All News (Page 397)

The White House has rejected an offer from Elon Musk to personally fund TSA workers’ salaries during the partial government shutdown that has thrown airport security into chaos across the country, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson told Fortune. 

Musk floated the proposal publicly on March 21, posting on X that he wanted “to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country.” The post drew more than 91 million views.

“We greatly appreciate Elon’s generous offer,” Jackson wrote in an email to Fortune. “This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement with federal government contracts.” 

Jackson also said that the fastest way to ensure TSA employees get paid would be for “Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

Meanwhile the airport crisis deepens. The Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday that wait times have hit the worst levels in the agency’s history, with some passengers waiting more than four and a half hours to clear security. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that TSA has lost more than 480 transportation security officers since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14,  now roughly 40 days ago.

At some major airports, 40% to 50% of officers have called out on certain days, forcing the agency to consolidate screening lanes and scale back operations, according to Bloomberg. Atlanta, Houston, and New York have been among the hardest hit. Videos posted to social media showed lines at LaGuardia Airport snaking through terminals and into baggage claim areas early Wednesday morning.

The administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports to help manage the crush, a move that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny. McNeill said ICE personnel are handling “non-specialized screening functions” like travel document checkpoints, while TSA officers focus on core security duties. 

And the shutdown remains deadlocked in Washington. Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal to end the partial shutdown, with Majority Leader John Thune dismissing it as a list of demands including changes to immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have pushed for reforms scaling back ICE’s operations following several violent incidents that left civilians dead.

Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.”

The resolution also urges “the prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents and national archives — to their countries of origin without charge.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 123-3, with 52 abstentions. Argentina, Israel and the United States were the three members voting against the resolution. The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among those that abstained.

While the United States opposes the past wrongdoing of the transatlantic slave trade and all other forms of slavery, it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred,” deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea said before the vote.

“The United States also strongly objects to the resolution’s attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,” he said. “The assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history.”

In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one and has been caught up in a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.

Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but are an important reflection of world opinion.

“Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,” Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, said before the vote.

“The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting,” he said. “Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.”

Mahama noted that the vote was taking place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, honoring the memory of about 13 million African men, women and children enslaved over several centuries.

Diplomats applauded and some cheered the adoption of the resolution.

The history of slavery and “its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” must never be forgotten, said British acting U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of mainly Western nations, including some that enslaved Africans.

Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He said “the scourge of modern slavery” also must be addressed — trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.

Cyprus’ deputy U.N. ambassador, Gabriella Michaelidou, speaking on behalf of the EU, echoed the U.S. and U.K. on concerns about “the use of superlatives” that imply “a hierarchy among atrocity crimes.”

Michaelidou also cited the EU’s concern about the resolution’s “unbalanced interpretation of historical events” and legal references that are inaccurate or inconsistent with international law, including “suggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which was non-existent at the time and claims for reparations.”

The resolution “unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.”

In approving the resolution, the General Assembly affirms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery that promotes “justice, human rights, dignity and healing.”

The resolution calls on U.N. member nations to engage in talks “on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.”

It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education on the transatlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States to collaborate with U.N. bodies and other nations “on reparatory justice and reconciliation.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Melania Trump often commands the attention of any room she enters but all eyes — and cameras — were trained on her humanoid companion on Wednesday.

The robot accompanied the first lady to the White House East Room for the final day of a summit she had convened with counterparts from around the world through her Fostering the Future Together global initiative. The group has been discussing ways to empower children using education, innovation and technology, including artificial intelligence.

Melania Trump and the humanoid walked slowly side by side along the red carpet from the opposite end of the hallway. The first lady paused just before entering the East Room while the robot walked around the table with the panelists and took up a position in the center of the room.

It took a moment to scan the audience before speaking.

“It is an honor to be at Fostering the Future Together’s global coalition inaugural meeting,” it said.

“I’m Figure 03, a humanoid built for the United States of America,” it continued. “I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.”

“Welcome,” it said before offering similar greetings in 10 other languages. The robot then thanked everyone and retraced its steps back down the red carpet.

