The Best Smart Plugs to Help Modernize Your Home

An internet-connected plug can give any basic appliance a brain. Here are our favorites (and a few we don't like).

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Banning White Supremacy Isn’t Censorship, It’s Accountability

Claiming that deplatforming racists violates First Amendment rights shows a distorted understanding of how speech, race, and power work online.

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Power Up Anywhere With Our Favorite Portable Chargers

Keep your phone, tablet, laptop, or device running with these handheld power banks.

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How Universes Might Bubble Up and Collide

To understand how universes might inflate and bump into each other in the hypothetical multiverse, physicists are studying digital and physical analogs of the process.

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The Best Apps to Build Better Habits (and Stick to Them)

Don't let your resolutions flame out. These tech tools help keep you on track.

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Sweet Jesus, Can Someone Just Tell Me What to Cook Every Day?

Fed up with pandemic-fueled meal-prep anxiety, I asked the Gray Lady to send me a weekly email telling me precisely what to buy and cook. It was the right move.

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The Best VPNs to Protect Yourself Online

It won’t solve all of your privacy problems, but a virtual private network can help make you a less tempting target for hackers.

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Update Your iPhone and iPad Now If You Haven't Recently

Plus: A ransomware arrest, a dating site data leak, and more of the week's top security news.

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Dozens of Egyptian Tombs Will Be Unearthed at Saqqara Necropolis

Archaeologists found the entrance to the unexplored burial shaft earlier this week.

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A Quarter of Known Bee Species Haven’t Been Seen Since 1990

A global study finds that species numbers reported in the wild fell sharply between 1990 and 2015.

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In Praise of Positive Reinforcement for Your Pets

You want to reward good behaviors, not use tools to punish negative ones.

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Apple Fixes One of the iPhone's Most Pressing Security Risks

By hardening iMessage in iOS 14, the company has effectively cut off what had been an increasingly popular line of attack.

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The 14 Best Weekend Deals on Speakers, Video Games, and More

You'll find discounts this week on audio equipment, our favorite video calling device, TVs, and movies.

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What the Arab Spring Can Teach Us About GameStop

Ten years ago, democracy protestors used social media to organize against an oppressor. But ultimately, the powerful came out ahead.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks Is a Lot Better Than You'd Expect

The animated half-hour series is full of in-jokes and obscure references that will challenge even the most hardcore Trekkie.

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Facebook and Apple Feud Over the Future of the Internet

It turns out Tim Cook blames Mark Zuckerberg for undermining democracy, too.

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Coffee Talk Has Become a Quiet Success in a Turbulent Year

It’s the one-year anniversary of players creating custom drinks and having conversations with vampires, werewolves, and more in this narrative-driven game.

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A Vaccine Enrollment Mess of Epidemic Proportions

Plus: The Healthcare.gov rescue, the year’s biggest game changer, and a wake-up call for Wall Street.

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GameStop Makes This a Good Time to Rewatch 'The Big Short'

It won’t help you understand the mess any better than you already do, but it could help you untangle the mania behind it.

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Your Covid Vaccine Questions, Answered

This week, we field listener queries about the vaccine’s rollout, how state and local governments are handling distribution, and when you’ll get your shot.

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A New Way to Restore Hand Mobility—With an Electrified Patch

In a clinical trial, wearing a small stimulator on their necks helped people with quadriplegia build back movement they had lost years ago.

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The Jabra Elite 85t Are Premium Earbuds Made To Last

The company's latest in-ears have a two-year water damage warranty, wireless charging, noise canceling, and a mighty cozy fit.

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How I Found the Right Therapist When My Life Was Collapsing

So many of us are struggling with mental health because of the pandemic. These tips can help.

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Why Kids Matter in the Quest to Stamp Out Covid-19

Testing a vaccine on children takes longer and comes with more challenges. But inoculating kids can protect an entire population.

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Lawmakers Take Aim at Insidious Digital ‘Dark Patterns’

A new California law prohibits efforts to trick consumers into handing over data or money. A bill in Washington state copies the language.

