Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2026-06-25 Briefing

Created Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:00:56 +0000 Modified Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:15:34 +0000
6342 Words

Apple is hiking Mac prices due to rising RAM costs, though iPhone prices remain steady. The EU moves to designate Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act to ensure fair competition. In hardware breakthroughs, IBM unveiled a sub-nanometer chip with 3D nanostack architecture, while Amazon announced a massive $13 billion investment in India’s cloud infrastructure.

🧠 Artificial Intelligence

Recovery has to keep up with AI

This news roundup highlights major developments in AI and infrastructure, including Amazon’s $13B investment in India and OpenAI’s transition toward autonomous agents. It also covers critical cybersecurity threats involving Microsoft SharePoint and discusses recent trends in hardware pricing and open-source software updates.

ZTE builds a TCO-optimal AI factory to fuel token economy

ZTE is building an AI factory optimized to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the token economy. By leveraging OEX architecture SuperPODs and multi-dimensional co-design, the system aims to maximize tokens per second for scaled inference.

ZTE CDO Cui Li at MWC Shanghai 2026: unlocking value and embracing uncertainty in the AI era

At MWC Shanghai 2026, ZTE’s Chief Development Officer Cui Li introduced the company’s “All in AI, AI for All” strategy to navigate the rapid shifts and uncertainties of the AI era. The initiative focuses on embedding AI-native capabilities into products and building resilient, flexible systems to unlock value across telecom, enterprises, and smart homes.

ZTE showcases full-stack AI capabilities at MWC Shanghai 2026, empowering new era of token operat…

At MWC Shanghai 2026, ZTE demonstrated its full-stack AI capabilities designed to maximize token efficiency and minimize operational costs. The showcase featured TCO-optimal AI factories, the NewStart AIOS platform, and advanced solutions integrating computing, network, storage, and energy-efficient infrastructure.

The Exhaustion of Talking to a Tool

Interacting with Large Language Models can be mentally taxing because they require social energy for negotiation and persuasion without providing the emotional or intellectual rewards found in human communication. This “social tax” imposes a cognitive load that might be more effectively directed toward collaborating with people instead of tools.

tropius: detect AI tropes in prose

Tropius is a command-line interface tool designed to detect AI-generated tropes in prose using a pattern dictionary and various structural detectors. The tool identifies linguistic patterns, repetitions, and character-class anomalies in text provided via stdin or live URLs.

UK Scouts launch AI badges while US Girl Scouts use Google-backed programmes

UK Scouts have introduced new badges focused on artificial intelligence, digital communication, and online safety to help teenagers navigate algorithm-driven environments. This initiative arrives amid increasing global efforts to regulate social media access for minors and marks the first major overhaul of the Scout movement’s Explorer section in nearly 25 years.

Ford AI hiccups push carmaker to rehire ‘gray beard’ inspectors

Ford is rehiring experienced “gray beard” inspectors following issues with its AI-driven inspection processes. The move aims to bolster quality control by utilizing veteran expertise to supplement automated systems.

Political bias in AI: Where the AI models stand

A new study investigates the inherent political, economic, and social biases of major AI models by posing charged questions with web search capabilities disabled. The research maps these responses across various axes to compare how models describe their own neutrality against their actual measured ideological leanings.

Why Does Everyone Hate AI?

Recent surveys indicate a growing widespread skepticism toward AI among Americans, marking a departure from the optimism seen during previous technological shifts like the rise of the internet. This backlash is partly attributed to tech leaders using apocalyptic predictions about job displacement to attract investment and drive rapid adoption.

Turn native language audio into flashcards and shadowing practice

LingoChunk is a new language learning tool that transforms native language audio into Anki flashcards and shadowing practice materials. The application uses word-level timestamps and AI to provide grammatical explanations and supports over 15 input languages.

LLM APIs with built-in chatbot in 1 line of code

Flama 2.0 introduces streamlined support for generative AI, allowing users to download, package, and serve large language models via a simple CLI. The update provides a production-ready HTTP API and a built-in chat interface, eliminating the need for custom infrastructure or complex configuration files.

