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U.S.-China TikTok deal said to be nearing signature White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a TikTok deal is expected to be signed "in the coming days," after President Donald Trump posted that he had "approved the TikTok deal" following a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Chinese state media described the call differently, saying Beijing "respects the wishes of the company in question" and favors a market-based solution that complies with Chinese law. "We thank President Xi Jinping and President Donald J. Trump for their efforts to preserve TikTok in the United States. ByteDance will work in accordance with applicable laws to ensure TikTok remains available to American users through TikTok U.S." — ByteDance statement Leavitt said reported terms include: Majority ownership of the U.S. TikTok business by American…

xAI launches Grok 4 Fast — faster, cheaper unified reasoning model xAI has announced Grok 4 Fast, a new variant of its Grok 4 family optimized for speed and cost-efficiency. According to xAI, Grok 4 Fast delivers similar performance to Grok 4 while using roughly 40% fewer "thinking" tokens on average and reducing cost to achieve the same frontier-benchmark performance by about 98%. Key highlights Unified architecture: One model can operate in a deeper "reasoning" mode or a quicker "non-reasoning" mode via system prompts. Efficiency: ~40% fewer tokens used vs. Grok 4; xAI claims ~98% cost reduction to match Grok 4 on frontier benchmarks. Large context: Reported to support very large contexts (reports mention up to a 2M token context window). Benchmarks: Ranked #1 in LMArena's Search Arena and #8…

EPA scientists ordered to halt Office of Water publications — political review underway According to reporting, scientists in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water were instructed by political appointees to stop work on studies headed for publication because they will now be "subject to a new review process." Staffers reportedly learned of the order during a town-hall this week. The move could halt "millions" of dollars of research, one employee told reporters. Why this matters The Office of Water helps ensure the safety of the nation’s drinking water. Pausing or re-reviewing scientific publications can delay crucial public-health protections. This is the latest in a series of changes at the EPA, including proposed rollbacks on PFAS limits (keeping only PFOA and PFOS), thousands of layoffs, and plans to close the…

Subnautica 2 lawsuit takes an unexpected turn The legal battle between Unknown Worlds (developer of Subnautica) and parent company Krafton has shifted dramatically. Krafton told the court that "documents relating to the readiness of the game were irrelevant to the termination" of Unknown Worlds' leadership — a central point that previously helped trigger the dispute. Quick recap Unknown Worlds' developers argued Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access; Krafton disagreed and delayed release to 2026. The disagreement is tied to a reported $250 million performance bonus and the firing/replacement of Unknown Worlds' leadership. Fortis Advisors, representing the ousted founders, called Krafton’s new position a "seismic shift" in the case. Krafton now appears to be focusing on claims that Unknown Worlds' leadership "abandoned their post" and "deceived" the company. The case…

Lenovo cancels some Legion Go 2 preorders — what happened Lenovo has confirmed it is canceling some preorders for the Legion Go 2 that were placed directly on Lenovo.com. The company says demand “substantially exceeded our projections,” which led to unforeseen delivery range extensions and forced Lenovo to cancel some orders rather than hold customer payments for items it cannot ship in a timely manner. Who’s affected Customers who preordered directly on Lenovo.com may have their orders canceled and have reportedly seen ship‑date pushes (e.g., from September to October). Preorders placed through retail partners (Best Buy and similar) are reportedly not affected for now. Why it happened Lenovo says overwhelming demand exceeded projections, stretching its fulfillment windows. The company stated it will restock Lenovo.com and reopen ordering when inventory is…

Prime Day 2025 — Early Deals & Top Picks Prime Day returns October 7–8, 2025 — but you don’t have to wait. Amazon is already listing early Prime Day discounts. Below are the top deals and products we recommend checking now. Apple Mac mini (M4) — $499Compact desktop power with M4 chip and 16GB RAM in the base model.Check on Amazon Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M3) — $449M3 chip gives a solid speed boost over M2 — great balance of power and price.Check on Amazon Apple MagSafe Charger (25W, 2m) — $35Qi2.2-certified MagSafe puck with a long 2m cable.Check on Amazon Anker 622 5K Magnetic Power Bank — $28Thin magnetic battery with built-in stand for iPhone. 8BitDo Pro 2 Controller (with case) — $40Works with Switch 2, Steam Deck, Android;…

Apple 25W MagSafe Charger (2m) — Now $35 (29% off) Apple's 25W MagSafe Charger with a 2-meter integrated USB-C cable is on sale for $35 (about 29% off). This makes the 2m version currently cheaper than the 1m model, which is listing for around $39. Key details Price: $35 (sale) — usual Apple retail price around $49 Charging: Up to 25W when paired with a 30W USB-C power adapter (adapter sold separately) Compatibility: Wireless charging (Qi) for iPhone 8 and later; magnetic MagSafe alignment for iPhone 12 and newer Certifications: Qi2.2 certified; compatible with AirPods wireless charging cases Cable: Integrated 2-meter USB-C cable Where to buy / More info Official Apple product page (specs): Apple — MagSafe Charger (2 m) Retail options and price comparisons: Best Buy listing Search on…

Apple Music: 3 Months Free for New Family Plan Subscribers Apple Music is currently offering a 3-month free trial of its Family Plan for new subscribers who redeem the offer on eligible devices. That’s roughly $51 in savings vs. the regular $16.99/month rate over three months. What the Family Plan includes Up to 6 family members using Family Sharing Each member gets a personalized Apple ID-linked library, so individual recommendations and saved music stay separate Cross-device support — works best on Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac), with apps available for Android, Windows, and web All music available in high-quality audio, personalized playlists, and live radio stations Key terms Offer for new subscribers redeeming on eligible devices Auto-renews at $16.99/mo until cancelled Requires Family Sharing Terms apply — see Apple Support…

Weekly Indie Games Roundup — Early Access, Demos & Upcoming Gems Some of the year's biggest blockbusters are dropping, but there's a lot to love from the indie scene right now. Below is a concise roundup of showcases, new releases, demos and upcoming titles worth checking out. Showcases & Streams Critical Reflex, Game Devs of Color, Six One Indie and Convergence all had showcases this week — packed with neat oddities and multiple demos worth watching. Indie Fan Fest (The Mix & Digital Bandidos) is scheduled next Wednesday — more showcases to watch. Capcom stream on September 24 and growing PlayStation event rumors ahead of Tokyo Game Show. New & Notable Releases Ratatan — Rhythm-roguelike spiritual successor to Patapon. Steam Early Access now; launch price $24.99 with a 10% discount…

Trump Executive Order: $100,000/year H‑1B Fee and “Gold Card” Program President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that introduces a $100,000 annual fee for employers sponsoring new H‑1B visa hires—payable for each beneficiary for up to six years. The White House says the fee targets alleged abuses of the H‑1B program that have suppressed wages. The order reportedly applies to new outside‑the‑U.S. applicants and allows case‑by‑case exemptions for national‑interest cases. Key details H‑1B fee: $100,000 per year, per new H‑1B hire, up to six years. Applies to: Reportedly new applicants (lottery winners) coming from abroad; not stated to apply to extensions/transfers. Gold Card: New expedited immigrant visa program requiring large donations: $1M individual or $2M corporate (as described by the administration). Exemptions: The rule allows case‑by‑case national‑interest exemptions. Who…