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This Encrypted Gun Registry Might Bridge a Partisan Divide

Researchers from Brown University have developed a system that could keep track of firearms while preserving privacy.

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Robinhood Restricts GameStop Trading—in a Bid to Save Itself

The online broker blocked users from trading several “meme stocks” on Thursday, as regulators take a close look at the WallStreetBets phenomenon.

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Facebook’s Oversight Board Has Spoken. It Hasn’t Solved Much

The board’s first content moderation decisions show how impossible its task—and Facebook’s—really is.

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Miami’s Mayor Woos Techies. What Does He Need to Succeed?

If anywhere could use innovation, it’s Miami—one of the country’s most unequal, environmentally vulnerable cities.

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9 Adventurers Died Mysteriously. A New Theory Explains Why

More than 60 years after the incident, scientists say they have new evidence pointing to a peculiar kind of avalanche as the culprit.

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Facebook Ad Services Let Anyone Target US Military Personnel

Researchers warn that an advertising platform with categories like “Army” and “United States Air Force Security Sources” could be abused.

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The Trump Administration Left Biden With a Rocket Dilemma

Mike Pence promised to land on the moon in 2024, but that’s fallen out of reach. So what now?

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The Scott Pilgrim Game Is So Nice They Released It Twice

Though the game has a fraught history, it was a true indie darling. And now it’s back, having aged surprisingly well, actually.

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Online Harassment Toward Women Is Getting Even More Insidious

From coded memes to deepfake porn, abusive disinformation campaigns are sliding past moderation tools. Platforms, Congress, and employers need to help women fight back.

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The Lasting Impact of Covid-19 on Homelessness in the US

The pandemic is hitting unhoused people especially hard. But the efforts that sprang up to address it could change their fates for the better.

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The Next Target for a Facial Recognition Ban? New York

San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities have enacted moratoriums on government use of the tech. New York looks like a harder sell.

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How to Buy Used Gear on eBay—the Smart, Safe Way

Gracefully avoid sketchy situations and score a deal on the post-holiday gadget turnover.

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May I Borrow Your Covid Immunity?

Whenever a new virus emerges—be it HIV or SARS-CoV-2—a few lucky people put up a potent natural defense. Monoclonal antibody drugs let them share the health.

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Impeachment and Deplatforming Aren't Enough to Move Forward

To achieve true unity, we must contend with the underlying cause of our division—decades of conspiratorial messages, and sophisticated networks to spread them.

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Why Instacart Is Laying Off Workers As Deliveries Soar

Big grocery chains relied on app-based delivery companies at the start of the pandemic. Now grocers’ priorities have shifted.

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How to Mix and Match Wireless Smart Speakers With Ease

Yes, you can use devices from different brands. And yes, location definitely matters.

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Fleeing WhatsApp for Privacy? Don't Turn to Telegram

Because the chat app doesn't encrypt conversations by default—or at all for group chats—security professionals often warn against it.

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Stop Calling Everyone a Tech Bro

Silicon Valley’s problem is not an excess of frat-house behavior. It’s much worse.

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These Doctors Are Using AI to Screen for Breast Cancer

During the pandemic, thousands of women have skipped scans and check-ups. So physicians tapped an algorithm to predict those at the highest risk.

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Cops Disrupt Emotet, the Internet's ‘Most Dangerous Malware’

A global operation has taken down the notorious botnet in a blow to cybercriminals worldwide.

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The Priority Apollo Gravel Bike Handles Both Roads and Mud

This light, versatile, and low-maintenance bicycle has reconciled me to the existence of gravel bikes.

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The Real Pleasure and Pain of Making Choices in Video Games

Life is chaos, but needing to control a fictional story can be stressful too.

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The Ethics of Vaccinating Teachers—and Keeping Schools Closed

Educators have lobbied to be prioritized for the Covid-19 vaccine, but they've also made the ethically questionable call to continue to wait to reopen.

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The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Are a Joy to Wear (and Hear)

The British audio brand's carbon fiber noise-canceling headphones have become my favorite quarantine companion.