The A.I.-Design Aesthetic That’s Taking over the Internet

Anthropic’s Claude Design tool is driving a widespread, generic aesthetic across websites and presentation decks due to its persistent default “house style.” This phenomenon results in highly similar visual elements, such as specific color palettes and typography, appearing across diverse digital platforms.

The Unbearable Cheapness of Open Weight Models

The author highlights the dramatic price disparity between affordable open-weight models, such as DeepSeek V4, and significantly more expensive proprietary frontier models from OpenAI and Anthropic. They express concern that major AI providers may rely on artificial scarcity and political restrictions to protect their high-cost business models against increasing competition from low-cost alternatives.

A surge in research publications using the TriNetX data platform has raised concerns among scientists regarding a potential increase in unreliable and biased studies. Experts warn that the platform’s easy-to-use tools may allow inexperienced researchers, particularly medical students, to quickly produce flawed results through practices like p-hacking.

Writers and Drugs

The article examines the historical connection between substance abuse and literary creativity, highlighting how various authors utilized drugs like opium and cocaine to enhance their work. It explores the paradox of these substances acting as “chemical muses” that can stimulate inspiration while ultimately leading to the destruction of both the artist and their art.

Bible as RAG Database

This tool utilizes the Bible as a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) database to allow for searching through indexed scripture texts across various canons. Users can perform specific queries or leave the search field blank to search all available indexed books.

Exploring the internal representations of Pangram 3.3.2

Researchers at Pangram Labs are exploring the internal representations of their AI detection model, Pangram 3.3.2, to better understand how it distinguishes between human and machine-generated text. The study utilizes document-level analysis across a diverse dataset of various large language models and domains to improve model interpretability and reliability.

Mixing Visual and Textual Code

Researchers have introduced Hybrid ClojureScript, the first programming language that allows developers to integrate textual syntax with interactive visual constructs. This hybrid approach enables the embedding of mini-GUIs directly within code while preserving static reasoning and compatibility with traditional programming workflows.

What I’m Finding About LLM Code Style and Token Costs

The author examines how inefficient coding styles generated by Large Language Models (LLMs) are driving up API costs due to the high price of output tokens. They observe that LLMs often produce verbose or outdated patterns rather than modern, more efficient web standards, leading to unnecessary token consumption.

Sail, whose software optimizes how AI models run on existing chips, emerges from stealth with $80…

Sail Research has emerged from stealth with $80 million in seed and Series A funding at a $450 million valuation, led by Kleiner Perkins. The startup provides an infrastructure platform designed to optimize AI model performance on existing chips for long-running autonomous agents. By prioritizing computing throughput over low latency, Sail aims to significantly reduce the high costs associated with large-scale agentic workflows.

Scaled Cognition, a reliability-focused lab that develops the Agentic Pretrained Transformer mode…

AI lab Scaled Cognition has raised $100 million in a Series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures. The investment, which also included participation from Genesys, brings the company’s valuation to $750 million.

How risk modelers like Fathom and Verisk are using AI and diffusion models to bypass the limits o…

Risk modelers are increasingly using generative AI to overcome the high computational costs and resolution limits of traditional physics-based catastrophe models. By creating synthetic weather scenarios and enhancing low-resolution data, these tools allow for more detailed and efficient simulations of extreme events. This technology could lead to more accurate risk pricing and potentially expand insurance coverage to more vulnerable regions.

As China’s working-age population shrinks, a consensus is emerging that it must deploy embodied A…

China’s working-age population is projected to fall to 300 million by the end of the century. To address this shrinking workforce, Beijing aims to deploy humanoid robots to bridge the emerging labor gap.

Sources: Meta is accelerating plans to use LLMs to review content and ads, replacing ~50% of huma…

Meta is accelerating its plans to use large language models to review content and advertisements across its platforms. This initiative aims to replace approximately 50% of human moderation tasks with AI technology.

Facebook brings back Facebook Creator Studio as a stand-alone app with built-in AI chatbot to hel…

Facebook is reimagining Creator Studio as a standalone AI companion app designed to help creators grow their audiences and compete with platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The new tool features an integrated AI assistant that provides personalized recommendations and conversational analytics, alongside features for managing comments and tracking daily performance priorities.

