149 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Jess Weatherbed

Jess Weatherbed

News Reporter

News Reporter

    More From Jess Weatherbed

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    TSMC awarded $11.6 billion CHIPS funding ahead of Trump presidency.

    The announcement secures the preliminary agreement that was made in April to help construct a new semiconductor factory in Phoenix, Arizona by 2030. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS Act, which now faces an uncertain future when he retakes the White House.

    The statement from President Joe Biden says:

    Today’s announcement is among the most critical milestones yet in the implementation of the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act, and demonstrates how we are ensuring that the progress made to date will continue to unfold in the coming years, benefitting communities all across the country.

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Google will now issue frequent scam advisories.

    The search giant has released two new blogs that examine recent scam trends that people online should be wary of, and share policy recommendations Google is urging governments and tech industries to take to better fend against them.

    “Preventing user harm from malicious scams requires effective cooperation across the online ecosystem,” says Google’s Trust and Safety head Laurie Richardson. “Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics and techniques.”

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Chatbots are not your friends.

    The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern spent a full day only interacting with chatbots from Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft to test their companionship skills.

    In her delightfully comical blog, Stern notes that all four are “convincing” at first, but it’s an act that can’t replace genuine human interaction:

    “My big worry is that some people, especially lonely people, might not see the wall. All four bots stayed guarded on depression and other emotional issues, redirecting me to hotlines or encouraging human conversations.”

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Amazon will put disabled employees through long home working reviews.

    The plan, which is part of the retail giant’s push to get staff back into offices five days a week, will make it harder to get permission to work from home.

    Here’s a snippet from Bloomberg’s report:

    The company recently told employees with disabilities that it was implementing a more rigorous vetting process, both for new requests to work from home and applications to extend existing arrangements. Affected workers must submit to a “multilevel leader review” and could be required to return to the office for monthlong trials to determine if accommodations meet their needs.