21 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

    More From Thomas Ricker

    Bluetti’s Sora 500 solar panel is incredibly powerful for its size

    8

    Verge Score

    Too bad this 500W N-Type panel isn’t bifacial and isn’t (yet) available in the US.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Meta’s Oversight Board warns that “Community Notes” aren’t a proper substitute for fact-checking globally.

    Duh. The quasi-independent board says that expanding Community Notes outside the US — where it launched in lieu of fact checkers in early 2025 — could “pose significant human rights risks and contribute to tangible harms that Meta has a responsibility to avoid or remedy,” according to Niemen Lab.

    The improved battery-powered Starlink Mini is here

    8

    Verge Score

    Quickly untether from an unhinged world.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    The folly of abandoning renewables.

    As energy prices soar, Trump’s systematic pivot away from solar and wind in favor of big-beautiful fossil fuels is looking dumber than Brendan Carr. Spain invested heavily in renewables and France went nuclear to reduce its dependence on dinojuice. Both are expected to weather the latest energy crisis better than more oil-dependent neighbors, with Europe as a whole fairing better overall thanks to continued investment in solar panels and wind turbines.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    “It was just like a BOWM, like that!”

    Local news delivers again.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Garmin gets WhatsApp’d.

    Garmin users can now compose and reply to WhatsApp messages directly from their watch after downloading the app, just like Apple Watch owners. DC Rainmaker has all the details.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Temu doesn’t want to be shorthand for “cheap off-brand garbage.”

    PR people look out for the brand that pays them, but in this case, they’ve only increased public awareness of a quip with an unintended Streisand effect.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    “AI can be very dangerous, we have to be very careful with it,” says Trump.

    He was commenting on deepfakes about Iran war being used to create online chaos. It’s quite the turn from a man who’s been aggressively deregulating the AI industry, blocking states from implementing their own safety guardrails, and personally using AI to spread political disinformation, smear opponents, and fabricate endorsements.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    JD.com takes on Amazon in Europe.

    The Chinese e-commerce giant just launched Joybuy in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium ‌and Luxembourg. It’s built on top of its own logistics network and aims to compete with market-leader Amazon in tech, beauty, grocery, appliances, and homeware. According to CNBC:

    While Joybuy is offering free same-day delivery for orders worth over £29, the company has also launched a monthly membership service called JoyPlus. This will cost £3.99 and give users unlimited free delivery. In comparison, Amazon Prime in the U.K. costs £8.99.