The first lady thanked the robot for joining her, adding: “It’s fair to state, you are my first American-made humanoid guest in the White House.”

The startup robotics company Figure AI, based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced Figure 03 in October 2025 as its third-generation humanoid robot for people to use at home for help with such household tasks as laundry, cleaning and washing dishes, according to its website and company literature.

CEO Brett Adcock said on social media he was “proud to see F.03 make history as the first humanoid robot in the White House.”

The startup is competing with others, including Boston Dynamics and Elon Musk’s Tesla, as well as a number of companies in China, in building robots that look human-like and do some of the things that people do.

___

Associated Press writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including an assault that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait International Airport.

Iran’s defiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, “and we do not plan on any negotiations.” That followed a report from Iranian state TV’s English-language broadcaster, which quoted an anonymous official as saying Iran rejected America’s ceasefire proposal and has its own demands for an end to the fighting.

Earlier, two officials from Pakistan, which transmitted the U.S. plan to Iran, described the 15-point proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.

An Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts said the proposal also includes restrictions on Iran’s support for armed groups. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet released.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the U.S. and Iran are in ongoing talks even as Iranian officials deny it. “Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” Leavitt said at a White House briefing on Wednesday.

Leavitt warned that if talks with Iran don’t pan out President Donald Trump “will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.”

Some of the points in the U.S. ceasefire proposal were nonstarters in negotiations before the war: Iran has insisted it won’t discuss its ballistic missile program or its support of regional militias, which it views as key to its security. And its ability to control passage through the Strait of Hormuz represents one of its biggest strategic advantages.

Iran’s attacks on regional energy infrastructure along with its restrictions on the strait have sent oil prices skyrocketing, putting pressure on the U.S. to find a way to end the chokehold and calm markets.

More US troops are on the way to the Middle East

At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the Mideast in the coming days, three people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

The paratroopers are trained to jump into hostile or contested areas to secure key territory and airfields.

The Pentagon is also in the process of sending about 5,000 more Marines, trained in amphibious assaults, and thousands of sailors to the region.

Most Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, and many are worried about affording gasoline, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

The survey indicates that while Trump’s approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be swiftly turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration.

Diplomatic efforts face major challenges

Mediators are pushing for possible in-person talks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, the Egyptian and Pakistani officials said.

Trump has said the U.S. is “in negotiations right now” and that the participants included special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. He has not disclosed who from Iran they are in contact with, but said “the other side, I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal.”

Press TV, the English-language broadcaster on Iranian state television, quoted an anonymous official as saying, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.”

It attributed to the anonymous official an Iranian five-point proposal that included a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Those measures, particularly reparations and its continued chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, likely will be unacceptable to the White House.

While Iran and Oman both have territory in the strait, its narrow shipping channels are viewed as international waters through which all ships can travel.

Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. It’s not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority to negotiate — or would be willing to, as Israel has vowed to continue killing the country’s leaders.

Iran remains highly suspicious of the United States, which twice under the Trump administration has attacked during high-level diplomatic talks, including with the Feb. 28 strikes that started the current war.

Israel launches new strikes on Iran — and also comes under attack

The Israeli military said Wednesday afternoon it had completed several waves of airstrikes in Tehran. The army also said that as part of its strikes a day earlier it targeted an Iranian submarine development center in Isfahan.

Missile alert sirens sounded multiple times in Israel as Iran and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched attacks. Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel around the clock since the war began, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Iran also kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province, and missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain. Kuwait said it shot down multiple drones but that one hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport.

Iran’s death toll has passed 1,500, its Health Ministry has said. Israel says 20 people have died in the war, including two soldiers in Lebanon. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, along with more than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.

Authorities say nearly 1,100 people have died in Lebanon, where Israel has targeted Hezbollah. In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militant groups have also entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have been killed, a top security adviser, Khalid al-Yaqoubi, said.