Digital advocacy firms like CiviClick and Influent appear to use AI to generate mass public comme…

Digital advocacy firms are utilizing AI-powered platforms to inundate government officials with massive volumes of public comments regarding energy and climate policies. These automated email campaigns have made it increasingly difficult for local agencies to distinguish authentic public feedback from AI-generated content.

💻 Software & Development

FOSS dev builds a BASIC compiler using LLVM

This technology news digest covers major industry updates, including Amazon’s $13 billion expansion of cloud infrastructure in India and the development of an LLVM-based BASIC compiler. It also reports on critical cybersecurity threats, such as Russian phishing campaigns and zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft SharePoint.

Windows 11 can now turn back the clock when updates go bad

Windows 11 now offers a point-in-time restore feature that allows users to revert their PCs within 72 hours of a failed update. The news also covers significant AI infrastructure investments in India and various emerging cybersecurity threats.

Collabora releases CODE 26.04 as rivalry between FOSS cloudy office suites heats up

Collabora has released CODE 26.04, introducing new features such as Markdown support and improved formula error handling. The update also includes integrated AI capabilities, though the feature remains disabled by default.

Structured Primary Keys

The article argues that primary keys relying on natural attributes with externally defined uniqueness rules can fragment database schemas and limit SQL’s set-based capabilities. To address this issue, the author proposes an alternative design approach called “Structured Primary Keys.”

Flatpak.org Rewrite

The Flatpak.org website has been rewritten to replace the outdated Middleman framework and address numerous security vulnerabilities. The update introduces a new multi-column grid layout and simplified navigation, resulting in improved backend maintainability.

Pierre Zemb from Clever Cloud on FoundationDB

Pierre Zemb, a staff engineer at Clever Cloud, is leading the development of Materia, a suite of serverless databases built on FoundationDB. He previously spent six years at OVHcloud working on large-scale telemetry platforms and managed Kubernetes infrastructure.

OpenStreetMap for Mac OS 9

OS9Map is a software application that enables users to browse OpenStreetMap on Mac OS 9 systems equipped with PowerPC processors. The application features smooth map scrolling, an integrated search tool for addresses and landmarks using Nominatim, and the ability to save bookmarks for frequently visited locations.

Vibecoding gets Emacs patch rejected

An Emacs developer’s patch aimed at improving macOS performance was rejected by the emacs-devel mailing list due to a GNU policy against LLM-assisted work. Although the author transparently disclosed using GLM 5.2 and personally verified all changes, the contribution was denied based on the restriction on AI involvement.

font-family recommendations

This article provides guidance on using CSS font-family properties, cautioning that named and web fonts are not universally reliable due to network, security, and user preference issues. The author recommends always including generic font families as fallbacks and avoiding long, redundant lists of specific system fonts.

Zig BitCast and LLVM Improvements

Recent improvements to Zig’s LLVM backend enhance optimization and prevent miscompilations by adjusting how arbitrary bit-width integers are stored in memory. Additionally, the language has implemented more robust and precisely defined semantics for the @bitCast builtin to ensure architectural stability and consistency.

Linux Cache Aware Scheduling Extended for Better Performance: 360% in MySQL

Hygon has introduced new patches to extend Linux’s Cache Aware Scheduling by implementing hierarchical, topology-aware task aggregation across scheduling domains. This enhancement improves cache locality for varying workload sizes, demonstrating performance gains of up to 49% in Hackbench and as much as 360% in MySQL.

OpenKnowledge – open source AI-first alternative to Obsidian/Notion

OpenKnowledge has launched as an open-source, AI-first Markdown editor designed to provide a WYSIWYG experience as an alternative to Obsidian and Notion. The tool features direct integrations with Claude, Codex, and Cursor, and is available as both a macOS application and a CLI.

Windows 10 quietly gets one more year of support and updates

Microsoft has updated its official documentation to extend the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program through October 12, 2027. This extension provides regular consumers with critical security-only updates beyond the initial 2025 end-of-support date, allowing more time for hardware and software upgrades.

