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Financial Times : Analysis: a basket of the top US streaming services will cost $87 per month this fall, vs. $73 a year ago; the average US cable TV package costs $83 per month   —  Top studios turn screws on customers with price rises that rival expensive cable TV bundles  —  The era of cheap streaming is ending …

Katrina Manson / Bloomberg : How hackers at DEF CON are trying to expose flaws and biases in AI models produced by Google, Meta, OpenAI, and others through a public contest   —  - At DEF CON conference, hacker gets model to say 9 + 10 = 21  — AI has chance to transform everything from finance to hiring

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Some iPhone 14 Pro users complain that the “maximum capacity” of their phone's batteries has already dropped to around 90% after less than a year   —  iPhone 14 Pro users are growing increasingly concerned about the state of their iPhone's battery health.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his top rival for the Republican presidential nomination, didn't come face to face as they separately courted voters on Saturday at the Iowa State Fair.  But DeSantis took aim at Trump, the commanding front-runner for their party's 2024 nomination, and supporters of the former president repeatedly heckled the Florida governor as he made his way around the fairgrounds, a necessary stop for White House hopefuls in the state that kicks off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. DeSantis — who's trying to change the narrative after a series of setbacks the past two months, which triggered weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, staff layoffs, change of leadership and other stumbles — had planned for a couple of weeks to campaign at the state fair on Saturday.  PENCE SAYS TRUMP MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR Trump, who starting blasting DeSantis months before the Flori...

The former lieutenant governor of Georgia said Saturday that he will testify before a Fulton County grand jury regarding the 2020 election ahead of a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump. "I can confirm that I have been requested to testify before the Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday. I look forward to answering their questions around the 2020 election . Republicans should never let honesty be mistaken for weakness," former Georgia Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan wrote in a tweet. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal : A look at Amazon One palm scanning tech, being used for payments, age verification, and more at US retailers, stadiums, and other venues, amid privacy concerns   —  It's also a potentially massive play to make Amazon the central ID system for your whole life—from banking and loyalty programs to tickets …

Connie Kim / HousingWire : SEC filing: Better.com plans to go public via a SPAC merger, raising $750M, after initially planning a $6B SPAC in May 2021   —  Shareholders at SPAC partner Aurora Acquisitions voted in favor of the merger proposal  —  New York-based digital lender Better.com will be going public via …

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis torched former President Donald Trump for refusing to sign the GOP candidate pledge to support the eventual nominee. While talking to reporters in Iowa, DeSantis blasted the former president for refusing to sign the required pledge to punch his ticket to the debate stage. DeSantis noted that he signed the pledge, officially qualifying for the debate by doing so, and jabbed at Trump for running in the GOP field but saying he may not support the eventual nominee. TRUMP NOT WILLING TO SIGN GOP LOYALTY PLEDGE AHEAD OF DEBATE "I mean you can't, on the one hand, say that the country's going in such a bad direction, which we all believe, and then, on the other hand, say you're just going to take your ball and go home," DeSantis said. "Really? So, you know, I'm happy to do that. I've voted Republican my whole life," the Florida governor said. "And, you know, even though, you know...

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he "can't relate" to President Biden concerning the appointment of a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, because his son was "defending this country" in the military while he was serving as vice president. "I just heard news that the appointment of the special counsel in the matter involving President Biden's son Hunter. To be honest with you, I can't relate to what his son was doing when he was vice president. When I was vice president, my son was flying an F-35 for the Marine Corps defending this country," Pence said during a press gaggle at the Iowa State Fair . "But I think it's about time that we saw the appointment of a special counsel to get to the bottom of not only what Hunter Biden was doing, but what the Biden family was doing. The American people deserve answers, and I welcome the appointment," he added. WHITE HOUSE WANTS CONGRESS TO SPEND SIX TIMES MORE ON U...

Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer : Poland arrests five people as Europol and the DOJ take down the Lolek “bulletproof” hosting provider for allegedly facilitating Netwalker ransomware attacks   —  Update 8/11/23: Updated with information from DOJ about alleged Netwalker Ransomware involvement.

