Queer books are having a moment.

In 2022, sales of LGBTQ+ fiction doubled those of two years prior. Increased mainstream interest in queer stories has transformed what book publishing data analyst Kristen McLean called a once-“niche area of publishing” into a genre-spanning category that is no longer confined to one section of bookstore shelves. This has been a truly banner year for queer book releases spanning multiple genres, from “Unwieldy Creatures” and “Before We Were Trans” to “My Government Means to Kill Me” and “Myth of the Wrong Body.”

Growth in LGBTQ+ fiction sales is consistent across generations and genres, from young adult and general adult fiction to more specific genre categories, including fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. This queer literary renaissance flies in the face of coordinated efforts to ban LGBTQ+ books in U.S. schools and libraries. Preliminary 2022 data from the American Library Association revealed that this year is on track to break records for the most recorded book challenges—and LGBTQ+ books and books about people of color are the most frequently targeted.

Despite the historical bias and censorship efforts levied against it, queer literature has always existed: in the remaining fragments written by the Greek poet Sappho, in the under-the-radar use of euphemisms, and in the vibrant underground zine scene.

The evolution of LGBTQ+ literature reflects changes in cultural attitudes toward queerness over time. Gone are the days when even the suggestion of homosexuality in a book could be used as evidence with which to prosecute its author. Milestones in queer history, such as the Stonewall riots, also serve as landmarks in queer literature, shaping and changing what was seen as permissible—even publishable—throughout the last century.

Stacker curated a list of LGBTQ+ books that changed the literary landscape of their time, encompassing more than 100 years of history and varying in terms of their authors, topics, and narrative forms. English-language fiction and creative nonfiction have been included. LGBTQ+ books are defined by the centering of a queer narrative or character, the author identifying as LGBTQ+, or both.

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1890: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s now-classic work went through several iterations—during which it became increasingly censored—before being published as a novel. Publishers dialed down the homoerotic themes contained in Wilde’s original manuscript for its first release in the magazine Lippincott’s, and both homosexual and heterosexual explicitness were mostly done away with when it was published as a book. Five years later, when Wilde was convicted and incarcerated on charges of homosexuality, “Dorian” was used as evidence against him.

1928: ‘Orlando’ by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando” played with the gender, sexuality, and linguistic conventions of its time with a gender-fluid, pansexual main character. The book humorously explores the gendered nature of power while undermining the boundaries and structures that hold up gender in

David Gyung // Shutterstock

For many, this is a moment of dread, a time when a seemingly simple piece of paper reveals a price hike that feels like a punch to the wallet. But what if someone told you the end of the year isn’t just about eggnog and New Year’s resolutions? It’s a prime, strategic window to seize control of your policy, challenge those rising costs, and ensure your most valuable asset is protected. The insurance world is complex, but understanding the forces at play, especially as the year concludes, can turn you from a passive policyholder into an empowered consumer.

This isn’t about scare tactics; it’s about smart planning. Cheap Insurance is going to dive deep into the forces that shape your home insurance quote, reveal the money-saving levers you can pull, and give you the knowledge to make your renewal conversation a productive one. Let’s make this year-end review the one that finally pays off.

The Three Market Forces Driving Home Insurance Rates

Before discussing savings, you need to understand why that number keeps climbing. Your quote is not a random draw; it’s a cold, hard calculation based on three major, often accelerating, market forces that tend to culminate around renewal cycles.

1. The Inflation and Rebuilding Cost Surge

This is the biggest factor right now, and one that is amplified as the year closes and new construction cost data is finalized. Insurance isn’t based on your home’s market value (what you could sell it for, including the land); it’s based on the replacement cost, the cost of materials and labor to rebuild your home from the foundation up.

• Materials volatility: Construction material prices (lumber, concrete, copper) have seen massive volatility. If the cost of rebuilding your home has increased by, say, 15% this year, your insurer must raise your dwelling coverage limit to avoid leaving you dangerously underinsured in a total loss scenario. A higher coverage limit means a higher home insurance rate.
• Labor scarcity: A shortage of skilled construction labor, especially after major weather events, drives up hourly rates, further inflating the total replacement cost calculation.

Check your dwelling coverage limit. Has your insurer automatically increased it? If so, it’s likely a necessary inflation adjustment, but you should verify it aligns with local rebuilding costs, not inflated market value.

2. Increased Catastrophic Risk and Climate Volatility

The data doesn’t lie: Major weather events, wildfires, intense hail, severe storms, and flooding, are increasing in frequency and severity. Insurers are in the business of assessing and pricing risk, and if your geographic area has seen an uptick in claims (even if you haven’t filed one yourself), the collective risk for the entire region goes up.

