The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would permanently establish a $103,265 fee on certain new H-1B visas, replacing the temporary fee Trump imposed last year that is set to expire in September. Previously such visas cost between $2,000 and $5,000, and the new fee would not apply to renewals or to foreign students already in the U.S. transitioning to H-1B status. The proposal comes even as courts are still weighing legal challenges, including a June ruling that found the original fee illegal.
Google is developing several unreleased interface upgrades for Gemini, discovered in Google app version 17.52.12.sa.arm64. The changes include splitting Pinned chats into their own section separate from Recents, adding a dedicated Notifications area, introducing filters for finding past chats, and a Customize section for managing Gemini Spark's Skills and Apps. A new setting would also let users hide Gemini's icon from the status bar.
Communities are pushing back against Flock Safety's automated license-plate cameras through visible, often theatrical protests, including people dressing as Darth Vader and tying red balloons near devices. The growing trend, dubbed 'Flocklash,' reflects widespread unease about the expansion of tech-enabled mass surveillance in public spaces.
Multiple Android Auto users report that Spotify is displaying a 'Spotify isn't responding' error message, blocking access to music and podcasts through the car interface. The screen only offers options to exit or wait, with no clear explanation from Google or Spotify yet on what triggered the bug.
Researchers have identified a new loader tool called WordlistLoader that disguises malicious code as ordinary text files, such as word lists, to slip past security defenses. It's being used in ClickFix-style attacks—where victims are tricked into manually executing commands—to deploy the Amatera infostealer, a malware family that has been rapidly gaining traction among cybercriminals.
Following FDA-reported salmonella outbreaks tied to jalapeños, granola, dog food, alfalfa sprouts and eggs from supplier Midwest Poultry Services—sold under brands including Kroger and Simple Truth—one writer tested a home method to render eggs safe without fully cooking them. Using an immersion circulator, a pot of water, and about ninety minutes, the process aims to pasteurize eggs so they can be used safely in raw or near-raw dishes like Hollandaise or carbonara.
Zillow and Redfin have settled with the FTC and five state attorneys general over a 2025 agreement in which Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to avoid competing in rental advertising. The settlement, reached just before trial was set to begin, requires Redfin to reenter the rental advertising market and removes limits on its ability to compete for property-management clients. Redfin will still display Zillow's rental listings but can now independently sell ads and pursue its own customers.
A free iPhone app called Zuckoff scans Bluetooth signals to alert users when Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Snap Spectacles, or similar wearable cameras are nearby, estimating their distance. It's part of a growing set of privacy tools, including Antizuck and Nearby Glasses, built in response to concerns that smart glasses can record video without visible warning.
An analysis by Lance Lambert's ResiClub identifies 64 major metropolitan housing markets where home prices are lower than they were a year earlier. The number of metros in decline has held roughly steady over the past year after an earlier wave of softening, even as the overall national housing market remains sluggish.
Samsung has introduced My FanCam, a Galaxy AI feature that lets users crop and follow a specific person in a video after it's already been recorded, rather than adjusting the frame live like Auto framing does. Because it works after the fact, users are advised to shoot wider scenes so the AI has more room to track and reposition the subject.
Apple has expanded its Emergency SOS Live Video feature to Brazil through a partnership with public safety AI firm RapidSOS. iPhone users calling 190, Brazil's emergency number, can now stream live video or share photos with dispatchers upon request, using a feature previously limited mainly to the United States since iOS 18 launched in 2024. The tool works on iPhone 14 and later, requires user consent via a one-tap prompt, and is encrypted by default.
A Pew Research Center poll of 3,488 US adults found roughly a quarter have used AI chatbots to diagnose symptoms, mostly for convenience and cost savings, with nearly all reporting the information was at least somewhat helpful. The same survey found Americans express greater unease about AI being used by their doctors and providers than about using it themselves, and want to be told when it's involved in their care.
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