Hard Pass

Strict bans on mobile phones in schools have “close to zero” impact on student learning and show no evidence of improvements in attendance or online bullying, a study has found.

Researchers at US universities including Stanford and Duke looked at nearly 1,800 US schools where students’ phones were kept in locked pouches and found little or no differences in outcomes compared with similar schools without strict bans.

The report concluded that among schools instituting a ban: “For academic achievement, average effects on test scores are consistently close to zero.”

The results will come as a disappointment to teaching unions and campaigners in England who backed the government’s recent move to restrict the use of mobile phones in schools. A ban is likely to come into force next year.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/64320550

Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit its worst level during his two terms in office, with more than six in 10 Americans disapproving of the president’s job performance.

Trump’s rating is at its worst on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high.

Two-thirds of Americans now feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.

This is the plaque for the presidential portrait gallery for Joe Biden.

Quantum technologies, including quantum computers, rely on materials that display unusual quantum effects under specific conditions. Researchers have found that these properties can also be engineered by adjusting a material’s structure. For example, stacking and slightly twisting layers of graphene creates a moiré pattern that can transform the material into a superconductor.

As scientists build increasingly intricate layered systems, they reach structures such as quasicrystals and super-moiré materials. The challenge is predicting which designs will be useful. Modeling these materials requires calculating vast amounts of data. In the case of quasicrystals, this can involve more than a quadrillion numbers, far exceeding the limits of even the most powerful supercomputers.

Researchers at Aalto University’s Department of Applied Physics have introduced a quantum-inspired algorithm that can handle these massive, non-periodic systems with remarkable speed. According to Assistant Professor Jose Lado, this work also highlights a growing feedback loop in quantum technology...

The Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Homeland Security Committee on Monday night released legislative text for the $72 billion budget reconciliation bill that would bypass Democratic opposition to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through 2029. The committees released the legislation after the Senate and House passed a joint budget resolution last month unlocking the special budget reconciliation process that will allow them to move funding for immigration enforcement without conceding to Democratic demands for reforms that have hung up the funding for months. The package will be able to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote instead of needing 60 votes to advance.

Full Report(PDF).

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/64384124

A US judge on Monday apologized to the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump for the “legally deficient” treatment he has faced in a Washington DC, jail, including being placed on suicide watch, separated from other inmates and denied a Bible.

The US magistrate judge Zia Faruqui said he was disturbed by the conditions for Cole Allen, who allegedly fired a shotgun during a foiled attack on Trump and senior officials in his administration at a 25 April press gala. The judge said the conditions were inappropriate for a person with no criminal history.

“Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize,” Faruqui said during a court hearing.

US president says he is pausing US effort to guide stranded vessels out of the strait of Hormuz but blockade remains.

Really what happened is he restarted the war and almost lost a destroyer. Also Iran still says they aren't talking to the USA. It's just another pump and dump for the stock market.

Vornado Realty Trust CEO Steve Roth slammed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a Tuesday earnings call.