Today’s Big Story

The Rise of Doorbell Cams

Are they the answer to bringing down crime?

I didn’t have a doorbell camera until I moved to Tokyo. They are very common here and come in handy, for sure. In America, they’re increasingly becoming more and more common and a growing number of local police departments are using doorbell cameras to catch criminals.

Ring is the biggest name in modern doorbell cameras, right? Founder Jamie Siminoff has returned to the company, with a renewed focus on its mission statement to “Make neighborhoods safer”. Talking to The Verge ahead of the release of his new book Ding Dong, Siminoff says he believes the new wave of AI could finally help him fulfill that vision.

“When I left, I felt like Ring had gotten to a place where it was linear innovation,” he says. But new features like Search Party, an AI-powered tool that can search your neighbors’ Ring camera footage for lost dogs, are the type of innovations he always dreamt of but couldn’t execute. “Now, with AI, we can,” he says.

Of course, some wonder if today’s video doorbells do enough to prevent crime. Right now, there is very little published data on the effectiveness of Ring—or similar, less popular video doorbell cameras, such as Google Nest, Skybell, ADT, or Vivint—as a crime prevention or deterrent tool, several researchers told Scientific American.

Siminoff believes that with enough cameras and with AI, Ring could eliminate most of it. Not all crime—“you’ll never stop crime a hundred percent ... there’s crimes that are impossible to stop,” he concedes—but close. However, privacy advocates and civil rights groups strongly disagree, citing concerns around both privacy and the creation of a private surveillance network.

Trump Is Tearing Down the East Wing

Contrary to earlier reports, the president says the whole ‘existing structure’ needs to be demolished

Well, this wasn’t the story we were sold when President Donald Trump announced his new big, beautiful ballroom. As crews were demolishing parts of the structure, two administration officials told CBS News that it will be completely torn down by the weekend. Trump previously said his ballroom addition would not “interfere with the current building.” He rejected accusations he had not been transparent over the extent of the works, telling reporters on Wednesday: “I think we've been more transparent than anyone’s ever been.”

Trump added that the building had gone through several changes over the years and was “very, very much changed from what it was originally.” In some ways, the cries of disapproval are coming too late, CNN reports. And the ballroom is now expected to be larger than initially planned, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. While it’s not clear how much larger, Trump did say Wednesday that the ballroom is expected to cost a projected $300 million, seemingly in line with a larger structure. Previously, the administration had put the cost at $200 million.

The construction was being fully funded by Trump and “some friends of mine - donors”. The military is also involved, he added. The White House has said it will submit plans for the ballroom construction to the National Capital Planning Commission, but insists the body doesn’t have purview over the decision to knock down the East Wing.

Paramount’s Secret Pursuit of Warner Bros.

What happens if the acquisition goes through? HBO Max-Paramount+ combo, huge layoffs and more

Warner Bros. Discovery is officially on the block, disclosing that it has received interest from “multiple parties” to acquire all or part of the company and that its board is reviewing various options. According to the New York Times, over the course of four weeks, Paramount made three offers to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, ratcheting up the financial stakes of a deal that would reshape the media landscape.

Needless to say, such a deal would represent major consolidation in the industry. It would pool Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, two of Hollywood’s most storied studios, along with their large content libraries. On the TV side, it would bring Paramount’s CBS broadcast, MTV, Comedy Central and BET together with HBO, TNT, TBS, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network and more from Warner Bros. Discovery—with CNN and CBS News likely under one umbrella. And a merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery would be expected to fuse HBO Max and Paramount+ into a supercharged streaming service.

And, of course, a merger of this size would undoubtedly include a massive tranche of layoffs, as a union of the two conglomerates would reduce corporate overhead and would consolidate functions across studios, TV and streaming operations. The Hollywood Reporter points out that also on Tuesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery announced a price hike for its HBO Max streaming service. “So, there’s a dollar extra per month per subscriber in value for a buyer!”

Mosquitoes Found in Iceland for First Time

Climate change means more skeeters in more places

Everyone (and everything) seems to want to go to Iceland the days. Mosquitos have been found there for the first time as climate change makes the country more hospitable for insects. It was one of the last places on earth to not have the insects, given its historically cold climate. The other place without mosquitos right now? Antarctica.

The Guardian reports that scientists have predicted for some time that mosquitoes could establish themselves in Iceland as there are plentiful breeding habitats such as marshes and ponds. Many species will be unable to survive the harsh climate, however, the mosquito species found this month—Culiseta annulata—is cold-resistant, and can survive Icelandic conditions by sheltering through winter in basements and barns, according to Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist at the Institute of Natural History. The species are common across parts of Europe and North Africa but it it isn't clear how they reached Iceland, he told the BBC.

Making things more complicated? Iceland is warming at four times the rate of the rest of the northern hemisphere. Glaciers have been collapsing and fish from warmer, southern climes such as mackerel have been found in the country’s waters.

The Long Read

For nearly 250 years, America promoted freedom and equality abroad, even when it failed to live up to those ideals itself. Not anymore.

The Long Read

For nearly 250 years, America promoted freedom and equality abroad, even when it failed to live up to those ideals itself. Not anymore.

Let yourself be impressed.