer team.

The watchdog — the Office québécois de la langue française — asked for multiple updates on the agency’s efforts to remove the word, and kept the complaint open for nine months until “go” had been scrubbed from more than 1,000 city buses in Montreal, according to emails obtained by The Canadian Press.

The correspondence contrasts with the office’s public comments responding to an April report in the Montreal Gazette that revealed how the transit agency had replaced the expression “Go! Canadiens Go!” on its buses with “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” to appease the watchdog.

The news report, coinciding with the Montreal Canadiens' first home game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, prompted a public outcry and elicited a declaration from French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge in support of the expression “Go Habs Go!”

Big Ocean breaks new ground as K-pop’s first deaf group

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance — one beat at a time.

When Big Ocean takes the stage, they seamlessly incorporate sign language into their performances. But their polished shows are built on extensive preparation using high-tech tools born from necessity — vibrating smartwatches that pulse with musical beats and LED visual metronomes that flash timing cues during practice sessions. This technological approach represents significant progress in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where career opportunities for people with disabilities have historically been limited.

The trio, PJ, Jiseok and Chanyeon, made their debut in April 2024 and recently wrapped a solo European tour marking their first anniversary. The band performed in four countries, including France and the U.K., while promoting their second mini-album, “Underwater,” which dropped on April 20.

PJ rose to prominence as a YouTuber who educated viewers about hearing disabilities. Chanyeon previously worked as an audiologist. Jiseok was a professional ski racer.

Program offers a promising future

As soon as Anfernee Clarke learned about the Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program being offered by First Peoples Development Inc. he was intrigued.

A decade ago an 18-year-old Clarke started working in the construction industry doing concrete work. He loved the physical nature of the work but a back injury he suffered five years ago forced him to temporarily put that career on hold and seek out other employment opportunities.

Now fully healed, he learned about FPDI’s bricklayer program late last year and wasted no time applying. He was one of 12 people who were part of the program’s initial cohort of students when it was launched this past January.

“I made up my mind pretty quickly (about applying),” he says.