A new tool called Hacker Trends has been launched to track the frequency of various topics, tools, and individuals on Hacker News using 18 years of indexed data. Built on Upstash Redis Search, the platform allows users to visualize technological shifts by overlaying multiple terms across 45 million posts and comments.

“Hey Nico, you didn’t vibe code it, you stole Papermark’s open source code”

The developers of DataRoom are facing allegations of copyright infringement for reportedly using Papermark’s open-source and enterprise-licensed code to build their product. The accusation demands the immediate removal of DataRoom, characterizing the unauthorized use of code as fraudulent behavior.

Dolphin Emulator Progress Release 2606

Dolphin Emulator Release 2606 introduces several major updates, most notably the implementation of Game Boy Player support. The release also adds RetroAchievements for Wii games and includes significant graphics fixes to address long-standing visual issues at high resolutions.

Half-Life 2 in a Browser

Half-Life 2 is reportedly available to play directly within a web browser. However, no further details are provided as the article content is currently downloading.

LuaJIT 3.0 proposed syntax extensions

An umbrella issue has been opened to facilitate discussions regarding proposed syntax extensions for LuaJIT 3.0. The goal is to introduce proven features that improve developer quality-of-life without compromising backward compatibility or increasing syntactic complexity.

Paris-based Tsuga, whose observability software runs in customers’ own clouds to help them skip p…

Paris-based startup Tsuga has raised $35 million in Series A funding to develop observability software for AI agents. Meanwhile, Tissium secured €60 million for its medtech expansion and Runpod reached a $1 billion valuation driven by high demand for AI computing power.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Digital ID brain trust will meet behind closed doors as minister ducks cost questions

A committee established to oversee Digital ID will meet privately without publishing meeting minutes. Questions remain regarding the group’s budget and member selection process, as a minister has avoided addressing related cost concerns.

UK school’s network left wide open for invasion, student found

A student has discovered a major security vulnerability in a UK school’s network that left it open to potential invasion. The flaw was caused by an administrator password being left in plain text within the Active Directory description field.

Nation-state actors cracked critical Australian infrastructure to ‘cripple it at a time of their …

This technology news digest explores recent developments and risks in artificial intelligence, including infrastructure incidents and rising operational costs. It also covers various cybersecurity threats, such as phishing campaigns and zero-day exploits, alongside notable updates in the open-source software community.

Ubiquiti UniFi OS devices targeted: CISA orders the patching of critical bugs

CISA has ordered federal agencies to patch critical vulnerabilities in Ubiquiti UniFi OS devices following reports of active exploitation by hackers building botnets. These high-severity bugs allow attackers with network access to execute unauthorized commands and compromise hardware such as routers, gateways, and network recorders.

Microsoft: 2 ransomware groups hit SharePoint in parallel attacks

A Microsoft investigation revealed that two separate ransomware groups operated simultaneously within a single compromised environment to target on-premises SharePoint servers via known vulnerabilities. This incident highlights a growing trend of overlapping cyber campaigns, emphasizing the need for coordinated security monitoring across identity, endpoint, and cloud telemetry.

What sovereignty? Internet traffic of millions of Europeans flows through Chinese routers

A new study reveals that Chinese manufacturers account for 37% of home networking devices in the EU, potentially exposing around 95 million households to cyber espionage risks. The report highlights a lack of regulatory framework to address this dependence, which could allow for data interception and the creation of botnets.

Federal agents track down woman, demand she remove Instagram post about ICE

Two ICE agents visited a Syracuse poll worker at a library polling site to demand she remove an Instagram post identifying an agent involved in a shooting. Gonyea defended her post as not constituting doxxing, while local election officials noted that the agents lacked authorization to be inside the polling place during the encounter.

Countries are competing to see which can carry out mass surveillance the best

Democratic and authoritarian nations are increasingly competing to advance their capabilities in state-led mass surveillance. Highlighting the global monitoring capacity of the USA and its “Fourteen Eyes” allies, the article argues that such widespread practices infringe upon human rights and calls for a shift toward targeted, proportional surveillance.