Energy prices fall back but remain high

The news of potential negotiations drove down the price of oil. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has neared $120 a barrel during the conflict but was trading around $100 Wednesday. It is still up around 35% from the start of the war.

Economists and leaders have warned of far-reaching effects if energy prices remain high — from rising prices on food and other basics to higher rates for mortgages and auto loans.

Iran has allowed a small number of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but has said no ships from the U.S., Israel or countries seen as linked to them can pass.

___

Madhani reported from Washington, Corder from The Hague, Netherlands and Ahmed from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, David Rising in Bangkok, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, and E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing contributed to this report.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Two high-profile progressive lawmakers are introducing a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment.

The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is unlikely to advance in either the House or Senate, but it shows the deep concerns many progressives share about the growing impact of data centers and artificial intelligence.

Communities across the country have seen a backlash against data centers over fears about rising electricity prices and concerns about pollution and water consumption. Opposition to rising power prices was also a key factor in Democratic wins last year in elections in states including Georgia, Virginia and New Jersey.

Although advances in artificial intelligence are seen by President Donald Trump and other leaders as critical to the nation’s economic and national security, their growing energy needs are threatening to overwhelm the power grid. Trump has sought to deflect public concerns about AI, inviting major technology companies to the White House earlier this month to commit to developing their own power generation.

“They need some PR help because people think that if a data center goes in there, electricity prices are going to go up,” Trump said.

Voters need more than voluntary assurances from tech companies, Sanders said Wednesday.

“AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity. The scale, scope and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts,” he said in a statement ahead of the bill’s formal introduction.

“Bottom line: We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity,” Sanders said. “We need serious public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential issue. The time for action is now. We need a federal moratorium on AI data centers.”

Most lawmakers of both parties have rejected the idea of a moratorium.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he agreed with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s warning that a moratorium on data centers amounts to waving a “surrender flag” to China. “I refuse to help hand the lead in AI to China,” Fetterman wrote on X.

The White House said last week that Congress should “preempt state AI laws” that it views as too burdensome, laying out a broad framework for how it wants Congress to address concerns about AI without curbing growth or innovation in the sector.

The legislative blueprint outlines a half-dozen guiding principles for lawmakers, focusing on protecting children, preventing electricity costs from surging, respecting intellectual property rights, preventing censorship and educating Americans on using the technology.

U.S. electricity consumption hit a record high in 2024 and is expected to keep rising as data centers continue to expand at a rapid pace. A typical AI-focused data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households.

Companies that committed to Trump’s pledge to protect ratepayers include Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon. The companies agreed to build or buy new sources of power generation for their data centers and cover the expense of infrastructure upgrades.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

After a surprise victory in a Florida special election, Emily Gregory said she’s excited to represent all of her constituents — and that includes President Donald Trump.

“I would love to have a conversation,” the Democrat told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “He’s welcome to call me, as I am his new state representative.”

The president’s Mar-a-Lago resort is part of Gregory’s district, which is anchored by Palm Beach. Although state legislative races rarely get the national spotlight, Democrats across the country were positively euphoric at the irony of their Republican nemesis being represented by one of their own.

Gregory’s victory is the latest example of how Democrats have flipped seats in a series of special elections that could be a sign of momentum in a midterm election year that will provide a political verdict on Trump’s second term.

Here was a 40-year-old first-time candidate who owns a local fitness company for pregnant and postpartum women defeating a Republican whom Trump had endorsed by saying he was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.”

Gregory’s win was especially sweet for Florida Democrats, who have been beaten down by years of Republican domination in what was once the consummate battleground state. Democrats are also hopeful that Brian Nathan will win a state senate seat in the Tampa area; the AP has not yet called that race but he currently has a narrow lead that is within the state’s automatic recount range.

“The pendulum swings in both directions,” Florida Democratic Chairwoman Nikki Fried told reporters. “Last night it swung hard in the state of Florida.”

She added, “If we can win in Donald Trump’s backyard, we can win anywhere.”

Florida Republican Chairman Evan Power did not return a message seeking comment.

