March 31, 2026
Welcome to Particle’s weekly news rundown. 👋 Gas just crossed $4, Oracle reportedly cut about 18% of its workforce this morning, and somehow the wildest story of the week involves tons (literally, tons) of stolen Easter candy. Read on for more of the week’s biggest news. Stay up-to-date on all developing stories with the Particle app →
Oracle is cutting an estimated 18% of its global workforce to fund an aggressive AI data center buildout. Employees found out from emails that came through around 6 a.m.
💻 See who’s affected and what it means for the AI arms race→
Meta is quietly piloting a paid Instagram tier that lets you view stories without showing up in the viewer list — and yes, people already have feelings about it. 📱 What's included and what it might cost →
Unsealed court documents show YouTube employees used the phrase "viewer addiction" in internal chats and described how autoplay and infinite feeds were knowingly designed to drive dopamine-fueled bingeing. Meanwhile, proposed teen safety tools were shelved for lacking ROI. 📄 Read what the documents reveal→
With the Strait of Hormuz disruption now the largest oil supply shock on record, gas has crossed $4 a gallon nationally. Trump has warned the U.S. will obliterate Iran's power plants, oil wells, and water infrastructure unless a deal is reached and the strait reopens. ⛽ How talks are progressing and Iran’s take on U.S. proposals for reopening the Strait of Hormuz →
An 8–1 Supreme Court majority ruled that talk therapy is protected speech, a decision expected to undercut enforcement of conversion therapy bans in more than 20 states. ⚖️ What the ruling means going forward →
A federal judge just halted Trump's $400M White House ballroom and its reportedly "massive" underground military complex, while a second judge permanently blocked his order cutting NPR and PBS funding. 🏛️ What two courtroom losses in one day means for the Trump administration→
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by Melissa Denes
We have a window of around five years to shape what AI can be, says Zoë Hitzig: crucially, who owns it, who regulates it. When the research scientist quit Sam Altman’s OpenAI last month in protest at the company’s decision to introduce ads to ChatGPT, she warned that we had reached a crisis point.
People paid up to $400 for passes to Barbie Dream Fest… but arrived to a cardboard Dream House, canceled panels, and a swag bag containing a hairbrush and a hand sanitizer. Mattel is now issuing full refunds and the internet is calling it Fyre Fest 2.0. 🎀 See the side-by-side of what was promised vs. what showed up→
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are getting praised as the clear bright spots, but critics are split on a provocative twist that could make “The Drama” one of the most-talked-about films of the year. 🎬 Here’s what the critics are saying — but without spoilers!→
“Summer House” stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson confirmed their relationship on Instagram today, calling it "very new" and saying they never meant to cause hurt. But fans of the Bravoverse are not forgetting that Batula just separated from Kyle Cooke in January and Wilson previously dated castmate Ciara Miller. 💋 The full timeline and how the romance reveal unfolded →
The Army suspended an aircrew after Apache helicopters flew a low pass over Kid Rock's Nashville estate with no official request on record. 🚁 Watch the video and read the Army’s response →
TMZ caught Sen. Lindsey Graham dining at Chef Mickey's in Disney World while 50,000 DHS employees were going unpaid… and it didn’t go over great. 🎡 See the photos and how the internet reacted →
Twelve tons of KitKats vanished en route from Italy to Poland just before Easter and police are now on a continent-wide hunt. 🍫 Where could 400,000 chocolate bars be hiding?! →