Secs-man, a secrets manager you can (not) rely on

Secs-man is a tool designed to manage encrypted local backups of secrets with a primary focus on ensuring data remains recoverable even if the software becomes unavailable. It also offers seamless integration with NixOS, although it does not require it for use.

Aisle Discovers 6 New CVEs in Curl, Including the Oldest Issue Ever Reported

The AISLE Research Team has discovered six new CVEs in curl and libcurl, including the oldest vulnerability ever reported for the software, which dates back over 25 years. All identified security issues have been responsibly disclosed and fixed in the June 24, 2026 release of curl 8.21.0.

Cloudflare launched self-managed OAuth for all

Cloudflare has expanded its self-managed OAuth service to all customers, enabling developers to create their own OAuth clients for delegated access to the Cloudflare API. This update facilitates more secure and seamless integrations for SaaS tools and agentic workflows by providing improved consent, revocation, and permission management.

TRM Labs: Iran-linked wallets, including those tied to Iran’s central bank, have moved over $3.84…

Iranian entities have moved over $3.84 billion in transactions through the CoinEx crypto exchange, aiding in the evasion of U.S. economic sanctions. Investigations revealed that some of these funds are linked to wallets controlled by the Central Bank of Iran and include $1.5 billion stolen by North Korean hackers from Bybit.

An Amazon seller reveals how middlemen on chat apps offer access to Amazon employees who allegedl…

Middlemen on messaging apps like WeChat are reportedly facilitating a “shadow bribery market” by offering access to Amazon employees in exchange for payment. These intermediaries claim their contacts can perform specific favors, such as unfreezing funds or bypassing policy violations, for a fee.

🔌 Hardware & Semiconductors

IBM’s Sub-Nanometer Chip Breakthrough

IBM has unveiled a new sub-1 nanometer chip technology featuring a 3D “nanostack” architecture capable of scaling down to 1 Angstrom. This advancement provides nearly double the transistor density of previous generations, delivering up to 50 percent more performance and 70 percent greater energy efficiency.

How ARM64 Instructions Are Really Encoded

This article explains how ARM64 instructions are encoded as structured 32-bit bit fields within a 64-bit architecture. It highlights the advantages of ARM64’s fixed instruction length over x86’s variable-length format, noting that this predictability simplifies decoding for both hardware and software.

What happens if you buy a fake Apple Watch from Target?

Fraudsters are introducing counterfeit Apple products into Target by swapping genuine items with fakes before returning the resealed boxes for refunds. Because employees often fail to verify serial numbers during the return process, experts recommend that customers inspect their devices and verify authenticity immediately upon purchase.

Updated Xbox Console Prices

Starting August 1, 2026, Xbox will increase prices for its 512 GB and 1 TB console models and discontinue the 2 TB model due to rising component costs. To mitigate the impact on consumers, Microsoft is introducing new financing options and expanding access to pre-owned and certified refurbished consoles.

DRAM Price Fixing Scandal

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into an international price-fixing conspiracy among DRAM manufacturers that occurred between 1998 and 2002. Several major companies, including Samsung and Micron Technology, eventually pleaded guilty to inflating memory prices, resulting in substantial fines in both the United States and Europe.

Arm EVP Mohamed Awad says its chip architecture now accounts for 50%+ of the hyperscale cloud com…

Arm’s chip architecture now accounts for more than 50% of the hyperscale cloud computing market, marking a significant milestone in its competition with Intel and AMD. This growth is being driven by increasing AI demand transforming the data center industry.

NAND flash maker Kioxia, Japan’s most valuable company since June 12, plans to offer US depositar…

Kioxia Holdings Corp. plans to offer US depositary shares in the spring of 2027 and implement a domestic stock split. The company aims to capitalize on the surging global demand for AI-related NAND storage semiconductors.

The Netherlands is lobbying the US not to expand chip equipment export controls that would constr…

The Netherlands is lobbying the United States to prevent the expansion of export controls on semiconductor equipment, which would restrict ASML Holding NV’s ability to sell to China. Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma met with US officials in Washington to discuss concerns regarding proposed restrictions under the MATCH Act.