• Regional re-rating: Insurers analyze year-end data on localized weather patterns and historical home insur

Por Gordon Ebanks, CNN

A medida que el mercado laboral estadounidense se desacelera, las entrevistas dirigidas por IA y las cartas de presentación generadas automáticamente están cambiando drásticamente el proceso de conseguir empleo. Y tal vez no para mejor.

Más de la mitad de las organizaciones encuestadas por la Sociedad para la Gestión de Recursos Humanos utilizaron Inteligencia Artificial para reclutar trabajadores en 2025. Y se estima que un tercio de los usuarios de ChatGPT recurrieron al chatbot de OpenAI para ayudar en su búsqueda de empleo.

Sin embargo, investigaciones recientes encontraron que cuando los solicitantes usan IA durante el proceso, tienen menos probabilidades de ser contratados. Mientras tanto, las empresas reciben un mayor volumen de solicitudes.

“La capacidad (de las empresas) para seleccionar al mejor trabajador hoy puede ser peor debido a la IA”, dijo Anaïs Galdin, investigadora de Dartmouth y coautora de un estudio sobre el impacto de los grandes modelos de lenguaje (LLM) en las cartas de presentación.

Galdin y su coautor, Jesse Silbert de Princeton, analizaron cartas de presentación de decenas de miles de solicitudes en Freelancer.com, un sitio de ofertas de empleo.

Los investigadores descubrieron que, tras la introducción de ChatGPT en 2022, las cartas se volvieron más largas y mejor redactadas, pero las empresas dejaron de darles tanta importancia. Eso dificultó distinguir a un candidato calificado del resto, y la tasa de contratación, así como el salario inicial promedio, disminuyeron.

“Si no hacemos nada para mejorar el flujo de información entre trabajadores y empresas, podríamos tener un resultado como este”, dijo Silbert, refiriéndose a los resultados de su estudio.

Y con más solicitudes para revisar, los empleadores están automatizando la propia entrevista.

La mayoría (54%) de los buscadores de empleo en EE.UU. encuestados por la firma de software de reclutamiento Greenhouse en octubre dijeron haber tenido una entrevista dirigida por IA. Las entrevistas virtuales se popularizaron durante la pandemia en 2020. Muchas empresas ahora usan IA para hacer las preguntas, pero eso no ha hecho el proceso menos subjetivo.

“Los algoritmos pueden copiar e incluso magnificar los sesgos humanos”, dijo Djurre Holtrop, investigador que ha estudiado el uso de entrevistas en video asincrónicas, algoritmos y LLM en la contratación. “Todo desarrollador debe tener cuidado con eso”.

Daniel Chait, CEO de Greenhouse, advirtió de que con la IA infiltrándose en la contratación —desde solicitantes usando la herramienta para postularse a cientos de empleos y empleados automatizando el proceso en respuesta— se ha creado un “círculo vicioso” que hace infelices a todos.

“Ambos lados están diciendo: ‘Esto es imposible, no funciona, está empeorando’”, dijo Chait a CNN.

Los empleadores están adoptando la tecnología; una estimación proyecta que el mercado de tecnología de reclutamiento crecerá a US$ 3.100 millones para finales de este año. Pero legisladores estatales, sindicatos y trabajadores individuales han comenzado a resistirse por temor a que la IA pueda <

Por CNN

El Departamento de Justicia publicó miles de archivos relacionados con el delincuente sexual y acusado de tráfico sexual Jeffrey Epstein después de que el Congreso aprobara una ley que obligó a la administración Trump a hacerlo.

La publicación del viernes no incluyó todos los archivos, ya que el Departamento de Justicia dijo que continuará publicando más en las próximas semanas.

Reporteros de CNN revisaron los miles de archivos, y puedes leer los aspectos más destacados a continuación:

Nota del editor: Esta historia contiene descripciones gráficas y perturbadoras de violencia sexual.

El Departamento de Justicia publicó un lote de fotos —además de las divulgaciones anteriores del viernes— que muestran parte de las pruebas reunidas en la investigación sobre Jeffrey Epstein.

Los nuevos archivos se publicaron en el sitio web del Departamento de Justicia después de las 7:00 p.m. hora de Miami, aproximadamente cuatro horas después de la publicación inicial de una gran cantidad de materiales más temprano ese día. Contienen unas 120 fotos, en su mayoría de cajas y sobres de pruebas del FBI.

