DJI sues over the FCC’s decision to block new drone imports
DJI sues over the FCC’s decision to block new drone imports

DJI wants a federal court to toss out the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to ban imports of its China-made drones and components, as reported earlier by Reuters. In a petition filed in an appeals court this week, DJI claims the FCC “exceeded its statutory authority” last December when adding drones made in foreign countries to […]

Inside Anthropic’s existential negotiations with the Pentagon
Inside Anthropic’s existential negotiations with the Pentagon

Anthropic’s weekslong battle with the Department of Defense has played out over social media posts, admonishing public statements, and direct quotes from unnamed Pentagon officials to the news media. But the future of the $380 billion AI startup comes down to just three words: “any lawful use.” The new terms, which OpenAI and xAI have […]

Will Trump’s DOJ actually take on Ticketmaster?
Will Trump’s DOJ actually take on Ticketmaster?

In mid-February, the Department of Justice lost its head antitrust enforcer – just weeks before it was scheduled to argue one of the year’s biggest anti-monopoly cases in court. Antitrust Division chief Gail Slater announced her departure suddenly, via a post on her personal X account. But to those who follow the agency closely, it […]

Discord distances itself from Persona age verification after user backlash
Discord distances itself from Persona age verification after user backlash

Discord is attempting to distance itself from the age verification provider Persona following a steady stream of user backlash. In an emailed statement to The Verge, Discord’s head of product policy, Savannah Badalich, confirms the company “ran a limited test of Persona in the UK where age assurance had previously launched and that test has […]

You Know Who Likes Solar Power? Trump Voters

This week’s Current Climate newsletter also looks at a former top Tesla engineer’s plans to rewire the grid and the outlook for solving spiking electric power prices

Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon
Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon

Early on the morning of September 2, 2024, a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train was the scene of a random and horrific mass shooting. Four people were shot and killed on a westbound train as it approached the suburb of Forest Park.  The police swiftly activated a digital dragnet—a surveillance network that connects thousands…

Trump says Netflix will ‘pay the consequences’ if it doesn’t fire Susan Rice
Trump says Netflix will ‘pay the consequences’ if it doesn’t fire Susan Rice

Donald Trump threatened that there would be “consequences” for Netflix if it didn’t fire board member Susan Rice. Rice served in both the Obama and Biden administrations, and recently appeared on Preet Bharara’s podcast, where she said corporations that “take a knee to Trump” are going to be “caught with more than their pants down. […]

America desperately needs new privacy laws
America desperately needs new privacy laws

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the dire state of tech regulation, follow Adi Robertson. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started In 1973, long before the modern digital era, […]

This Fintech Is Winning With Hispanic Immigrants. Now It Has To Survive Trump.

Común allows immigrants to open a free checking account online with a foreign ID and to send money to relatives back home at a reasonable cost.

Georgia says Elon Musk’s America PAC violated election law
Georgia says Elon Musk’s America PAC violated election law

For all his bluster about voter fraud, Elon Musk has been one of the most flagrant flouters of US election law. Now his America PAC has been slapped with a reprimand by the Georgia State Election Board for sending out pre-filled absentee ballot applications. State law prohibits anyone, other than an authorized relative, from sending […]