📈 Business & Finance

Apple passes RAMpocalypse costs on to consumers

Apple is increasing prices for Mac computers and certain other hardware by hundreds of dollars due to rising RAM-related costs. However, smartphone prices currently remain unaffected by these price hikes.

EU targets Amazon and Microsoft cloud services

The European Commission is preparing to designate Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act due to their dominant positions in the cloud computing market. This move aims to implement stricter regulations regarding interoperability and data portability to promote fair competition and facilitate easier switching between providers.

Micron locks in historically high memory prices for five years

This technology news digest highlights Micron securing long-term contracts at historically high memory prices and explores the evolving impact of AI on software development and infrastructure. It also covers various cybersecurity threats, such as phishing and zero-day attacks, alongside significant updates in the open-source community and major industry acquisitions.

Snyk slashes jobs and races to reinvent itself to keep up with AI

Cybersecurity unicorn Snyk has announced a fourth round of layoffs involving approximately 90 employees, with a significant impact on its operations in Israel. The company is reorganizing to flatten leadership and accelerate the development of its AI Security Platform to address emerging threats from AI-generated code and autonomous agents.

Supreme Court Gives Pesticide Corporations Immunity from Cancer Lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Monsanto Company v. Durnell that federal law preempts lawsuits by cancer patients alleging that pesticides like Roundup caused their disease. This decision effectively grants pesticide corporations immunity from such litigation, preventing individuals harmed by toxic agricultural chemicals from seeking legal recourse.

Older tech workers are tapping out early

Many experienced tech workers are increasingly opting for early retirement, driven by factors such as mass layoffs, burnout, and lucrative buyout offers. While high compensation and stock gains enable some to leave the workforce ahead of schedule, others face significant financial and healthcare challenges before reaching traditional retirement age.

As banks close accounts, experts point to immigration crackdown

Over 20,000 consumers filed complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding sudden bank account closures between December and May. Experts suggest this surge in “debanking” is driven by financial institutions attempting to comply with the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies.

OpenAI has started putting ads on paid programs

A user has reported encountering advertisements for brands such as Financial Times and Shein while using OpenAI’s paid subscription service. Following this discovery, the subscriber cancelled their monthly plan to avoid paying for an ad-supported experience.

SoftBank 2026 AGM [pdf]

This document provides details regarding SoftBank’s 2026 Annual General Meeting. The information is presented in a PDF format.

SoftBank Shareholders Update [pdf]

This document provides an update for SoftBank shareholders regarding recent company developments. It serves as a formal communication intended to inform investors about the organization’s current status and performance.

Zombie unicorns are haunting Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is experiencing a rise in “zombie unicorns,” which are startups that were once valued at over $1 billion but have since seen their valuations collapse. This trend, driven by previous years of inflated valuations, has become a significant concern for venture capitalists.

Bitcoin hits 20-month low as market sentiment sours

Bitcoin has reached its lowest price in 20 months. This decline follows a period of souring market sentiment.

Australian payments startup Airwallex raised $320M led by Lee Fixel’s Addition at an $11B valuati…

Australian payments startup Airwallex has raised $320 million in a funding round led by Lee Fixel’s Addition, reaching an $11 billion valuation. The fintech company provides global business-to-business payments, bank accounts, and corporate cards to over 300,000 customers across 47 countries.

Exponential View: global AI sales, excluding China, hit $25B in Q1, exceeding an estimated $21B i…

Global AI sales, excluding China, reached $25 billion in Q1 2026, surpassing the estimated $21 billion in depreciation costs related to data center and chip investments. While this milestone suggests revenues are beginning to cover capital spending, thin margins remain as depreciation charges still account for more than two-thirds of revenue.

A profile of incoming WhatsApp CEO Kunal Shah, who studied philosophy, advised Sequoia India, and…

Indian entrepreneur Kunal Shah is set to become the incoming CEO of WhatsApp. With a background in philosophy and experience advising Sequoia India, Shah brings expertise in building transaction platforms and insights into emerging markets.

