177 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Wes Davis

Wes Davis

Former Weekend Editor

Former Weekend Editor

    More From Wes Davis

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    It’s no surprise why some companies like virtual influencers.

    A Financial Times article cited a Meta ad analysis that said ad recall was 91 percent cheaper per person when H&M used virtual models. It also quotes Diana Nuñez, co-founder of ad agency The Clueless:

    “We were taken aback by the skyrocketing rates influencers charge nowadays. That got us thinking, ‘What if we just create our own influencer?’”

    So, money is a factor. So is control. Another professional quoted in the article says the fakes also lack the “demands,” “opinions,” and “potential controversy” of working with real people.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    The Vergecast USB-C holiday spec-tacular has forced my hand.

    Having escaped a week in the internet dead zone of my in-laws’ house, I’m finally listening to last week’s Vergecast on the USB-C spec. It’s a great dive into a bleak, confusing nightmare realm.

    But also, to my colleague David Pierce, who said at the top he’s never made eggnog: Here. I make this recipe every year but with half the sugar and twice the cloves.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Masimo kept winning on the way to its Apple Watch fight.

    My colleague Emma Roth recently wrote about how the company’s patent fight with True Wearables helps explain Masimo’s confidence in its Apple Watch fight.

    In a profile of Joe Kiani today, The Wall Street Journal writes about still more examples. One 2016 win gave Masimo a $300 million dollar payout from Philips and a deal that “ended up generating more than $1 billion” for the company. Before that, Masimo won “nearly $800 million” in “damages and royalties” from Nellcor.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    With the second season of Marvel’s What If...? newly here, why not a clip from season 3?

    Disney just released season 2 a few days ago. Now Marvel has posted a “look into the future” of the alternative timeline Avengers series, featuring a younger Red Guardian, the Winter Soldier, and a car chase.

    The video leaked early when fans found it unlisted on Marvel’s YouTube channel, according to BGR.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Paramount Global reportedly extended its cable deal with Comcast.

    According to Deadline, the company notched the deal without losing any of its channels on Comcast’s Xfinity service. The article says the agreement came in just under the wire to prevent a Paramount cable blackout.

    Paramount was in a strong position. Deadline noted that its CBS network has broadcast rights for the Super Bowl in February, while Variety points out Comcast could be one of the rumored companies eyeing Paramount for acquisition.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Sam Bankman-Fried won’t face a second trial.

    The Wall Street Journal writes that federal prosecutors won’t pursue the five leftover charges that District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan previously split off to avoid delaying the trial that resulted in a guilty verdict for Bankman-Fried last month.

    The prosecutors justified the decision in a letter to Kaplan yesterday:

    ... Much of the evidence that would be offered in a second trial was already offered in the first trial and can be considered by the Court at the defendant’s March 2024 sentencing. Given ... the strong public interest in a prompt resolution of this matter, the Government intends to proceed to sentencing on the counts for which the defendant was convicted at trial.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    So about that nationwide EV charging network.

    This report says that despite the billions in funding approved in 2021, only Ohio and New York have used them for new EV charging stations so far as states navigate environmental impact and CCS vs. NACS.

    It also cites a survey finding that 80 percent of people said a lack of chargers is one of their reasons for not buying an EV, suggesting the slow rollout (we said patience would be required) could temper demand. And where chargers exist, some have found that due to unreliability, they’re not guaranteed to provide more than a shopping convenience.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Flip the tables on Flipper Zero Bluetooth spammers.

    The hacking multi-tool Flipper Zero enables a Bluetooth spamming prank that, as Bleeping Computer pointed out this morning, can have serious consequences when it interferes with critical connected health devices.

    Now there’s a defense, according to Bleeping: A python script called “Wall of Flippers” can detect when someone is, to clumsily borrow a Wi-Fi hacking term, wardriving for devices to spam. The script also details that can help figure out where the attack is coming from..