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Heaven’s Vault: A Linguist’s Buried Treasure

Uncover the marvels of the Ancient language and explore the Nebula and the secrets contained within this indie game.

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To Beat China on Tech, Biden Will Have to Learn from It

If the president wants to win the race on 5G and other technologies, he'll need more than the support of America's traditional global allies.

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Worrisome New Coronavirus Strains Are Emerging. Why Now?

Across the globe, SARS-CoV-2 is evolving ways to evade the immune system and become more infectious. Blown pandemic response plans are to blame.

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A New Way to Trace the History of Sci-Fi’s Made-Up Words

The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction turns a century of neologisms (and neosemes!) into a redefintion of the genre.

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North Korea Targets—and Dupes—a Slew of Cybersecurity Pros

The sweeping campaign took advantage of the collaborative spirit among researchers, with an unknown number of victims.

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It’s the Perfect Time to Switch to a Cheaper Phone Plan

If you’re a Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T subscriber, switching to these networks may save you a lot of money.

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The Rise of One of the First Video Game Workers Unions

What began as a Facebook group, and then a chat on Discord, soon became a massive campaign to remedy grueling working conditions across the industry.

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They Claimed the Covid Vaccine Made Them Sick—and Went Viral

On Facebook, videos of people reporting disturbing side-effects from the shots have been viewed by millions. Fact-checking efforts can't keep up.

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White Nationalism Is Far Worse Than a 'Disease'

Most analogies for racism as a pathology oversimplify its blight. Better diagnosing it means knowing how to treat it.

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I Love Reading 1980s Computer Magazines, and So Should You

It’s not just a nostalgia thing. Sifting through the past often leads to something new.

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Is It Time to Roll Out the Carbon-Eating Machines?

Facilities that suck carbon dioxide out of the air could be powerful weapons for fighting climate change. But their deployment requires a huge wartime-style investment.

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'2034: A Novel of the Next World War,' an Exclusive Excerpt

What if things escalated? What if communications were knocked out? What if cyberwar was just the start? A note about this special six-part series.

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2034, Part I: Peril in the South China Sea

“We've got a ship in duress that hasn't sent out a distress signal. Something doesn't add up.”

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Are Mass Clinics the Solution for Covid-19 Vaccination?

Mega-sites need a lot of personnel and pose problems of access and equity. But other vaccination campaigns might point us in the right direction.

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This AI Could Go From ‘Art’ to Steering a Self-Driving Car

DALL-E drew laughs for creating images of a daikon radish in a tutu. But it builds on an important advance in computer vision with serious applications.

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The North Face Puts the Latest Road Running Tech on the Trail

The storied outdoor brand has introduced a new trail running shoe with speedy—and controversial—carbon-fiber plates in the soles.

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Apple’s Newest Fitness Feature: Celeb-Guided Outdoor Walks

The company's latest subscription product combines outdoor fitness with podcasting, though you'll need an Apple Watch to enjoy it.

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Could Bobbie Hold 2 Spaceships Together in The Expanse?

This scenario is very similar to a classic physics problem—but with more Martian armor.

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The Wilds Is Lost With Whip-Smart Teen Drama

Like its spiritual predecessor, Amazon’s new show is full of secrets. Unlike it, the series doesn’t get bogged down in solving mysteries.

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Vizio's Rotating Soundbar Fills the Room With Great Surround

The flagship (and expensive) Elevate has rotating drivers for when you play Dolby Atmos-supported movies or shows.

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Stop Ignoring the Evidence on Covid-19 Treatments

The studies are in, and for many patients convalescent plasma should be out. So why do doctors having such a hard time letting go?

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New Algorithms Could Reduce Racial Disparities in Health Care

Machine learning programs trained with patient reports, rather than doctors', find problems that doctors miss—especially in Black people.

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Sun-Loving Bacteria May Be Accelerating Glacial Melting

Scientists find that cyanobacteria cause sediments on glaciers to clump, thus absorbing more sunlight. It's not great news for fans of lower sea levels.