Alibaba’s Hong Kong stock closed down 4.43% after Anthropic accused Alibaba of “illicitly” access…

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. shares hit a 16-month low in Hong Kong after Anthropic PBC accused the company of “illicitly” accessing its artificial intelligence model. The stock tumbled as much as 4.9%, extending its year-to-date decline to 33% and impacting other Chinese tech firms like Baidu and Xiaomi.

How a $45M donation to a group supporting Trump brought Larry Ellison deeper into Trump’s circle,…

Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison donated approximately $45 million to a nonprofit supporting Donald Trump’s 2024 election efforts, with further millions provided to other Trump-aligned groups. This private relationship and significant financial support have reportedly benefited both Oracle’s business interests and his son’s media conglomerate ventures.

Assort Health, which develops AI voice agents for health care to handle scheduling and more, rais…

Assort Health has secured $120 million in Series C funding led by Menlo Ventures, officially reaching unicorn status. The company plans to use the capital to expand its platform of specialty-specific AI voice agents, which automate healthcare workflows such as scheduling, patient intake, and medication refills.

New Zealand-based Partly, which develops an AI model for the auto parts industry, raised a $50M S…

New Zealand-based startup Partly Group Ltd. has raised $50 million at a $500 million valuation to expand its AI-driven automotive parts business into the United States. The company utilizes its specialized “Interpreter” model to help collision repair shops identify vehicle parts more accurately and efficiently.

Hang Ten Systems, led by former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, launches with a $32M seed led by Mayfie…

Former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka has launched Hang Ten Systems, an AI-powered enterprise software startup, following a $32 million seed funding round led by Mayfield. The company focuses on using AI-driven development and automation to help enterprises build and operate software, aiming to transform traditional IT services models.

🚀 Science & Discovery

Perseverance rover finds even more signs of extinct life on Mars

This news digest highlights recent advancements in artificial intelligence, including OpenAI’s transition toward agents and Amazon’s $13 billion investment in India. It also covers significant cybersecurity threats such as phishing attacks impersonating Signal support and zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft SharePoint.

Salyut 5 at 50: The Soviet space station that sickened one crew and nearly drowned another

This news digest explores the history of the accident-prone Salyut 5 space station alongside major tech developments, such as Amazon’s $13 billion investment in India’s AI infrastructure. It also covers advancements in semiconductor technology and various cybersecurity threats, including phishing attacks and SharePoint zero-day vulnerabilities.

“This is what happens when you stop asking politely:” Burlison demands 1952 UFO video

Congressman Eric Burlison announced that MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has agreed to disclose a historical 1952 UFO briefing video to Congress. The footage reportedly features Project Blue Book director Edward Ruppelt briefing military and scientific officials on unidentified flying object investigations.

An entire Herculaneum scroll has been read for the first time

Researchers have successfully read an entire carbonized scroll from Herculaneum for the first time. This achievement marks a significant breakthrough in recovering ancient texts preserved within volcanic debris.

How physicists track and trap the elusive neutrino

Since their theoretical proposal in 1930, the detection of nearly massless neutrinos has required increasingly massive and shielded experimental setups. Through large-scale underground observatories, physicists have successfully resolved the solar neutrino problem and now use these elusive particles to study high-energy cosmic phenomena.

Ending respiratory infections

Intercept is a new $500 million philanthropic initiative aimed at eliminating respiratory infections like the common cold and influenza by developing broad-spectrum preventatives and air cleaning technologies. The project seeks to leverage recent advances in biotechnology and immunology to overcome the technical and funding challenges that have historically hindered progress against these mutating viruses.

Human Brain Has Separate Circuits for Belly Laughs and Polite Chuckles

New research reveals that spontaneous belly laughs and voluntary polite chuckles are controlled by distinct neural networks in the human brain. By analyzing data from epilepsy patients, scientists found that spontaneous laughter involves regions tied to emotional regulation and mood enhancement, whereas voluntary laughter is primarily linked to motor control.

Venezuela earthquake: powerful back-to-back quakes collapse buildings in Caracas

Two powerful earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.2 struck Venezuela, causing widespread destruction and collapsing numerous buildings in Caracas. The disaster has killed at least 32 people and left hundreds injured, prompting interim leader Delcy Rodríguez to declare a state of emergency.