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Star Treka franchise that famously promotes the philosophy Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”is being accused of “becoming” too woke. Last week, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller shared a post from the X account End Wokeness that featured a short clip from the premiere episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Tragic. But its not too late for @paramountplus to save the franchise. Step 1: Reconcile with @WilliamShatner and give him total creative control. https://t.co/HRMDcYeBnU— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 16, 2026 The clip showed cast members Tricia Black (playing Lt. Rork), Gina Yashere (Lura Thok) and Holly Hunter (Nahla Ake). The caption read: Star Trek 2026 Beyond parody What sparked the vitriol? Three women talking. Miller went on to describe the current state of the Star Trek franchise as tragic and suggested that Paramount+ should bring back 94-year-old William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek from 19661969, offering him full creative control. On Monday, Shatner responded. I am so on the same page with you @StephenM ! he wrote on X. I am so on the same page with you @StephenM! The fact that they have not cure Hyperopia by the 32rd Century is an abysmal oversight on the writers!Also @paramountplus needs to up the budget because Im sure that a well oiled organization like Starfleet in the distant https://t.co/96MtYUGGWf— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) January 19, 2026 The fact that they have not cure Hyperopia by the 32rd Century is an abysmal oversight on the writers! he joked. The sarcasm clearly went right over Millers head, who followed up with another post. Paramount screwed up royally when they decided to kill off Kirk in Star Trek Generations, he wrote. @WilliamShatner disagreed strenuously but was a team player and out-acted everyone in the film. But its not too late for Paramount to make amends with Shatner and save the franchise, he urged. Do it! Paramount screwed up royally when they decided to kill off Kirk in Star Trek Generations. @WilliamShatner disagreed strenuously but was a team player and out-acted everyone in the film. But its not too late for Paramount to make amends with Shatner and save the franchise. Do it! https://t.co/YORaoM0JEV— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 19, 2026 Many Star Trek fans were quick to point out Millers anti-woke hero is the same actor who famously took part in the first interracial kiss in U.S. television history, during Star Treks original run in the 1960s. They also pointed to Millers fundamental misunderstanding of the show, whose progressive values have long been light-years ahead of its time. Fans have recently shared their concerns across Reddit forums about what Trump ally David Ellisons takeover at Paramount might mean for the Star Trek franchise. Do you think the shows will continue to be liberal/socialist filled with science, diplomacy, democratic solutions, and human rights? one user mused. Will they devolve into combat based popcorn fair? Will they straight up become positive analogs for the current administration? Or racial allegories in the bad way? [Photo: John Medland/Paramount+] Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, created by Gaia Violo, premiered last week on Paramount+. It has since become the target of review bombing from those accusing a show about aliens of being too woke. Earlier in the month, Elon Musk also shared a post featuring the same clip. He wrote: Turns out they banned Ozempic and LASIK in the future lol. Actress Tricia Black responded on Instagram with the caption, Ive seen this exact same comment probably 100 times already so whatever but its nuts that the richest man in [the world] felt the need to steal the joke. It doesnt get to me because I am comfortable in my skin most days but this one made me laugh. She then quoted the shows original creator, Gene Roddenberry, who famously said: “Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms.