Gregory said she’s ‘embedded in my community’

For Gregory, it has been a stunning introduction to the national spotlight.

“I believed in myself the whole time,” Gregory said, describing her political “naiveté” about the district and its conservative leanings as an asset. She was elected to finish the term of Mike Caruso, a Republican who resigned to become Palm Beach County’s clerk, and she would need to run again in November if she wants to keep the seat.

Gregory told the AP she did not make her contest about the president specifically, focusing instead on constituents’ concerns involving the economy and everyday costs — from fast-rising insurance in the hurricane-prone district to groceries and gas.

She described herself as a lifelong “proud Florida Democrat” but said she did not view herself as a Trump opposition leader. She said she will go to Tallahassee focused on proposals to limit insurance rate hikes, expand health care access, support public education and lift “huge, crushing burdens on the average Florida family.”

“I just see myself as very embedded in my community, very representative of District 87,” she said. “And I’m so humbled and proud to be their representative.”

Trump endorsed Gregory’s opponent, Jon Maples, and cast a mail ballot in the contest. The president reiterated his support for Maples on the eve of the election with a social media post addressed to “ALL GREAT PATRIOTS.”

As of midday Wednesday, Trump had not mentioned the outcome of the race.

Gregory expects to be sworn in before a special legislative session that begins April 20 to redraw the state’s congressional map. It’s a Republican initiative intended to boost the party’s chances to hold onto its thin majority in the U.S. House, and Gregory said she plans to oppose the effort.

She described the session as a “complete power grab” resulting from “the president’s call to gerrymander in favor of Republicans.”

Florida Dem chair says candidates matter

Fried praised Gregory and Nathan, a 45-year-old veteran and union worker, as quality candidates who could capitalize on the broader political environment.

“The type of person and connection on the issues matters,” Fried said.

Gregory flipped a seat that her Republican predecessor had won by 19 percentage points. Fried said Trump carried the district by 11 points in 2024.

Republicans still dominate the Florida Legislature, and they have been considered heavy favorites to hold the governor’s office in November, four years after Gov. Ron DeSantis won a blowout reelection campaign.

But Fried and other Democrats insisted the trends suggest a competitive landscape. She noted that Tuesday’s victories followed two congressional special elections in 2025 when Florida Democrats lost but dramatically narrowed the usual margins in heavily Republican districts.

“You’ve seen tremendous overspending by Republicans,” Fried said of the current cycle. “It’s not working.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly said Wednesday the results demonstrate an upswing for the party as long as candidates address the economy.

“Change is here,” said Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties. “Voters are giving us an opportunity in Florida that they haven’t given us in years.”

A spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, whom Trump has endorsed for Florida governor, took at least some notice of the latest results.

“We constantly assess how we execute our strategy — that’s just good campaigns,” said Ryan Smith, Donalds’ chief campaign strategist. “What won’t change is our mission: President Trump endorsed Byron Donalds to deliver real results and defend the Florida Dream, and that’s what voters can expect to see from us.”

Gregory, meanwhile, said she’s ready to get to work, including for Trump.

“I will work as hard for every single one of 180,000 constituents in District 87,” she said, “and not elevate anyone over the rest.”

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

A Los Angeles jury has sided with a young woman known as Kaley or KGM in a landmark case, ruling that the “addictive design” of Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube helped fuel her serious mental health problems. The closely watched bellwether case against the platforms’ parents, Alphabet’s ‌Google and Meta, could set a precedent in thousands of similar lawsuits and force Silicon Valley to rethink the features that keep users endlessly scrolling.

After more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days—including testimony from KGM as well as from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders—California jurors decided Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design or operation of their platforms, and awarded the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman who says her social media addiction exacerbated her mental health struggles, $3 million in damages.

The multimillion-dollar verdict will grow, as the jury will decide whether the companies acted with malice or fraud. They will hear new evidence shortly and head back into the deliberation room to decide on punitive damages. Meta and Google-owned YouTube were the two remaining defendants in the case after TikTok and Snap each settled before the trial began.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said when reached for comment Wednesday. 

