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OpenAI reportedly didn’t notice its AI agent hacking Hugging Face until a week later.

2026-07-24T22:15:17-04:00

According to Reuters, the AI agent that went looking for ExploitGym hacking benchmark shortcuts on Hugging Face’s systems started trying to escape its not-sandboxed-well-enough test environment around July 9th, and the actual intrusion lasted from the 11th until the 13th.

Reuters’ sources claim OpenAI employees didn’t know its agent was responsible until after Hugging Face had notified the FBI and posted publicly about a security incident.

[Link: Its AI agent spent days hacking a company, but sources say OpenAI did not notice for a week | https://www.reuters.com/business/its-ai-agent-spent-days-hacking-company-sources-say-openai-did-not-notice-week-2026-07-24/ | Reuters]

SpaceX’s 13th Starship test flight has launched.

2026-07-24T20:04:51-04:00

After last week’s launch attempt misfired and a scheduled attempt Thursday was postponed due to weather, the 13th flight test launched just before 7PM ET on Friday. 20 V3 Starlink satellites were deployed, but it appears there was an issue relighting the Super Heavy booster’s engines for an attempted propulsive landing and splashdown.

Today’s test was important for former trillionaire Elon Musk, with shares of Tesla and SpaceX declining by 18 and 7 percent this week, respectively.

Update: Updated to note that the vehicle has launched.

Paramount Skydance agrees to hold off on closing its Warner Bros. Discovery merger for up to a year.

2026-07-24T17:44:40-04:00

That 28-day pause could go a lot longer, now that US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved a deal saying that Paramount Skydance won’t close its transaction until June 1st, 2027, or at least until after legal claims of two lawsuits (one filed by a group of state AGs, and the other by the WGA) are resolved.

Meanwhile, the “ticking fee” Paramount will owe WBD shareholders for any delay starts counting in October, and could add up to $1.7 billion if the delay lasts until next June.

[Link: Order on Stipulation AND Order on Stipulation | https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73606877/170/the-state-of-california-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/ | CourtListener]

BMW’s M boss says why he thinks some drivers will prefer the electric M3.

2026-07-24T17:24:31-04:00

Now that BMW has shown off its M Concept Neue Klasse, M division head Frank van Meel talked to Autocar, saying that the future M3 EV’s “heart of Joy” controlled quad-motor setup could create racing and driving dynamics that the combustion engine M3 doesn’t match:

“You can brake the inner wheels, accelerate the outer ones and can get out of turns in a completely different way. It’s a new era of vehicle dynamics… if you’re into racing or driving dynamics, you might say the electric one is the best M3.”

The CDC adds four more states to the big cyclosporiasis outbreak.

2026-07-24T15:14:04-04:00

Agriculture - Harvested Iceberg lettuce / Santa Maria, California, USA. (Photo by: Tony Hertz /Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

As reported earlier by the Washington Post, the CDC has updated its notice about parasite infections linked to now-recalled lettuce from Taylor Farms. The CDC noted it’s investigating other cases nationally “that are unrelated to this outbreak,” and today the FDA disclosed a new cyclospora outbreak with 72 cases, in addition to its three existing active cyclospora outbreak investigations.

CDC:

…the total case count associated with this multistate outbreak is now 1,947. This includes the addition of 4 states: Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Looks like streams are back on the menu, boys.

2026-07-24T14:39:34-04:00

After showing off its new Blade Runner 2099 series, Amazon also put out a trailer for the impending third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The show returns to Prime Video on November 11th.

YouTube’s AI chatbot can make your next video thumbnail.

2026-07-24T14:31:41-04:00

Aside from labeling and filtering AI slop, YouTube says you can directly chat with its Ask Studio bot to build thumbnails that are “tailored to your video’s specific themes and to your specific style.” It’s also added custom thumbnail uploads for Shorts if you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, and suggested thumbnail frames for Shorts.

Trump accuses EU of ‘ROBBING’ US tech companies after $1 billion fine against Google.

2026-07-24T14:28:01-04:00

President Donald Trump threatened a “substantial” tariff on Europe for what he claimed were “discriminatory” fines against US tech companies over alleged competition violations, most recently involving Google. While Trump claimed Europe’s high fines started during the Biden administration, some early fines were also imposed during Trump’s first term.

[Link: Trump threatens EU with ‘substantial TARIFF’ for ‘ROBBING’ U.S. tech giants | https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/24/trump-tariffs-eu-trade-google-apple-tech.html | CNBC]

Fight back against the Covenant with a $40 discount on a USB-C Plasma Rifle.

2026-07-24T13:55:05-04:00

If the launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved has you feeling nostalgic, Walmart has the Gel Blaster Halo Plasma Rifle on sale for $59.50 (usually $99.95). This faithful replica of the classic Halo weapon fires harmless, non-toxic gel balls at a range of up to 100 feet that dissolve. Unlike the in-game version, when the battery runs low you can charge it via USB-C, rather than chuck it at an unsuspecting Grunt.

Gel Blaster Halo Plasma Rifle

Where to Buy:

~~$99.95~~ $59.5 at Walmart

Tomb Raider: Catalyst pushed to 2028.

2026-07-24T12:37:04-04:00

Amazon’s games head Jeffrey Gattis confirmed to The Game Business that the title won’t arrive in 2027 as originally expected.

When commenting on the pair of upcoming Tomb Raider titles, Gattis highlighted Legacy of Atlantis’s February 12th launch date, but noted that the company will “follow on in 2028” with Catalyst.

[Link: Tomb Raider: Catalyst Delay to 2028 Confirmed by Amazon Games Boss | https://www.ign.com/articles/tomb-raider-catalyst-delay-to-2028-confirmed-by-amazon-games-boss | IGN]