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Palantir’s CEO Throws Money Behind Andrew Cuomo in NYC Mayoral Race

Alex Karp, the billionaire CEO of creepy defense contractor Palantir, has taken a side in New York’s closely watched mayoral race. Karp, who once bragged that his company kills people, recently gave a large sum of money to a Super PAC that is supporting the campaign of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is currently running against Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman for the city’s 36th district in Queens. The race between the two candidates has become a referendum on New York’s

New dating for White Sands footprints confirms controversial theory

The 2009 discovery of footprints (human and animal) left behind in layers of clay and silt at New Mexico’s White Sands National Park sparked a contentious debate about when, exactly, human cultures first developed in North America. Until about a decade ago, it seemed as if the first Americans arrived near the end of the last Ice Age and were part of the Clovis culture, named for the distinctive projectile points they left behind near what’s now Clovis, New Mexico. But various dating methods indi

After RFK Jr. overhauls CDC panel, measles and flu vaccines are up for debate

With ardent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the country's top health position, use of a long-approved vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella/chickenpox (MMRV) as well as flu shots that include the preservative thimerosal will now be reevaluated, putting their future availability and use in question. The development seemingly continues to vindicate health experts' worst fears that, as health secretary, Kennedy would attack and dismantle the federal government's scie

The 2 Best Slushie Machines of 2025 for a Chill Summer

We live in the golden age of the home slushie. It's a new age brought upon us after last year’s viral Ninja Slushi machine ($349) brought the slushie machine into the American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies, and cockamamie slushie recipes shared on Reddit and TikTok. After three weeks of testing to find the best slushie machines, I am happy to report the state of the slushie is strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid

‘Kid-pilled’ Sam Altman ‘constantly’ asked ChatGPT questions about his newborn

Across hundreds of thousands of years of human existence, an impossible question has befuddled our species: why is the baby crying?! Sam Altman, who is both the father of a three-month-old and CEO of OpenAI, hopped on OpenAI’s new podcast today to talk about how his company is impacting his experience with fatherhood. Altman, who describes himself as “extremely kid pilled,” said he was “constantly” using ChatGPT to ask questions about the behavior of babies during the first few weeks of his son

AMD claims Ryzen Threadripper 9000 is up to 145% faster than Intel Xeon

The big picture: AMD announced its Ryzen Threadripper 9000-series "Shimada Peak" processors at Computex but didn't provide any benchmarks to compare them against Intel's latest Xeon CPUs. This week, the company finally released official benchmarks for the new chips, claiming they are up to 145 percent faster than their Intel counterparts. According to AMD, the Threadripper 9980X HEDT processor is up to 108 percent faster than the Xeon W9-3595X in Corona Render, up to 41 percent faster in Autode

OpenAI is winding down its work with Scale AI, whose founder is joining Meta

OpenAI is winding down its work with Scale AI, the artificial intelligence startup that received a multibillion-dollar investment from Meta earlier this month and saw its founder join the social media company to lead an AI effort. Scale AI is best known for its work helping major tech companies, including OpenAI, prepare data they use to train cutting-edge AI models. But OpenAI has been pulling back from the startup over the last six to 12 months, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. OpenAI ha

Honda Enters Space Race, Successfully Tests Reusable Rocket

Were you aware that Honda, one of the world's largest automakers, has had spaceflight ambitions of its own? No? Well, it's just announced itself in a big way. On Tuesday, the Japanese conglomerate surprised us all by declaring that its research arm, Honda R&D, had successfully launched and landed its prototype reusable rocket, in a major step towards achieving its dream of suborbital spaceflight by 2029. The footage that Honda shared, though brief, is impressive. The roughly 20-foot rocket spr

From prompt chaos to clarity: How to build a robust AI orchestration layer

Join the event trusted by enterprise leaders for nearly two decades. VB Transform brings together the people building real enterprise AI strategy. Learn more Editor’s note: Emilia will lead an editorial roundtable on this topic at VB Transform next week. Register today. AI agents seem like an inevitability these days. Most enterprises already use an AI application and may have deployed at least a single-agent system, with plans to pilot workflows with multiple agents. Managing all that sprawl

Nothing says an Essential Space premium tier could be in the cards in the future

In the interview, Pei describes the code we found as “zombie strings” that were left there during development. He adds that in its current form, Essential Space will remain free. However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of a premium tier being added in the future: So I think that’s what happened, somebody got their hands on an older version of the APK and they decompiled it and saw that there [were] some strings related to charging for Essential Space. That was never in the production softw

Mark your calendars: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked date leaks

Jonathan Feist / Android Authority TL;DR Last year Samsung introduced the Flip 6 and Fold 6 on July 10. For this year’s launch, rumors have suggested Samsung could repeat that July 10 date. Now Evan Blass instead points to July 9 for the next Unpacked. Depending on how you count it, summer is either already upon us, or just about to start in the next few days (or you live in the Southern Hemisphere, granted). And for mobile tech fans, we know by now that summer means a fresh batch of new Sam

Apple Camp 2025 brings new iMovie-focused workshops for kids, sign up now

Apple’s free summer workshops for kids are back. Starting today, parents and guardians can register for this year’s edition of Apple Camp, which will run from June 21 through July 31 at Apple Store locations worldwide. See how to register and take home an exclusive T-shirt. The program, aimed at children aged up to 10, is part of Apple’s ongoing Today at Apple initiative. Sessions are designed to get kids hands-on with Apple technology in fun, creative ways, while also giving parents and guardi