Los materiales incluyen docenas de discos duros, viejos CD y computadoras. Una imagen parece mostrar un perro disecado dentro de una caja. Ya se había informado anteriormente que Epstein tenía un caniche disecado.

No está claro de dónde provienen estas fotos, pero el Departamento de Justicia había dicho previamente que parte de los materiales publicados el viernes incluirían información de órdenes de registro relacionadas con Epstein. El FBI allanó las casas de Epstein en Florida y Nueva York, así como su isla privada en las Islas Vírgenes de EE.UU.

Un portavoz del Departamento de Justicia dijo el viernes que la persona censurada en una de las nuevas fotos ampliamente difundidas del expresidente Bill Clinton en un jacuzzi es “una víctima” de los abusos sexuales de Jeffrey Epstein.

El portavoz, Gates McGavick, publicó la imagen en X y escribió: “Querido presidente demócrata. La caja negra se añadió para proteger a una víctima”.

La Ley de Transparencia de los Archivos de Epstein exige que el Departamento de Justicia oculte información que pueda identificar a víctimas de abuso sexual. Sin embargo, no está claro que todas las censuras en todas las fotos se hayan hecho para proteger a una víctima confirmada. Por ejemplo, el rostro de un hombre mayor fue censurado en algunas imágenes.

Clinton nunca ha sido acusado de ningún delito ni señalado por las autoridades por alguna conducta indebida relacionada con Epstein. Un portavoz de Clinton dijo en un comunicado el viernes que la administración Trump estaba “protegiéndose de lo que viene después”.

El comunicado agregó que el expresidente no sabía nada sobre los crímenes de Epstein y que cortó la relación antes de que salieran a la luz.

“Hay dos tipos de personas aquí”, dijo el portavoz, Angel Ureña. “El primer grupo no sabía nada y cortó a Epstein antes de que se conocieran sus crímenes. El segundo grupo continuó la relación después. Nosotros estamos en el primero”, dijo.

En una carta enviada al Congreso el viernes, el vicesecretario de Justicia Todd Blanche dijo que la revisión exhaustiva del Departamento de Justicia de los materiales relacionados con Epstein “Read more

By Gordon Ebanks, CNN

(CNN) — As America’s labor market slows, AI-led interviews and auto-generated cover letters are dramatically changing the process of getting a job. And maybe not for the better.

More than half of the organizations surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management used AI to recruit workers in 2025. And an estimated third of ChatGPT users reportedly leaned on the OpenAI chatbot to help with their job search.

However, recent research found that when job seekers use AI during the process, applicants are less likely to be hired. Meanwhile, companies are fielding an increased volume of applications.

“The ability (for companies) to select the best worker today may be worse due to AI,” said Anaïs Galdin, a Dartmouth researcher who co-authored a study looking at how large language models (LLMs) have impacted cover letters.

Galdin and her co-author, Jesse Silbert at Princeton, analyzed cover letters for tens of thousands of job applications on Freelancer.com, a jobs listing site.

The researchers found that after the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, the letters all got longer and better-written, but companies stopped putting so much stock in them. That made it harder to distinguish a qualified hire from the rest of the applicant pool, and the rate of hiring dropped as did the average starting wage.

“If we do nothing to make information flow better between workers and firms, then we might have an outcome that looks something like this,” said Silbert, referring to the results of his study.

And with more applications to review, employers are automating the interview itself.

A majority (54%) of the US job seekers surveyed by recruiting software firm Greenhouse in October said they’ve had an AI-led interview. Virtual interviews exploded in popularity during the pandemic in 2020. Many companies now use AI to ask the questions, but that hasn’t made the process any less subjective.

“Algorithms can copy and even magnify human biases,” said Djurre Holtrop, a researcher who has conducted studies about the use of asynchronous video interviews, algorithms, and LLMs in hiring. “Every developer needs to be wary of that.”

Daniel Chait, CEO of Greenhouse, warned that with AI infiltrating hiring – from applicants using the tool to apply to hundreds of jobs and employees automating the process in response – it has created a “doom loop” making everyone miserable.

“Both sides are saying, ‘This is impossible, it’s not working, it’s getting worse,’” Chait told CNN.

Pushing back

Employers are embracing the technology — one estimate projects the market for recruiting technology will grow to $3.1 billion by the end of this year. But state lawmakers, labor groups and individual workers have begun pushing back over fears that AI could discriminate against workers.

Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO labor union, called the use of AI in hiring “unacceptable.”

“AI systems ro