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Microsoft stops relying on Chinese engineers for Pentagon cloud support

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (L) returns to the stage after a pre-recorded interview during the Microsoft Build conference opening keynote in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. Microsoft on Friday revised its practices to ensure that engineers in China no longer provide technical support to U.S. defense clients using the company's cloud services. The company implemented the changes in an effort to reduce national security and cybersecurity risks stemming from

We Finally Know How Much Martin Shkreli’s Wu-Tang Album Cost

The saga of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album that Martin “pharma bro” Shkreli bought for approximately $2 million in 2015, continues. The album’s contents have always been a highly guarded secret, and it was seized by the U.S. government in 2018 after Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud. For years, it was reported that the government had sold the album directly to PleaserDAO, a crypto collective that specializes in NFTs. However, Bloomberg now reports that

Chinese hackers breached National Guard to steal network configurations

The Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as Salt Typhoon breached and remained undetected in a U.S. Army National Guard network for nine months in 2024, stealing network configuration files and administrator credentials that could be used to compromise other government networks. Salt Typhoon is a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that is believed to be affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence agency. The hacking group has gained notoriety over the past tw

Some Cities in China Are Advertising Exclusive Subsidies for Huawei-Powered Cars

In some parts of China, local governments are offering cash subsidies to people who buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars powered by Huawei software. Experts say the deals are fairly unusual. Since May, at least 10 Chinese provincial and municipal governments have announced consumer subsidies ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 RMB (about $280 to $700) per car, according to social media posts collected by WIRED. The exact amount and conditions vary, but they all have one thing in common: The rebates can

DHS Faces New Pressure Over DNA Taken From Immigrant Children

United States Senator Ron Wyden is pressing the United States departments of Homeland Security and Justice to explain how and why they are collecting DNA from immigrants, including children, on a massive scale. Wyden confronted the agencies with demands this week to explain the scope, legality, and oversight of the government’s DNA collection. In letters to DOJ and DHS, the Oregon Democrat also criticized what he described as a “chilling expansion” of a sprawling and opaque system, accusing Tru

Apple has now fully paid $16.5B to Ireland in back taxes, closing the matter

The nine-year saga between Apple, the Irish government, and the EU ended last year when the final appeal ordered the iPhone maker to pay €13B ($15B) in back tax to the Irish government. That money sat in an escrow account for many years, increasing in value to €14.25B ($16.5B), but has now been paid … The end of a nine-year saga Apple funneled the revenue from all its sales throughout the EU through its European HQ in Ireland. Apple likely chose the location because the country already had an

US Government announces $200M Grok contract a week after 'MechaHitler'

A week after Elon Musk’s Grok dubbed itself “MechaHitler” and spewed antisemitic stereotypes, the US government has announced a new contract granting the chatbot’s creator, xAI, up to $200 million to modernize the Defense Department. xAI is one of several leading AI companies to receive the award, alongside Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. But the timing of the announcement is striking given Grok’s recent high-profile spiral, which drew congressional ire and public pushback. The use of technology

Chinese firms rush for Nvidia chips as US prepares to lift ban

Chinese firms have begun rushing to order Nvidia's H20 AI chips as the company plans to resume sales to mainland China, Reuters reports. The chip giant expects to receive US government licenses soon so that it can restart shipments of the restricted processors just days after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump, potentially generating $15 billion to $20 billion in additional revenue this year. Nvidia said in a statement that it is filing applications with the US government to resum

Nvidia to resume China AI chip sales after Huang meets Trump

Chinese firms have begun rushing to order Nvidia's H20 AI chips as the company plans to resume sales to mainland China, Reuters reports. The chip giant expects to receive US government licenses soon so that it can restart shipments of the restricted processors just days after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump, potentially generating $15 billion to $20 billion in additional revenue this year. Nvidia said in a statement that it is filing applications with the US government to resum

A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Hackers

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Reporting Highlights Chinese Tech Support: Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Skills Gap: Digital escorts of

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and XAI Granted Up to $200M from Defense Department

