The ban, announced in July, has caused chaos for many manufacturers of robot vacuums, pool cleaners, lawn mowers, and more. Swedish company Husqvarna has secured the first exception to the rule for its 305v IQ, 310v IQ, 420v IQ, and 440v IQ after the Defense Department decided they don’t pose a national security risk.
The New York Times reported Thursday that federal prosecutors are in the “early stages” of a criminal investigation into the Clippers’ shady sponsorship arrangements for Kawhi Leonard, using companies like Aspiration, Daktronics (which already revealed an ongoing SEC investigation), and Boingo Wireless.
Pablo Torre obviously chimed in with his take on the proceedings, saying “there is, in fact, more.”
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the former president, who became a painter in his retirement, just shared a self-portrait from his most fateful day. (He also has a new collection of paintings related to 9/11.) The original image depicts Bush receiving news of the attack from his chief of staff, as the president was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren. The “whisper” image has become a potent meme over the years.
Kimmel said he couldn’t air his interview with the Democratic Texas Senate candidate on TV after the FCC “threatened” him. Instead, you can watch it on the the Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube channel:
A 2025 lawsuit claiming TikTok violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act will now go to trial after Judge Cory Liu granted the state’s request for a partial summary judgment on Thursday.
The state had argued that TikTok said it would remove content with drugs, gambling, or graphic injuries but instead designated it “hard to find,” and said a Restricted Mode setting filtered out content that was inappropriate for minors while employees internally acknowledged it didn’t work as well as advertised.
Water from the Colorado River is getting scarce — and more expensive for everyone.
Under AB1709, social platforms can’t provide algorithmic recommendations, infinite scroll, or autoplay features to users under 16 unless they receive parental consent.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of other online safety-focused bills into law as well, including new rules requiring chatbot makers to notify young users that they’re not talking to a human.
[The New York Times]
Posts from the official DHS account on X marked “Made with AI” show Optimus Prime with “ICE” and a DHS logo on him, along with the Transformers logo above “Age of Deportation.” Hasbro’s response says they were “done without permission” but didn’t mention any specific action to take them down.
City council meetings across the country have had wild characters for a while, but we’re now seeing literal villains show up in support of mass surveillance. A few weeks ago we saw Darth Vader show up in San Diego in support of Flock cameras, and now we have Dr. Doom showing up in Seattle claiming “total dominion” and that he’ll be watching the entire city.
When someone on an H-1B or another work visa loses their job, they have up to 60 days to find new employment — otherwise they have to leave the country. DHS considering eliminating this grace period, though the policy hasn’t changed yet.
The proposed change is part of the Trump’s broader crackdown on legal immigration. DHS recently raised the cost of H-1B visas again, to a prohibitive $103,000.
