The Office cinematic universe is expanding this fall. Peacock has given the previously announced spinoff of the mockumentary series a streaming date and name, while also revealing a first image. It’s called The Paper, and it will premiere in September. The image, meanwhile, sure looks like an office. Of a newspaper.

The show will feature the same documentary crew as The Office, but this time they’re following the exploits of a small town newspaper. As the official logline explains, “the crew is in search of a new subject when they discover a historic Toledo newspaper, The Truth Teller, and the eager publisher that is trying to revive it.” Greg Daniels, showrunner on The Office, and Michael Koman — best-known as a writer on Nathan for You and Late Night with Conan O’Brien — are serving as writers and executive producers.

Meanwhile, the cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, and Oscar Nuñez.

The Paper is one of Peacock’s bigger swings as it attempts to carve out its own distinct space in the streaming landscape. In addition to The Office spinoff, the streamer also has new seasons of Twisted Metal and Ted on the way, a prequel to Friday the 13th called Crystal Lake, and it just kicked off season 2 of Poker Face.

Photo: Mongkol Chuewong / Moment via Getty Images

Travel can be stressful, and figuring out how to pack your cameras and lenses can certainly add to that stress. All that gear can take up a lot of space and add quite a bit of weight, which isn't always feasible to keep with you during a flight. So, what do you do when packing camera equipment in your carry-on isn't an option? You resort to checked luggage.

Can you put a camera in checked luggage?

The simple answer to whether or not you can put a camera in checked luggage is yes. Most countries and airlines allow cameras and lenses in checked baggage, provided they don't result in your bag exceeding the airline's size and weight limitations. The main potential restriction is lithium batteries.

Most countries' airport security rules say you can have a lithium battery in a device within your checked bag, provided the device can't power on. However, airlines (or even specific personnel) may have their own rules. It's always a good idea to check prior to catching your flight, and to keep your camera at least somewhat easily accessible in case you need to take the battery out at the last minute. If you're bringing spare batteries along, those must always be in carry-on, no matter what airline you're flying.

Should you put a camera in checked luggage?

Photo: Barney Britton

While you can put your camera in checked baggage, the bigger question is whether you should. Your bag will have quite a rough and tumble journey from getting checked in to being picked up at your destination. Luggage handlers aren't typically known for being all that careful with bags, so there is a risk of your camera and lenses getting damaged in transit. Plus, theft is another potential concern, as is your bag getting lost by the airline.

Of course, there are times when checking your camera may be unavoidable. If so, you'll want to ensure your gear is packed securely with plenty of padding and rigid structure. Don't simply toss your camera or lens at the top of your duffel bag and hope for the best. Something like a Pelican case or at least a hard suitcase would be best. An airport security-approved lock isn't a bad idea, and insurance for your gear certainly doesn't hurt, either. Also, small trackers like AirTags, Chipolos or Tiles could give you some peace of mind.

Republican Senator of Utah Mike Lee introduced a bill that would effectively ban porn at the federal level in the United States.

The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), introduced by Lee and Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller on Thursday, aims to change the Supreme Court’s 1973 “Miller Test” for determining what qualifies as obscene. “Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,” Lee said in a press release. “Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.”

The Miller Test is the three-pronged test that followed the famous “I know it when I see it” line from Justice Potter Stewart in 1964 when he grappled with defining obscenity at the time. The three prongs of the Miller Test are: “Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; and whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

According to Lee’s press release (the full text of the bill is not yet on Congress’ website as of Monday morning, but Lee gave it to right-wing media outlet The Daily Caller last week), the IODA redefines “obscenity” within the Communications Act of 1934 as “content that taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion” and “depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person,” which “taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” Most importantly, it completely removes the “intent” requirement from the current law—which currently prohibits the transmission of obscenity “for the purposes of abusing, threatening, or harassing a person.” That would mean anyone sharing or posting content that’s at all sexual or “intended to arouse” could be prosecuted for a federal crime. 

This is Lee’s third attempt at trying to pass the same bill: He tried it in 2022 and again in 2024. But we are in an even more hostile political climate today when it comes to sexual expression, free speech, and porn. Project 2025, the conservative roadmap for the Trump presidency spearheaded by several in the administration, aims to demonize and obliterate pornography altogether—something sex workers have been sounding the alarm about for years.