A view of the Pentagon on December 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday said it's granting contract awards of up to $200 million for artificial intelligence development at Anthropic, Google , OpenAI and xAI. The DoD's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said the awards will help the agency accelerate its adoption of "advanced AI capabilities to address c

This is the most customizable smart home accessory and it's on sale

ZDNET's key takeaways The Govee Neon Rope Light 2 is available in white or black and in two lengths: 10 feet and 16.4 feet. More pliable than other neon light strips on the market, the Govee Neon Rope Light 2 is easy to install and comes with bend clips to facilitate getting closed angles. The light strip doesn't have a template guide for setup It's also too bright to use as a night light, even at 1% brightness, but that's a highly personal preference. View now at Amazon The Govee Neon Rope

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI granted up to $200 million for AI work from Defense Department

A view of the Pentagon on December 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday said it's granting contract awards of up to $200 million for artificial intelligence development at Anthropic, Google , OpenAI and xAI. The DoD's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said the awards will help the agency accelerate its adoption of "advanced AI capabilities to address c

US government announces $200 million Grok contract a week after ‘MechaHitler’ incident

A week after Elon Musk’s Grok dubbed itself “MechaHitler” and spewed antisemitic stereotypes, the US government has announced a new contract granting the chatbot’s creator, xAI, up to $200 million to modernize the Defense Department. xAI is one of several leading AI companies to receive the award, alongside Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. But the timing of the announcement is striking given Grok’s recent high-profile spiral, which drew congressional ire and public pushback. The use of technology

xAI starts offering Grok to US government agencies

Just days after apologizing for Grok's recent hard turn toward antisemitism, xAI has announced a suite of AI products for government use. Grok for Government brings together the company's latest commercial products, including Grok 4 and Deep Search, with special considerations given to the needs of federal, state and local agencies. To that end, xAI says it will design custom models for specific national security and research customers. It will also develop specialized AI applications for use i

More Than 2,100 NASA Staff Are Getting Gutted

Elon Musk might have been deposed from DOGE, but the government cuts are still coming. As reported by Politico, some 2,145 high-level NASA employees are about to be launched out of the agency as efforts to cut US government spending continues. The employees represent those with G-13, G-14, and G-15 status — typically specialized or managerial roles which start around the six-figure salary range. The workers are part of a group of nearly 2,700 civilian employees who've agreed to leave NASA volu

This Is DOGE 2.0

On Monday, June 23, Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, one of the first young, inexperienced technologists to join Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), disappeared from the internal directory of the General Services Administration (GSA). Less than a month before, centibillionaire Elon Musk and other DOGE leaders had announced their departure from government. After months of slashing through the federal government, it seemed like the end for DOGE was in sight. But later t

A Virginia public library is fighting off a takeover by private equity

Photo from The Samuels Public Library After being targeted by anti-LGBTQ book banners and having their funding pulled, a local library in Virginia successfully stopped a threatened takeover by a private equity group. The local community rallied around The Samuels Public Library in Front Royal, Virginia, to push back against attacks and the private equity owned Library Systems & Services withdrew their bid to run operations. But with their funding cut for the fiscal year that began this July, th

This is the most customizable smart home accessory and it's on sale for Prime Day

ZDNET's key takeaways The Govee Neon Rope Light 2 is available in white or black and in two lengths: 10 feet and 16.4 feet. More pliable than other neon light strips on the market, the Govee Neon Rope Light 2 is easy to install and comes with bend clips to facilitate getting closed angles. The light strip doesn't have a template guide for setup It's also too bright to use as a night light, even at 1% brightness, but that's a highly personal preference. View now at Amazon The Govee Neon Rope

Govee LED Strip Backlight With Dual Cameras Listed as a 4.5-Star Best-Selling Prime Day Deal

Watching a movie or a live sports event on a big screen in a darkened room was peak viewing for one reason — there wasn’t an alternative to heighten the experience. Now that LED lighting technology has dramatically shrunk in size and cost, you can transform any room into a fun, immersive multimedia lair with the Govee Envisual LED Backlight T2, an app-controlled two-camera setup with LED strip lights for big screens between 55 and 65 inches. It’s one of our favorite Amazon Prime Day deals at jus

