The FCC has probably killed a plan to improve smart home security
The FCC has probably killed a plan to improve smart home security

The US Cyber Trust Mark Program, an Energy Star-style certification for smart home security, could be winding down less than a year after it launched. Safety testing company UL Solutions has announced that it is stepping down as the program’s lead administrator, just a few months after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began investigating it […]

Free speech’s great leap backwards
Free speech’s great leap backwards

In early December, Joshua Aaron, the developer behind the ICEBlock app – designed to let people alert others about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents – filed a federal lawsuit alleging his First Amendment rights were violated. The Department of Justice had urged Apple to remove Aaron’s app from its App Store, […]

Elon Musk’s Year Of Blunders, Bombs And Payday Bonanzas

From Trump frenemyship, the DOGE debacle, unmet self-driving car promises, chainsaws and “Mechahitler” to a $1 trillion pay deal, 2025 was the billionaire’s most chaotic and lucrative year.

Trump’s war on offshore wind faces another lawsuit
Trump’s war on offshore wind faces another lawsuit

Dominion Energy, an offshore wind developer and utility serving Virginia’s “data center alley,” filed suit against the Trump administration this week over its decision to pause federal leases for large offshore wind projects. The move puts a sudden stop to five wind farms already under construction, including Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The complaint […]

Trump’s war on offshore wind faces another lawsuit
Trump’s war on offshore wind faces another lawsuit

Dominion Energy, an offshore wind developer and utility serving Virginia’s “data center alley,” filed suit against the Trump administration this week over its decision to pause federal leases for large offshore wind projects. The move puts a sudden stop to five wind farms already under construction, including Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The complaint […]

Trump administration bars former EU official and anti-disinformation and hate researchers from US
Trump administration bars former EU official and anti-disinformation and hate researchers from US

On Tuesday, the Trump Administration followed through on a threat of retaliation targeting foreigners who are involved in content moderation. The State Department announced sanctions barring US access for former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, as well as four researchers, while issuing an intentionally chilling threat to others, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming, “The […]

Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law
Judge blocks Texas app store age verification law

A federal judge blocked a Texas law requiring mobile app stores to verify users’ ages from taking effect on January 1st. In an order granting a preliminary injunction on the Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420), Judge Robert Pitman wrote that the statute “is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to […]

DOJ appears to bungle Epstein Files redactions
DOJ appears to bungle Epstein Files redactions

The Justice Department has blamed its delayed release of some so-called Epstein files on needing more time to redact sensitive information, like details identifying the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But at least some of the redactions so far released appear to mistakenly disclose information meant to be obscured from the public. A […]

New York’s landmark AI safety bill was defanged — and universities were part of the push against it
New York’s landmark AI safety bill was defanged — and universities were part of the push against it

A group of tech companies and academic institutions spent tens of thousands of dollars in the past month – likely between $17,000 and $25,000 – on an ad campaign against New York’s landmark AI safety bill, which may have reached more than two million people, according to Meta’s Ad Library. The landmark bill is called […]

Memo To Trump: How To Boost The Economy In 2026

President Trump has told his economic team he wants ideas to gin up growth next year while keeping prices down. Here are some.