A U.S. District Court judge Thursday blocked implementation of a new Idaho law that would prevent transgender students from using restrooms, locker rooms and showers that do not align with their biological sex at birth in public schools. According to court documents , U.S. Judge David Nye said in his temporary restraining order that "preserving the status quo pending a more complete review is the most fitting approach at the current juncture." "This is not a full adjudication of any argument on the merits. The Court is simply holding S.B. 1100 in abeyance and preserving the situation as it existed prior to the parties’ disagreement," Nye noted. "School districts may choose how to organize their bathrooms, changing facilities, and overnight accommodations — whether that is sex-separate or transgender-inclusive; whether it is consistent with what it did last year or not. But the State of Idaho will not be mandating that decision at this time." FLORIDA D...

Luc Cohen / Reuters : A US judge revokes SBF's bail after the DOJ accused him of tampering with witnesses, such as by sharing former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison's diary with the NYT   —  Sam Bankman-Fried's bail was revoked ahead of his October fraud trial, a U.S. judge said on Friday, after prosecutors accused …

Republican lawmakers sounded off after Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed a special counsel for the probe into first son Hunter Biden. GOP lawmakers from the highest echelons torched Garland's appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss , who lead the prosecution in Hunter Biden's tax and gun charges, to head up the special counsel probe. House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called Garland's announcement "part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of [House Oversight Republicans'] mounting evidence of President Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals." Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the first son's business dealings and brought charges against him in Delaware. His appointment as special counsel could indicate that, contrary to Biden's defense lawyers' claims, the Justice Department investi...

Lawyers for Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira on Thursday filed a motion pushing for their client’s release from jail while he awaits trial.  The memorandum comes in response to a 20-page court filing from the government last week which argued that Teixeira is a risk to national security , poses a physical danger to the community and should not be released from custody.  Thursday’s 14-page reply from Teixeira’s defense attorney was filed in support of appealing the magistrate judge’s ruling in May that Teixeira must remain behind bars while the case plays out. The judge found that releasing Teixeira would pose a risk that he would attempt to flee the country or obstruct justice.  Teixeira challenged the judge’s decision last month, pointing to the pretrial release of former President Donald Trump and others charged in high-profile classified documents cases.  AS INDICTMENT PILE UP, DONALD TRUMP APPEARS INCREASINGLY AGITATED In Thursday’s court filing, Teixei...

Brian Heater / TechCrunch : Skydio shuts down its consumer drone business as it expands enterprise offerings; the company announced a $230M Series E at a $2.2B valuation in February 2023   —  Skydio today announced that it will be shutting down its consumer drone business.  —  Beginning today, the firm will no longer …

Special Counsel Jack Smith proposed to begin former President Donald Trump's trial in January 2024 for the charges he's facing in relation to the events of January 6, 2021. "The Government proposes that trial begin on January 2, 2024, and estimates that its case in chief will take no longer than four to six weeks," the filing on Thursday states. Trump faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch : Virtualitics, which provides data visualizations that can be viewed in VR and AR, raised a $37M Series C, bringing its total funding to $67M   —  Many companies grapple with data challenges.  In a 2019 survey, Deloitte reports that 67% of executives aren't comfortable accessing or using the data at their organizations.

Texas Republicans on Thursday called on their House colleagues to hold up federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security until President Biden signs border security legislation. Fifteen House Republicans led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, signed a dear colleague letter urging the House to reject further appropriations for DHS unless Biden signs a GOP-backed border security bill and removes Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from office, among other demands.  "The State of Texas is bearing the brunt of a national crisis at our southern border directly resulting from the unlawful and irresponsible actions of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas," the lawmakers wrote.  "Governor Abbott has been forced to use Texas’ limited resources to do at least part of the job the federal government refuses," the letter states. "Rather than reimburse Texas for its efforts, which benefit all Americans, the Biden administration has filed suit against our state citing ‘human...