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The next time youve got an itchy throat and a stuffy nose, Amazon wants you to describe your symptoms to an AI chatbot deputized to do medicine. On Wednesday, Amazon announced the launch of the new feature, inviting users who subscribe to its healthcare service to interact with an AI assistant for personalized medical advice. The chatbot is available now in the One Medical app, which patients can use to schedule appointments, message their primary care provider and access their medical records. The U.S. health care experience is fragmented, with each provider seeing only parts of your health puzzle, Amazon Health Services Senior Vice President Neil Lindsay said in the announcement. Health AI in the One Medical app brings together all the pieces of your personal health information to give you a more complete picturehelping you understand your health, and supporting you in getting the care you need to get and stay well. Amazon says that its new Health AI assistant can provide personalized insights that use a patients lab results, medical history, medication information and other records to paint a full picture of their health. In the app, Health AI will explain lab results, offer advice about symptoms, treatments, and other questions and help patients book appointments and renew medications. The AI will see you now The One Medical AI assistant is powered by Amazons Bedrock AI models and follows similar health-focused AI chatbots from major AI companies. Earlier this month, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, which similarly synthesizes its users medical history to provide tailored advice. Days later, Anthropic introduced Claude for Healthcare, an AI chatbot that can analyze a users health data to help them make sense of test results and prep questions for a doctors appointment. Unlike its competitors, Amazon is already deeply invested in the business of healthcare. The retail giant jumped into the healthcare space in 2020 by launching its own online pharmacy, an offering that evolved from the companys previous acquisition of health startup PillPack. Two years later, Amazon bought primary care and telehealth provider One Medical for $3.9 billion, further expanding its grand ambitions to become an established medical provider. Amazon kept the One Medical branding and now operates a network of locations across 19 major U.S. cities, with a telehealth service that reaches subscribers beyond those locations. In 2023, Amazon tied One Medical into its Amazon Prime memberships, offering the health care subscription at a discounted $9 per month to Prime users. A One Medical membership covers the cost of on-demand virtual care through the service, including telehealth appointments, and simplified care for common problems, like cold and flu symptoms or allergies. Amazon frames its new Health AI chatbot as a complementary tool that isnt designed to replace the human relationship between patient and provider. Thats for the best, considering that AI assistants have a very patchy record when it comes to providing safe, accurate health advice. Googles often-questionable AI overviews, which appear at the top of search results, have served up potentially dangerous misinformation when prompted with health queries like what is the normal range for liver blood tests. Google isnt alone: a recent study from Mt. Sinais Icahn School of Medicine found that popular AI chatbots are prone to hallucinating when it comes to medical information, integrating false information and confidently giving descriptions of treatments and conditions that dont exist.
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The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This year marks a return to normalcy after the 2025 award show was altered to focus on supporting relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires. I think we will see some history-making moments, Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. told The Associated Press. With artists being nominated in categories they haven’t been previously nominated in, and a new crop of talent coming through the system this year I think we’re going to see some really exciting results. Heres what you need to know about the 2026 Grammys, including how to stream and where you can see musics biggest stars walking the red carpet. When are the Grammys and how can I watch or stream the show? The main show will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 1. The Grammys can also be watched through live TV streaming services that include CBS in their lineup, like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. Paramount+ premium plan subscribers will be able to stream the Grammys live; Paramount+ essential subscribers will have on-demand access the next day. The premiere ceremony will take place just ahead of the Grammys ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It can be streamed at the Recording Academys YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com. Who is performing at the Grammys? The 2026 award show will feature a special segment in which all eight of this year’s best new artist nominees will perform. That means Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, global girl group Katseye, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Alex Warren and Lola Young will all share the stage before going head-to-head for one of the night’s biggest prizes. Sabrina Carpenter will also perform at the Grammys. Carpenter is a leading nominee at this year’s ceremony, with six nods for record, album and song of the year as well as pop solo performance, pop vocal album and music video. Who is hosting the Grammys? Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show for the sixth consecutive time and it will be his last. I am beyond thrilled to welcome Trevor Noah back to host the Grammys for his sixth, and sadly, final time, Grammys’ executive producer Ben Winston said in a statement. Hes been the most phenomenal host of the show. Hes so smart, so funny, and such a true fan of the artists and music. His impact on the show has been truly spectacular, and we cant wait to do it together one last time. The only other people to host six or more Grammy telecasts were musical artists: Andy Williams hosted seven shows, followed by John Denver with six. Noah previously tied LL Cool J, with five. Noah himself is a four-time Grammy nominee and is up this year in the audio book, narration, and storytelling recording category for Into The Uncut Grass, a childrens story. He’s a special host. He really finds the right balance between being funny and smart and knowledgeable but also being a fan of music. And I love that. Its so hard to find that combination, Mason jr. said. As for his departure? Every person at some point in their career, they decide they want to do something else, Mason jr. said. And were so appreciative of the years that we got from Trevor. Hes really helped define the show and make the show what its become over the last six years. How can I watch the red carpet? The Associated Press will stream a four-hour red carpet show with interviews and fashion footage. It will be streamed on YouTube and APNews.com. Who is nominated for the Grammys? Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations with nine total. He’s up for record, song and album of the year marking the third time hes had simultaneous nominations in those big categories as well as pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. Hes also nominated twice in the rap performance category. Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow Lamar with seven nominations each. Thomas, Bad Bunny, Serban Ghenea, and the aforementioned Carpenter all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile, and Tyler, the Creator have five each. There are a number of first-time nominees as well this year, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID and Timothée Chalamet. You read that correctly. ___ For more coverage of this years Grammy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards Maria Sherman, AP business writer
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