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The Truth About North Korea's Ultra-Lockdown Against Covid-19

The country has turned inward more than ever, leaving the true impact of the pandemic a mystery.

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A Beginner’s Guide for Working Out at Home

You can start by doing a few push-ups in your pajamas. Also, Chris Hemsworth has a workout app.

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The Secret Ingredient That Powers Supernovas

Three-dimensional computer simulations have solved the mystery of why doomed stars explode at all.

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Flash Is Dead—but Not Gone

Zombie versions of Adobe’s troubled software can still cause problems in systems around the world.

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How to Back Up Your Most Important Emails

Google, Microsoft, or Apple may deliver and store your emails, but the most valuable ones deserve a second home, just in case.

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D&D Must Grapple With the Racism in Fantasy

And getting rid of it will take a lot of work.

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The Best Mouse for Every Kind of Gamer

Whether you’re into esports or casual fragging, these are the greatest gaming mice we’ve tested.

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The FTC Cracks Down on Bot-Wielding Ticket Scalpers

Plus: A security company creeper, Biden’s cyberteam, and the rest of this week’s security news.

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Chrome and Edge Want to Help Solve Your Password Problems

The line between browsers and password managers is blurring.

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A New Project Maps the Pacific Coast's Critical Kelp Forests

Using sea charts and satellites, the effort will trace how the kelp beds are changing in response to global warming and commercial harvesting.

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The Best Laptop Stands to Save Your Neck

Help your back and posture by raising your computer screen up to eye level.

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How Do You Define Electric Field, Voltage, and Current?

And what does that mean for making a little wire LED man light up?

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The 13 Best Weekend Deals on Laptops, Smartwatches, and More

Now is a good time to grab some sweet Switch games, Apple’s Magic Keyboard, or an Apple Watch Series 6 at a discounted price.

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A Fight Over GameStop's Soaring Stock Turns Ugly

The denizens of the Wall Street Bets subreddit helped push the flailing stock to dizzying heights—while a short-seller alleged an accompanying harassment campaign.

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Biden Gets to Work, Vaccine Guidelines Change, and More

Catch up on the most important updates from this week.

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Let Fire Stations and EMS Crews Administer Covid Vaccines

They're more trusted and better distributed than pharmacies, and they're built for emergencies.

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A Year Ago I Asked: How Bad Could Covid Get? Now We Know

No one was calling it a pandemic yet, at least publicly. Then came more troubling evidence about transmission, as the US ignored warning signs.

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People Still Really Love the Apple II

The computer ceased production in 1993, but fans are still making games for it.

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The Bernie Sanders Meme Proves the Internet Is Resetting

Well, that and the fact that @POTUS now follows Chrissy Teigen.

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Janet Yellen Will Consider Limiting the Use of Cryptocurrency

During her confirmation hearing, the Treasury nominee said that blockchain-based financial networks are “a particular concern.”

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How to Reboot Your Burnt-Out Brain

This week, we round up tips for staying organized, energized, and mostly sane as we all ride out the rest of the pandemic.

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President Biden, Please Don't Get Into Carbon Farming

This is not the solution to our climate problems; it's a sweetheart deal for Big Ag.

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The Swashbuckling Escapism of Sid Meier’s Pirates!

The legendary developer’s new memoir brought back poignant memories of one of his most famous games—and of the hours I played with my dad.

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An Internet Without Trump

With Donald Trump no longer the heart of online discourse, there's room for a powerful shift.

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The Art and Science of Boarding an Airplane in a Pandemic

Researchers and airlines that obsessed over efficiency have spent the past year worrying about safety too.

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Alphabet Is Grounding Loon—but Won't Call It a Failure

Plus: The moonshot’s launch, health care for the mask-less, and a new era’s inaugural meme.

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He Made a Viral Bernie Meme Site. Now He Has to Keep It Going

Nick Sawhney's “Bernie Sits" puts Sanders anywhere on Google Street View.

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Facebook's Oversight Board to Decide on Trump Ban

Facebook has to decide whether to give the ex-president his bullhorn back. It won't make that call by itself.

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