More than 60 Republican lawmakers from Utah are pushing to end Sen. Mitt Romney’s career on Capitol Hill. Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson has taken the first steps toward challenging Romney, the Republicans' 2012 presidential nominee, by forming a Senate exploratory committee in April. The committee on Thursday announced that Wilson’s possible run is already being endorsed by three quarters of his GOP colleagues in the statehouse’s lower chamber and two-thirds of Republicans in the Utah Senate. UTAH REPUBLICAN RAISES MORE THAN $2 MILLION AS HE EXPLORES 'LIKELY' BID TO TAKE ROMNEY'S SENATE SEAT "I am honored and encouraged to have the support of so many leaders from all corners of this great state," Wilson said. "Utah needs a bold, conservative fighter in the U.S. Senate and I am humbled at the support and encouragement we’ve received so quickly." Romney has, at times, had a fraught relationship with Republicans in his state, particularly o...

President Biden will ask Congress to approve an additional $13 billion in security funding for Ukraine later Thursday, a source told The Associated Press. Biden was widely expected to make a request for additional Ukraine support Thursday afternoon. The Biden administration is also expected to request $12 billion to refill federal disaster relief funds. If approved, the additional Ukraine funding will set the total U.S. contributions to the country's war effort at more than $123 billion. The request comes as many Americans and some members of Congress are becoming more skeptical of large funding grants for Ukraine. NEARLY 50K RUSSIAN MEN HAVE DIED IN UKRAINE WAR, NEARLY 9X LARGER THAN RUSSIA'S OFFICIAL FIGURE: NEW STUDY Biden last requested a major Ukraine funding drop in November 2022, and Congress agreed to send more than he asked for. The Republican-led House of Representatives may pose a threat to such a breezy approval this time. "It’s definitely a very big po...

Two Georgia Republicans want parents to give explicit permission for their children to create social media accounts and are preparing legislation to make this a legal requirement in their home state. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and state Senate Majority Caucus Chair Jason Anavitarte announced the initiative to crack down on teenage social media usage and cyberbullying. They said their legislation would require companies "to take concrete steps to verify the age of their users." If the law were enacted, social media companies would need to demonstrate that users are either above 18 years of age or that they have parental consent if they are younger. The bill will be introduced in the 2024 legislative session. "As the parent of young kids, we must keep our kids safe with social media by empowering parents, and we need to ensure we crack down on cyberbullying of our youth in Georgia and across America," Anavitarte told Fox News Digital. NEW INFLUENCER TREND COULD PROMPT ...

The disgraced former Orlando state attorney removed from her post by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , a Republican, called her suspension "the loss of democracy." DeSantis suspended Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell on Wednesday citing her "dereliction of duty" on crime. "The practices and policies of her office have allowed murderers, other violent offenders, and dangerous drug traffickers to receive extremely reduced sentences and escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct. In some cases, these offenders have evaded incarceration altogether," DeSantis' office wrote in a statement.  DESANTIS SUSPENDS ORLANDO STATE ATTORNEY OVER ‘DERELICTION OF DUTY’ ON CRIME " State Attorney Worrell’s practices undermine Florida law and endanger the safety, security, and welfare of the communities that Ms. Worrell was elected to serve," it continued. Worrell held a press conference following her suspension, claiming her remov...

Abortion rights advocates on Tuesday began a push to ask Arizona voters to create a constitutional right to abortion, injecting the issue into the battleground state's volatile politics ahead of next year's election. If proponents collect enough signatures, Arizona will become the latest state to put the question of reproductive rights directly to voters, who have turned out in large numbers to support abortion rights even in conservative states. The fight over abortion rights helped Democrats limit their losses in last year's midterms after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. The issue remains salient as President Joe Biden seeks reelection in the face of sagging approval ratings. ABORTIONS, GENDER TRANSITIONS FOR MINORS COULD BE ENSHRINED IN STATE CONSTITUTION, PARENTS' GROUP WARNS Arizona currently bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. Abortion opponents have asked the Arizona Supreme Cour...