A spokesperson for YouTube parent company Google said the company also disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” the spokesperson said.

The decision also puts legal weight behind a term Big Tech has spent years trying to dismiss: tech addiction. As I reported in Fortune this week, and for the upcoming issue of Fortune Magazine, the intense debate about how harmfully addictive modern tech can be has escalated lately thanks to a slew of landmark legal cases against Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap. 

At a dedicated tech addiction rehab center outside of Seattle—one of very few such clinics in the U.S. or anywhere in the world—I met client Sarah Hill. The 21-year-old’s parents had flown her from Alabama to reSTART, a residential treatment program for digital overuse that treats compulsive tech use as a danger on par with alcohol or drugs. At the program, which costs around $1,000 a day, clients must abstain from smartphones, gaming, social media, and other technologies—often for months, and undergo intensive therapy sessions.

Hill told me that the situation got to a crisis point when she had spent so many nights holed up in her room talking to an AI chatbot on her phone that she fell behind in her college classes, lied to her parents, and ultimately failed out. “The last thing I saw was my mom resting her elbows on the counter and just crying,” she recalls. “That was the worst thing I ever saw.” On her first tech-free day at reSTART, Hill told me, she lay down on her bed and cried.

Hill is far from alone. reSTART cofounder Cosette Rae says she has treated around a thousand clients since opening the center nearly two decades ago, and spoken with many thousands more. She and cofounder Hilarie Cash launched reSTART in 2009 because they realized that there was nowhere else for those struggling with problematic tech use to go.

Rae’s patients aren’t simply dealing with bad habits, she says. They’re struggling with the fact that you can’t quit tech the way you might quit a substance. “When it comes to technology, it’s everywhere,” she says. “So you’re constantly being in front of it and having to say no.”

Scientists like Stanford psychiatrist Anna Lembke, who testified on behalf of the plaintiff in the Meta and YouTube case, say that’s not just anecdotal. Compulsive scrolling and gaming tap the same reward circuitry as drugs, with quick dopamine hits training users to seek the next small “win.” Over time, repeated bursts of stimulation can desensitize those pathways and weaken the prefrontal cortex, which governs planning and self-control, making it harder to cut back even as school, work, or relationships suffer. Brain imaging studies of people with internet gaming or social media disorders show changes similar to those seen in gambling addiction.

Meta and YouTube have long argued that there’s no clear scientific proof their products cause that harm. Tech addiction isn’t recognized as a formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; only “internet gaming disorder” appears as a condition warranting more study. Some researchers worry that calling heavy use “addiction” can make people feel more helpless, not less.

But critics have long said that these products are designed to foster addiction. “These companies are in the business of attention,” the former tech investor and author of Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe, Roger McNamee, told me, weeks before today’s verdict. “Once they had attention, they were in the business of controlling the choices available to people in order to influence their behavior in ways that were profitable for the platform. That culture and that business model were guaranteed to produce lots of harm.”

Indeed, some watching the Los Angeles and other lawsuits move forward have anticipated a “Big Tobacco moment”—a reference to the 1990s lawsuits against tobacco companies that proved they were aware of the addictive nature of nicotine and the health dangers of smoking, and led to massive damages paid.

NYU professor and podcaster Scott Galloway, also speaking before the verdict, was even more blunt about what the attention race has meant for young people. “I don’t think [Big Tech] set out in their business plans to depress global youth,” he says. “I think their algorithms discovered that rage, self-esteem, and funny cat videos just keep people online.”

For Hill, the stakes are personal, not theoretical. She has now transitioned to an apartment owned by reSTART and carries a basic “dumb” phone with no apps or games. She still catches herself slipping into old patterns—like mindlessly scrolling through new screen backgrounds—but says something fundamental has shifted. 

“After making so many mistakes, I’m finally putting a foot down and saying, ‘I want to get out of this endless cycle,’” she says. “I need to do something to better myself and my life.”

This article used reporting from the Associated Press.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com