Waymo will start testing its autonomous cars in New York again

Waymo's autonomous cars are heading back to New York City in July, the company announced today. Cars will be manually driven for now, not unlike the mapping tests Waymo ran in 2021, but the company says it ultimately wants to bring the same autonomous ride-hailing service it offers in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles to NYC. New York state law currently doesn't allow for the operation of a vehicle without a human driver, an obvious obstacle for a company like Waymo. As a bridge to offerin

Best early Prime Day tablet deals: My 15 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The best iPad keyboard cases of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

How I turned my Apple Watch into a dumbphone (and why you should, too)

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET Dumbphones are becoming the solution du jour to the nationwide screen addiction issue. Search interest in the device -- whose primary capability is calling and texting (and not much else) -- has skyrocketed in the past year, according to data from Google Trends. Clearly, there's a heightened interest among tech enthusiasts and haters alike in an alternative to the endless pings, distractions, and social media doom readily accessible through their smartphones. Also: I repl

My pick for the best Roku TV is 40% off at Best Buy

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The best Apple Watch Ultra bands of 2025: Expert tested

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Grab the 98-inch TCL Q6 for 40% off at Best Buy

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best early Prime Day headphones deals: My 12 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Our favorite rugged portable SSD is over 40% off at Amazon ahead of Prime Day

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Spatializing 6k years of global urbanization from 3700 BC to AD 2000

Transcription Chandler’s book includes population data from 2250 BC to AD 1975 in various charts and tables. The book contains 656 9×5.5 inch pages and is divided into multiple sections, including Sources and Methods, Continental Tables and Maps (highlighting locations of major cities as illustrated in Fig. 4), Data Sheets for Ancient Cities (the main tables of the book shown in Fig. 1), Tables of the World’s Largest Cities, and Whereabouts of Unfamiliar Cities. Each page in the Data Sheets for

Charlize Theron’s 6 Best Genre Roles

Charlize Theron can do any genre—she has an Oscar for playing a serial killer, and she gave a standout comedic performance on Arrested Development. She’s also a gifted action star, as seen in her appearances in Atomic Blonde and the Fast & Furious movies, a series which skirts the edge of sci-fi. But you don’t need to qualify anything when it comes to Theron’s fondness for sci-fi and fantasy. With The Old Guard 2 coming to Netflix in July, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey due next summer, sh

Best Internet Providers in Illinois

What is the best internet provider in Illinois? AT&T Fiber is CNET's pick for the best internet service provider in Illinois. It offers an extensive fiber coverage, wide variety of plans, unlimited data and no extra charge for equipment. That's an excellent deal. However, if you want something even more affordable, you might want to consider Mediacom's $15-a-month plan offering 100Mbps speeds. Other options include Astound and Xfinity for a solid mix of affordability and fast speeds. Whether yo

I'm Talking Back to Google's New Search Live Mode for AI Convos About Big Events

Google's latest AI addition makes Google searches conversational on your phone with Search Live -- and I love being able to interrupt it. While Google's AI Mode search has been available to Google Labs participants for some time, the company rolled out the Search Live function on June 18 for iOS and Android users. You can access it through a new AI Mode icon -- a star above three audio lines. This creates an ongoing conversation with Google's search engine that's significantly different than wh

What the Fed's Pause on Rate Cuts Means for Savings Account, CD Rates

Now's the time to take advantage of APYs as high as 5%. Skyhobo/Getty Images Federal Reserve policymakers voted to hold interest rates steady today, pausing rates for the fourth time this year. In its postmeeting statement, the Fed summarized its findings by noting slightly elevated inflation and a low unemployment rate, though the economic outlook remains uncertain. The latest decision means that households, which have been facing budget strains and increased living expenses, will continue to

The Fed Didn't Cut Rates, But Your Credit Card's APR Could Still Change. Here's What You Need to Know

CNET/Getty Images The Federal Reserve once again held interest rates steady at Wednesday's meeting, but that doesn't mean your card's interest rate can't change. There are other things -- like economic uncertainty and the potential impact of tariffs -- that could impact your credit card's APR. The Federal Open Market Committee left interest rates at a target range of 4.25% to 4.5% (PDF) in response to continued uncertainty about the economy and "somewhat elevated inflation." Chair Jerome Powel

What Trump’s New FCC Pick Means for You

After 10 days with only two members, the Senate confirmed Republican Olivia Trusty to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That brings the total number of commissioners up to three, ending a brief period where the FCC didn’t meet the quorum threshold for what’s typically a five-person panel. In a one-week period at the beginning of June, Republican Nathan Simington and Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks both resigned from the FCC. Trusty was previously a staffer for Sen. Roger

The 2 Best Slushie Machines of 2025 for a Chill Margarita Summer

We live in the golden age of the home slushie. It's a new age brought upon us after last year’s viral Ninja Slushi machine ($349) brought the slushie machine into the American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies, and cockamamie slushie recipes shared on Reddit and TikTok. After three weeks of testing to find the best slushie machines, I am happy to report the state of the slushie is strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid

Salesforce hikes Slack prices, adds AI tools for all paid users

What the Bot: Salesforce has decided to increase prices for certain paid Slack plans. The company is attempting to justify the change by stating that all customers will now have access to more AI features. And if you don't want or need AI, well, you'll likely end up paying more anyway. According to a recent announcement from Salesforce, Slack customers will now have to pay more but will receive new AI-based features in return. Paid plans for the service will cost a few dollars more per user, me