Preetika Rana / Wall Street Journal : Lyft reports Q2 revenue up 3% YoY to $1.02B, a net loss of $114.3M, and active riders up 8.2% YoY to 21.49M, its highest levels since the pandemic   —  Ride-share company projects better-than-expected outlook for current quarter  —  Lyft raised its revenue and trimmed its loss last quarter …

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lit up social media this week after he visited Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and gifted him lyrics to the Bon Jovi hit "It's My Life" that were handwritten by Jon Bon Jovi. Christie said the song "served as an inspiration for a lot of the citizens in Odessa, as they were preparing for the invasion by the Russians" during a Sunday interview on CNN. He said Bon Jovi "wrote it out in his own hand, got it framed." REPUBLICAN RIVAL CHRIS CHRISTIE TELLS TRUMP TO ‘SELL TRUMP TOWER’ TO HELP COVER REPORTED $40M IN LEGAL FEES "I brought it to President Zelenskyy and said that this is representative of many of the American people and what they feel about the cause that’s being fought for in Ukraine ," Christie said. Users across X, formerly known as Twitter, launched wisecracks and jokes about the gift. "Literally the closest thing New Jersey has to the Crown Jewels," said political adviser ...

Victoria Song / The Verge : Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review: better battery, slimmer bezels, Wear OS 4, and overall improvements, but little has changed, pricier, and works best with Samsung   —  Samsung focuses on refining a tried-and-true formula, but how much longer can it afford to coast?

Financial Times : Sources: Google and UMG are in talks to license artists' melodies and voices for AI-made songs; goals include making a tool for fans and paying copyright owners   —  New technology that can mimic artists' voices has been seen as growing threat  —  Google and Universal Music are in talks …

A devout Catholic couple claims that Massachusetts banned them from participating in the state foster care system due to their religious beliefs. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by religious liberty group Becket Law, Mike and Catherine "Kitty" Burke specifically claim the state restricted them from fostering children in the state due to their adherence to Catholic teachings on gender, sexuality and marriage. "After months of interviews and training, and after years of heartbreak, we were on the verge of finally becoming parents," the couple said in a statement. "We were absolutely devastated to learn that Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home." The lawsuit claims that the state listed only one reason for denying the Burke's foster application, which was that they "would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA." 12 MASSACHUSETTS STATE TROO...

Abner Li / 9to5Google : Google launches group E2E encryption for its Messages app and says RCS will now be turned on by default in Messages for both new and existing users   —  After testing group end-to-end encryption for the past few months, Google Messages has now fully rolled it out and is enabling RCS by default too.

A final North Carolina state budget won't be enacted until September, the House's top leader said Monday. That could scuttle efforts by Gov. Roy Cooper's administration for Medicaid expansion to begin in early fall. House and Senate Republicans are whittling down dozens of outstanding spending and policy issues within a two-year spending plan that was supposed to take effect July 1. While some big-ticket items like tax cuts and worker raises have been settled, other details remain unresolved. Add travel and vacations by rank-and-file lawmakers and the narrow GOP veto-proof majorities in the General Assembly, and House Speaker Tim Moore said the periods during which formal business can be conducted in Raleigh are limited. DEMOCRATIC NC GOV. ROY COOPER REMAINS SKEPTICAL OF REPUBLICANS' PROPOSED TAX DEAL Sen. Ralph Hise, a Mitchell County Republican and one of the chief budget negotiators, told reporters that votes on a budget agreement could happen in two weeks if di...

Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg : Palantir reports Q2 revenue up 13% YoY to $533.3M, vs. $532.4M est., adjusted operating income of $135M, vs. $121.5M est., and authorizes a $1B share buyback   —  “We have a good chance at becoming the most important software company in the world,” Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp told Bloomberg during an interview Monday.

Financial Times : Sources: Meta disbanded the team behind its protein-folding AI project ESMFold this spring, prioritizing commercial AI products over blue-sky research   —  Move to terminate scientific project comes as Facebook parent prioritises moneymaking AI products over blue-sky research

New York City Mayor Eric Adams , a Democrat, announced that a new taxpayer-funded tent city for illegal migrants will be going up in the Big Apple. Adams announced Monday that Randall’s Island in New York City will be the new spot for the more than 57,000 illegal migrants living in the city that never sleeps. "As the number of asylum seekers in our care continues to grow by hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond, it has become more and more of a Herculean effort to find enough beds every night," Adams said in a press release on Monday. FORMER NY DEM GOVERNOR WARNS NYC MIGRANT CRISIS AT ‘TIPPING POINT’: ‘SLEEP ON THE STREETS’ "We're grateful to Governor Hochul and New York state for their partnership in opening this new humanitarian relief center and covering the costs, and we need more of the same from all levels of government," Adams continued. "We will continue to work with the governor and elected officials across...

