205 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Senior News Editor

    More From Richard Lawler

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Who looks at FTX and sees an investment opportunity?

    Sure, it might sound like a bad idea to invest in a bankrupt exchange with more accusations of fraud than anything else we’ve seen on this side of Enron, but the Wall Street Journal reports Sam Bankman-Fried is asking around anyway.

    Mr. Bankman-Fried, alongside a few remaining employees, spent the past weekend calling around in search of commitments from investors to plug a shortfall of up to $8 billion in the hopes of repaying FTX’s customers, the people said.

    In Mr. Bankman-Fried’s case, the funds aren’t meant to sustain a bare-bones staff, but to repay individual traders and institutional clients who have been unable to get funds out, the people said.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Green light.

    Twitter isn’t always fully operational, but rumors about what features are shut down aren’t holding up everywhere, based on what we’ve seen so far, but if you’re having problems, then let us know.

    But first, a few stories you might have otherwise missed.

    Now your new iPhone can connect to satellites.

    Elon Musk’s two big Tesla trials that are starting this week.

    Google’s nearly $400 million location tracking settlement with 40 states,

    Amazon is likely the next tech company to do mass layoffs.

    The Witcher 3’s big next-gen patch is a month away.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    The Pixel Watch companion app just got its first update.

    One month after Google launched the Pixel Watch, its app is getting its first update.

    The update is rolling out over the next few weeks, so you may not see it right away, but according to the support page, the November 2022 update has some bug fixes, plus improvements like bringing access Fitbit sync information and integration settings to the home screen.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    We could have a vaccine against RSV soon.

    As temperatures drop, covid, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all getting more people sick. There are vaccines available for two of those diseases, but despite decades of research, there hasn’t been a way to protect against RSV, a respiratory illness that can cause serious illness, especially in young infants.

    However, as Nicole Wetsman explains, that might be different next year.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Green light.

    Welcome back! The FTX crypto car crash continues, and Elon Musk is still At It. That includes an unexpected code freeze now in place at Twitter (see the thread below), as well as two important trials for Tesla.

    One is a shareholder lawsuit starting today in Delaware’s Chancery Court over Elon’s $56 billion payment package, while in California this week, a driver faces felony charges for a crash that occurred while Autopilot was engaged.

    And in non-Elon news:

    Google’s colorful Chrome tests.

    How do you poll people who won’t pick up the phone?

    Get your new climate change nickname here.

    Microsoft made the new Surface Pro much easier to fix.

    VW’s Star Trek chair moves at warp speed (about 12 MPH).

    RIP to Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy.

    Studio Ghibli’s Star Wars animation is streaming on Disney Plus.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    In retrospect, the $7.99 verification plan wasn’t perfect.

    Is that really Tesla on Twitter? Who can tell.

    Here’s a quick update from behind the scenes of running a “parody” account while it lasted.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Green light.

    As you may have noticed, there have been updates in both the great crypto fire of 2022 and... whatever you’d call Elon Musk’s tenure as owner of Twitter (we’ve heard it referred to as $8chan and its “Liz Truss Era.”)

    In other recent news:

    KFC’s blaming its Kristallnacht promotion on AI.

    Mem claims its note-taking app can remember things for you wholesale.

    Netflix and Chris Rock will stream a live show next year,

    Tumblr will sell you as many blue checkmarks as you can handle.

    And Amazon’s preparing to test a new Prime Air delivery drone.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Twitter lost Captain Sully, aka, that man knows when to ditch.

    In this 2013 CNBC video, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey calls the 2009 US Airways Flight 1549 water landing in the Hudson River a moment that “changed everything.”

    Suddenly the world turned its attention, because we were the source of news. And, it wasn’t us; it was this person in the boat using the service, which was even more amazing.

    On Wednesday, the pilot of that plane, Capt. Sully Sullenberger announced, “To my friends on Twitter, I will be taking a step back from the platform for now.” He invited fans to follow him on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook instead.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Coinbase is undergoing additional layoffs.

    As first reported by The Information, crypto exchange Coinbase is adding to the 1,100 or so people it let go earlier this year with cuts to two other teams.

    As confirmed in a statement from the company, they affect the recruiting and institutional onboarding groups, which are shrinking by about 60 people in total.

    Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted this week that the company isn’t affected by the ongoing FTX flameout and doesn’t engage in that kind of “risky behavior.”