Elon Musk's X says Indian government ordered more than 2,000 accounts blocked, including Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk's X said Tuesday that the Indian government ordered the company to block 2,355 accounts, including Reuters, in the country. "The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology demanded immediate action- within one hour- without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice," X's global government af

Elon Musk's X says Indian government ordered over 2,000 accounts blocked, including Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk's X said Tuesday that the Indian government ordered the company to block 2,355 accounts, including Reuters, in the country. "The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology demanded immediate action- within one hour- without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice," X's global government af

This Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp Is 40% Off, Amazon Holds a Final Clearance Only for Prime Day

Amazon isn’t holding back on best-sellers for Prime Day and if you’re shopping for a smart floor lamp, there’s only one brand getting it right (and it’s anything but kitsch). Amazon is clearing out stock of the Govee RGBIC floor lamp at an all-time low price right now, so this is a deal that won’t last. Now $59, down from its usual $99, this lamp is firmly in the top 20 best-selling products in the Electronics category on Amazon. The discount is Prime members only, but if you’re not a member ye

X blocked Reuters accounts in India

The main Reuters news account, as well as the Reuters World account, became inaccessible to X users in India on Saturday evening. Access was subsequently restored on Sunday. Reuters reports that Indian users attempting to view the @Reuters account — which has 25 million followers — instead saw a message stating that the account “has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand.” However, an Indian government spokesperson told TechCrunch, “There is no requirement from the Governmen

The American system of democracy has crashed

Once upon a time in America, there was a tyrant. And Congress rejected him totally. The tyrant, of course, was King George III, the target of the Declaration of Independence. We take it for granted now, but the Declaration was an enormous political innovation — in it, the country that became the United States of America laid claim to certain “unalienable” rights, rights that took precedence over any king or crown. To protect those rights, our Founders declared that the People were allowed to “

Apple reverts China slump, sees first iPhone quarterly growth in two years [report]

For the past two years, Apple has been having a tough time in China. Just recently, the U.S. trade war and local incentives from the Chinese government really got in the way of iPhone sales. However, Apple seems to be regaining control of the situation. A two-year long downturn in China As we covered recently, Apple’s extended rough patch in China may finally be easing. Since Q3 2022, the company has posted year-over-year revenue growth in just one quarter, with declines of up to 13% in the ot

Judge: You can’t ban DEI grants without bothering to define DEI

In mid-June, a federal judge issued a stinging rebuke to the Trump administration, declaring that its decision to cancel the funding for many grants issued by the National Institutes of Health was illegal, and suggesting that the policy was likely animated by racism. But the detailed reasoning behind his decision wasn't released at the time. The written portion of the decision was finally issued on Wednesday, and it has a number of notable features. For starters, it's more limited in scope due

Tesla deliveries drop 14 percent amid Musk backlash

Tesla says it delivered 384,122 electric vehicles in the April-June timeframe, which is a 14 percent drop compared with the same period in 2024. It's also the second quarter in a row that sales have fallen year-over-year (YoY). The company produced 410,244 vehicles in Q2, which is very close to the 410,831 it made during the equivalent period last year. However, the company delivered more vehicles (443,956) than it produced in Q2 2024. That's not the case this time. The number of vehicle delive

One of my favorite smart home accessories turns any room into an aurora show, and it's on sale

ZDNET's key takeaways The Govee Star Light Projector is available for $80. This smart light projects an aurora-like display with coverage of up to 650 square feet It has over 16 million color options and over 50 preset scenes, including music and white noise. Though a great projector, the Govee app is not intuitive or user-friendly, leaving you to guess how to change some settings and features. $64.99 at Amazon The Govee Star Light Projector is $35 off on Amazon, making it just $65 as a limi

Switzerland says government data stolen in ransomware attack

The government in Switzerland is informing that sensitive information from various federal offices has been impacted by a ransomware attack at the third-party organization Radix. The hackers have stolen data from Radix systems and later leaked it on the dark web, the Swiss government says. The exposed data is being analyzed with the help of the country’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to determine which government agencies are impacted and to what effect. “The foundation Radix has been