A Gold Star mom sobbed before members of Congress on Monday as she accused the Biden administration of lying to her about the circumstances of her Marine son’s death in Afghanistan in August 2021.  Kelly Barnett, whose son Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, was one of 13 U.S. servicemembers killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul during the military’s evacuation two summers ago, was the first of several relatives to speak at a Congressional forum held by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. It’s the first time the relatives of all 13 fallen troops are together to speak at a public event.  "I'm going to be brave and in tell you about my kid. He's an amazing kid. And I want you to know that I am not a victim. We're not victims. We're parents to some mighty heroes. I want you to know that," Barnett said.  OUT OF AFRICA: VET GROUPS COME TO RESCUE OF AFGHANS ON TALIBAN KILL LIST She said her son’s concern about the controversial withdrawal "began the moment that he lande...

Emma Goldberg / New York Times : Zoom, known for helping millions of people work from home, asks its employees living within 50 miles of an office to work in person at least two days per week   —  The tech company that helped millions of people work from home is finally tired of its employees being far away.

Financial Times : Yang Hyang-ja, a South Korean lawmaker and former Samsung executive, says US-led China chip curbs risk damaging South Korea's relations with its Asian allies   —  Former Samsung executive Yang Hyang-ja warns of risk of damaging relations with Asian allies  —  An influential South Korean legislator …

Filipe Pacheco / Bloomberg : China's Hua Hong Semiconductor raises $2.96B in its Shanghai listing, the largest in the Asia Pacific region this year; the firm is already listed in Hong Kong   —  - Company raised nearly $3 billion through the share sale  — It is the largest listing in the Asia Pacific region this year

New York Times : Shoddy self-published guidebooks, which appear to be compiled with the help of generative AI and promoted via deceptive reviews, are proliferating on Amazon   —  In March, as she planned for an upcoming trip to France, Amy Kolsky, an experienced international traveler who lives in Bucks County …

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., on Sunday called for more Democrats to enter the 2024 primary against President Biden , making the argument that the party and the country are in "need of competition." Phillips declined to make an announcement about his own political aspirations during his appearance on CBS News’ "Face the Nation" but called on other Democrats to challenge Biden. "Democrats are telling me that they want, not a coronation, but they want a competition," he said. "The New York Times poll from this week shows 55% of Democratic voters want some alternatives to the current people in the primary, 83% of those under 30. Democrats under 30 want alternatives, and about 76% are independents." HUNTER BIDEN TOLD ARCHER THAT CHINESE CHAIRMAN LOVED HIM FOR HIS ‘LAST NAME,’ POSSE OF ‘GODLIKE ARYAN MEN’ "If we don't heed that call, shame on us," the congressman continued. "And the consequences, I believe, are going to be disas...

Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, who resigned in the final weeks of former President Donald Trump's administration, sidestepped during a line of questioning Sunday on whether he agreed with the Department of Justice's handling of the Hunter Biden investigation, remarking though that he believes "things can be shameful without being illegal."  During the appearance on CBS' "Face The Nation," Barr was pressed several times if he thought a special counsel was necessary for the Hunter Biden case.  "Things can be shameful without being illegal, and yes, I think it’s grotesque the cashing in on the office like that, apparently. I think it’s legitimate. It has to be investigated as to whether there was a crime there and that’s one of the things I’m concerned about is that it was thoroughly investigated after I left," Barr, who resigned in December 2020, said.  "Some of the whistleblowers raised concerns in my mind," Barr added, see...

Former President Donald Trump blasted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the "very weird story" surrounding her husband after she said Trump looked scared ahead of his arraignment in federal court Thursday. "I purposely didn’t comment on Nancy Pelosi’s very weird story concerning her husband, but now I can because she said something about me, with glee, that was really quite vicious," Trump commented on his Truth Social website. Pelosi on Friday said Trump looked like a "scared puppy" as he arrived at a D.C. courthouse for his arraignment on four charges related to alleged 2020 election interference. BLINKEN'S CONDEMNATION OF RUSSIAN PROSECUTORS SPARKS CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH: ‘SIRI, SHOW ME IRONY’ Trump, the current 2024 GOP front-runner, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy...