Getting added to the wrong group chat is a common problem, but what if that group chat is describing an upcoming military strike? Thats what happened to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was added to a Signal group chat formed by high-ranking members of the Trump administration to discuss plans for military strikes on Yemen. As a result, he had the details of a bombing attack targeting the Houthis hours before it actually occurred on March 15th, facts later confirmed not only by the attacks going off on schedule but in comments from National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes, who said they are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.The 18 members of the chat named Houthi PC Small group appear to have included vice president JD Vance, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, and national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, all freely chatting with The Atlantics editor-in-chief listening in. Goldberg says hes unsure how he was added or how no one on the thread noticed his presence. Discussions of classified military plans are generally not supposed to take place on consumer messaging apps.Signals end-to-end encryption is intended to keep messages secure from snooping by outside parties, but if someones device is compromised or if the wrong person is on the other end of the conversation, its security features go out the window. According to national-security lawyers Goldberg consulted, the app isnt approved for sharing classified information, and the chat never shouldve been established in the first place. By discussing military activity on unapproved devices outside of secure facilities, they created the possibility that one of their devices could be lost or stolen, with all of the information exposed.After explosions were reported in Yemen, the group members exchanged celebratory emoji a flexed bicep, an American flag, and a fist bump. Goldberg even witnessed Vance saying I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. Vances spokesperson, William Martin, is quoted downplaying the comments, saying that The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement. Asked about the report and chat during a press conference Monday, Trump said, I dont know anything about it. You youre telling me about it for the first time.See More:

Connor Moucka, accused of stealing large amounts of customer data from companies that used Snowflakes cloud storage services, has agreed to be extradited to the US to face charges, Cyberscoop reports. Around 165 companies were affected by the Snowflake breaches, including AT&T and Ticketmaster.Alexander Connor Moucka, who was arrested in Canada on October 30th at the request of the US government, agreed to the extradition in writing before a judge in the Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener last Friday, waiving Canadas requirement for a 30-day waiting period.Moucka is facing 20 federal charges that include violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He and his alleged co-conspirator, John Binns, are accused of collecting around $2.5 million worth of ransom from victims.A US soldier was previously arrested in December in connection with the Snowflake breaches, and was reported by KrebsOnSecurity to have seemingly posted hacked call logs for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who were presidential candidates at the time.Last May, Ticketmasters parent company Live Nation, which used Snowflakes services, confirmed that the data of 560 million users were being sold on hacking websites. AT&T, Santander Bank, Advanced Auto Parts, and Lending Tree subsidiary Quote Wizard later also confirmed that millions of customers were affected by these breaches.

Deep learning architectures like CNNs and Transformers have significantly advanced biological sequence modeling by capturing local and long-range dependencies. However, their application in biological contexts is constrained by high computational demands and the need for large datasets. CNNs efficiently detect local sequence patterns with subquadratic scaling, whereas Transformers leverage self-attention to model global interactions but require quadratic scaling, making them computationally expensive. Hybrid models, such as Enformers, integrate CNNs and Transformers to balance local and international context modeling, but they still face scalability issues. Large-scale Transformer-based models, including AlphaFold2 and ESM3, have achieved breakthroughs in protein structure prediction and sequence-function modeling. Yet, their reliance on extensive parameter scaling limits their efficiency in biological systems where data availability is often restricted. This highlights the need for more computationally efficient approaches to model sequence-to-function relationships accurately.To overcome these challenges, epistasisthe interaction between mutations within a sequenceprovides a structured mathematical framework for biological sequence modeling. Multilinear polynomials can represent these interactions, offering a principled way to understand sequence-function relationships. State space models (SSMs) naturally align with this polynomial structure, using hidden dimensions to approximate epistatic effects. Unlike Transformers, SSMs utilize Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) convolutions to model global dependencies efficiently while maintaining subquadratic scaling. Additionally, integrating gated depthwise convolutions enhances local feature extraction and expressivity through adaptive feature selection. This hybrid approach balances computational efficiency with interpretability, making it a promising alternative to Transformer-based architectures for biological sequence modeling.Researchers from institutions, including MIT, Harvard, and Carnegie Mellon, introduce Lyra, a subquadratic sequence modeling architecture designed for biological applications. Lyra integrates SSMs to capture long-range dependencies with projected gated convolutions for local feature extraction, enabling efficient O(N log N) scaling. It effectively models epistatic interactions and achieves state-of-the-art performance across over 100 biological tasks, including protein fitness prediction, RNA function analysis, and CRISPR guide design. Lyra operates with significantly fewer parametersup to 120,000 times smaller than existing modelswhile being 64.18 times faster in inference, democratizing access to advanced biological sequence modeling.Lyra consists of two key components: Projected Gated Convolution (PGC) blocks and a state-space layer with depthwise convolution (S4D). With approximately 55,000 parameters, the model includes two PGC blocks for capturing local dependencies, followed by an S4D layer for modeling long-range interactions. PGC processes input sequences by projecting them to intermediate dimensions, applying depthwise 1D convolutions and linear projections, and recombining features through element-wise multiplication. S4D leverages diagonal state-space models to compute convolution kernels using matrices A, B, and C, efficiently capturing sequence-wide dependencies through weighted exponential terms and enhancing Lyras ability to model biological data effectively.Lyra is a sequence modeling architecture designed to capture local and long-range dependencies in biological sequences efficiently. It integrates PGCs for localized modeling and diagonalized S4D for global interactions. Lyra approximates complex epistatic interactions using polynomial expressivity, outperforming Transformer-based models in tasks like protein fitness landscape prediction and deep mutational scanning. It achieves state-of-the-art accuracy across various protein and nucleic acid modeling applications, including disorder prediction, mutation impact analysis, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase detection, while maintaining a significantly smaller parameter count and lower computational cost than existing large-scale models.In conclusion, Lyra introduces a subquadratic architecture for biological sequence modeling, leveraging SSMs to approximate multilinear polynomial functions efficiently. This enables superior modeling of epistatic interactions while significantly reducing computational demands. By integrating PGCs for local feature extraction, Lyra achieves state-of-the-art performance across over 100 biological tasks, including protein fitness prediction, RNA analysis, and CRISPR guide design. It outperforms large foundation models with far fewer parameters and faster inference, requiring only one or two GPUs for training within hours. Lyras efficiency democratizes access to advanced biological modeling with therapeutics, pathogen surveillance, and biomanufacturing applications.Check outthe Paper.All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,feel free to follow us onTwitterand dont forget to join our85k+ ML SubReddit. Sana HassanSana Hassan, a consulting intern at Marktechpost and dual-degree student at IIT Madras, is passionate about applying technology and AI to address real-world challenges. With a keen interest in solving practical problems, he brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of AI and real-life solutions.Sana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/Fin-R1: A Specialized Large Language Model for Financial Reasoning and Decision-MakingSana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/Microsoft AI Releases RD-Agent: An AI-Driven Tool for Performing R&D with LLM-based AgentsSana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/KBLAM: Efficient Knowledge Base Augmentation for Large Language Models Without Retrieval OverheadSana Hassanhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/sana-hassan/MemQ: Enhancing Knowledge Graph Question Answering with Memory-Augmented Query Reconstruction

For a limited time, Target is offering an outstanding deal on one of the best noise cancelling headphones. Right now you can get a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling wireless headphones for just $179.99 after you clip a 50% off Target Circle coupon (membership is free). This is the lowest price we've seen for this particular model and beats out last year's Black Friday price by $20. Sony's headphones are considered by many to be the best noise cancelling headphones out there, beating out stiff competition from other popular brands like Bose and Beats.50% Off Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling HeadphonesThe Sony WH-1000XM4 isn't the newest model in its series - it's one generation behind the WH-1000XM5 - but headphone technology moves at a snail's pace. Even 5 years after its original launch, the WH-1000XM4 is still an excellent headphone that performs favorably compared to newer heavy hitters. It offers great sound quality, effective active noise cancellation, and comfortable ergonomics (arguably more comfortable than the WH-1000XM5). It features USB Type-C charging with up to 30 hours of battery life, Bluetooth Multipoint for simultaneous pairing with up to two devices, and a compact profile thanks to its foldable, swiveling design. You'd be hard pressed to find a better headphone under $200.Also consider the newer Sony WH-1000XM5 at AliExpressSony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling HeadphonesIf you want the current generation of Sony's headphones, then AliExpress is offering the imported Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless noise canceling headphones for only $225.18 after coupon code "IFP7FJZ" is applied.. This product is stocked in a US warehouse, so it ships free and arrives within 1-2 weeks. Imported models are brand new and retail packaged, however they carry an overseas warranty that won't be honored in the United States. AliExpress makes up for it with a 15-day free return policy and guarantees a refund if your order doesn't arrive within 20 days. Improvements over the WH-1000XM4 include better noise cancellation, better passive isolation, and sleeker aestheticsSony WH1000XM5 Review by Kevin Lee"The Sony WH-1000XM5 is the big upgrade weve been waiting for from Sonys flagship wireless headphones. The new design and AI makes the noise-canceling stronger while the ambient listening mode is splendidly natural. Audio quality is impeccable too whether you want to listen to intricate classical music or a rocking action movie, these headphones can do it all."Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

I made the switch from pad to leverless controllers for fighting games a little more than a year ago, and while it didnt magically transform me into a beastly fighting game god, it did help me overcome some personal plateaus. It helped me clean up my inputs in Street Fighter 6, leading to fewer accidental DPs (aka the Dragon Punch input motion) and more consistent instant-air divekicks, ultimately helping me get all the way up to Master Rank; and in Tekken 8 it improved my movement, helping me push through the purple ranks and finally reach blue.That was all with a standard 12 button leverless controller, and while I never thought that Id ever need more buttons, the Victrix Pro KO Leverless makes a compelling argument for it. And it's among the best options for fighting games.Victrix Pro KO - PhotosRight out of the box, the Victrix Pro KO makes the impression of an excellent leverless controller. Its a little bit bigger than the Razer Kitsune at 13.35 x 9.23 x 0.80, compared to the Kitsunes dimensions of 11.66 x 8.27 x 0.75, but still fits very snuggly in the laptop sleeve of my backpack, and has a very comfortable wrist slope to rest my hands on. The buttons themselves are fairly traditional 24mm arcade buttons, with a larger 30mm button for up or jump, and they all have a familiar clacky feel to them. Its all fully customizable too, so if you have your own buttons that youd prefer to use, theyre all easily swappable.All of the other features youd come to expect from a high quality leverless controller are accounted for as well: Theres a lock switch that prevents any of the top buttons from being pressed accidentally in a tournament style match where an accidental pause could lead to a disqualification; a switch on the side of the controller that lets you switch between PS5, PS4, or PC platforms; a headphone jack for patching sound through the controller; and a lock mechanism at the top to keep your USB-C plug from getting yanked out. All of these are great, necessary features for a modern day fighting game controller, whether its leverless or not, and the customizable lighting underneath the buttons is just extra icing on the cake.The Victrix Pro KO packs everything one might conceivably need out of a leverless fighting game controller.That said, those little LED rings on the bottom of the buttons do lead to slightly less pressable surface area on each button, which made them feel small in comparison to something like the Kitsune, despite the fact that both buttons are the same size. It wasnt a huge deal, and I eventually adjusted, but I still prefer the included buttons of the Kitsune a little bit better.But the real selling point of the Pro KO are the extra spots for four more buttons, and how easy it is to plop one or more of them on. Initially, the four extra buttons have covers on them to avoid you accidentally pressing a button you dont need. But when youre ready to add a new button, you just flip the four lock switches on the back of the controller, pop off the aluminum top, grab the included tweezers to remove the caps, and replace them with one of the four included spare switches, buttons, and LED rings. The extra buttons and caps can be stored right within the controller, and when youre done, its super easy to just pop the aluminum cover back on, move the switches back into the lock position, and youre ready to go.The extra buttons must be remapped in order for them to work properly, but thankfully this is easy on the controller itself by holding down the function button, pressing the spare button you wish to map, and then pressing the button you want to map it to. Theres also an app you can download that allows for deeper customization on PC. As for what you might actually use those extra buttons for, Ive found it to be extremely helpful in Street Fighter to have a button with a macro for pressing MP and MK at the same time, allowing me to do drive parries and drive rushes with the press of a single button, eliminating the need for me to shift both my index finger and thumb every time I want to hit that combo of buttons. Not to mention that it eliminates the possibility of pressing one button slightly before the other if both buttons need to be pressed at the same time.Looking to upgrade your audio game, too?Our Top PickSteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro WirelessMultiple connectivity options, including simultaneous listening on different devices, a hot-swappable battery, excellent sound, and hybrid active noise canceling make this a hard-to-top headset.Check out our roundup of the best gaming headsets!Its a lot of features crammed into a single leverless fighting game controller, and while it is pricey at $249.99, it does retail for $50 less than its most comparable competition: Both the Razer Kitsune and the Hitbox Ultra. All in all, if youre looking for a leverless fight controller, the Victrix Pro KO has just about everything youd want from one, along with very easily customizable buttons that dont even require a screwdriver, and four extra buttons that can be used to map macros and help you overcome your own personal fighting game plateaus.Purchasing GuideThe Victrix Pro KO is available for $249.99 from retailers such as Amazon or directly from Turtle Beach/PDP. Be sure you get the right model for your preferred platform, either PlayStation or Xbox (both of which work on PC).

Courtesy of Tess DonlevieEvery item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.As the weather gets warmer and the days longer, its no surprise that our attention naturally turns to spending more time outdoors. With new innovations in outdoor fabrics and furnishings, whats usable outdoors these days is just as beautiful and Insta-worthy as whats inside your home. When starting a room re-do, we believe its all about finding the right mix of textiles, upholstery, lighting, dcor and tabletop items, while crafting a mood and feeling that suits your taste and way of living. Creating a mood board and considering the way you live and how your space functions is a perfectly nice place to start. If youre a big family with kids running about, your outdoor space will likely look a bit different than that of your empty nester neighbors down the road. While you may be prioritizing custom, indestructible outdoor fabrics for your upholstery, those neighbors might be focused on creating an outdoor lounge and bar suitable for 20.Nailing a mood and scheme is one thing, knowing how and when to order is another skillset all together. New York City-based ELLE DCOR A-List interior designer Augusta Hoffman knows a thing or two about creating dreamy summer homes in short order. She says, We typically see very tight timelines for summer homes, as our clients are understandably eager to enjoy their new space as quickly as possible. Aside from the finishes and fixtures, Augusta recommends thinking about your rug sooner rather than later and remarks, I have an affinity for custom cut rugs, surged around the perimeter of a room. This takes proper planning and usually a long sampling process. Whether you have a sprawling country garden, petite city terrace or even a room with a gorgeous view, here is our guide to making sure your outdoor space is ready for summer.Step 1: Start with SeatingRH.comGet your orders in early for this new, versatile lounge chair designed by Belgian furniture designer Mathias De Ferm. Inspired by proportions found in nature, the distinctive handwoven rope is paired with sustainably sourced teak to create beautiful, inviting lines that also offer extreme durability. Striata Teak Lounge Chair, from $2,095, rh.com. Shop NowStep 2: Plant Bulbs NowAlex MandersWhether you have an enchanting estate or a simple city terrace, spring is the best time to get your cutting garden ripe and ready.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowBulb Plantersneeboer.com$154, sneeboer.com. Shop NowStriped Planterstarrdigital.com$595; bunnywilliamshome.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 3: Slipcover Itelitis.frThe right slipcover is a newlease on life. Plus, produce motifs are popping up everywhere, and this one feels particularly fresh. Faro Nossa fabric; elitis.fr. Shop NowStep 4: Light It Uphinkley.comCover your bases when setting the mood outside. Interior designer William Cullum of Elle Decor A-List firm Jayne Design Studio never forgets to include wiring for a choice of outdoor lighting in the overall plan. Chapel Hill hanging lantern, $699; hinkley.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading Beloweichholtz.comHurricane Festival S, $495; eichholtz.com. Shop Now vaughandesigns.comChartres wall lantern; vaughandesigns.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 5: Go Bigtuuci.comBe sure you keep the pool party going with gracious, extra-large outdoor daybeds made for you and your five closest friends; big, colorful graphic towels; and a giant umbrella so you can keep your cool in the shade. Ocean umbrella; tuuci.com. Shop Nowstore.moma.orgSun beach towel by Dusen Dusen, $85; store.moma.org. Shop Now Advertisement - Continue Reading Belowjanusetcie.comOsprey daybed, from $18,707; janusetcie.com. Shop NowStep 6: Cook En Plein AirBoffi.comOriginally designed in 1963 by Joe Colombo, this reissued outdoor kitchen uses new materials like marine plywood and Lasermat surfaces, which offer light and humidity resistance, for enhanced durability. Available in four new colors.Minikitchen; boffi.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 7: Be the Host with the Mostarilloom.comOne of the simplest ways to update your outdoor space is by refreshing your tableware and linens. Add bold, durable striped napkins and easy-to-clean resin flatware to your cart to avoid last-minute bother.Michelle napkin, $96 for set of 4; arilloom.com. Shop Nowgillesetboissier.comFeuille de Vigne large plate, $315; gillesetboissier.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading Belowalain-saint-joanis.comTonga flatware, $680 for 5-piece set; alain-saint-joanis.com. Shop Nowfermobusa.comAirloop round table, $585; fermobusa.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 8: The Final Hourjaysonhome.comThis French faux boisinspired bench is an ideal outdoor companion, and the perfect perch for extra guests. Best of all, it's available and ready to ship.Grove bench, $1,495; jaysonhome.com. Shop NowThis story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

A Bloomberg report last year revealed that Apple had been experimenting with the idea of building an Apple Watch SE made of plastic in an effort to cut costs. However, it seems that the company has now given up on changing the material of the entry-level Apple Watch, which, lets be honest, should always be metal.The controversial rumored plastic Apple Watch SEThe original report from July 2024 said that Apple wanted to change the aluminum shell of the Apple Watch SE in favor of hard plastic. With the change, the company wanted to reduce the production cost of the Apple Watch, which would either help Apple increase its profits or reduce the final price for consumers.Unsurprisingly, the idea was seen as quite controversial by many people. Some believed that a plastic Apple Watch would look too cheap, even by the standards of an SE product. On the other hand, some people argue that plastic would be a great material for parents who want to give their children an Apple Watch.The current Apple Watch SE, which is made of aluminum, costs $249 at Apple and you can find it for $169 on Amazon. Thats already an excellent deal for an Apple Watch made of metal. Personally, I dont think a price reduction is worth the switch from metal to plastic, even if Apple cut the price of the Apple Watch SE from $249 to $199.If we go back to 2013, when Apple introduced the iPhone 5c, many people didnt like the idea of having an iPhone made of plastic in an era when they were already used to having iPhones made of glass and metal. Apple has never made another iPhone out of plastic.I get the argument of an Apple Watch for kids, but the Apple Watch SE isnt just about that. I know a lot of people who buy the Apple Watch SE because it looks like any other Apple Watch and has all the key watchOS features, but for a much lower price. Again, I dont think its a worthy trade-off.Luckily, Bloombergs Mark Gurman reported this week that Apple may have given up on changing the material. According to his sources, Apples design team doesnt like the look of a watch made of plastic, while the operations team concluded that using plastic wouldnt reduce costs considerably.But what about you? What are your thoughts on having an Apple Watch made of plastic? Let me know in the comments section below.Gadgets I recommend:Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Until recently, Apple TV+ was seen by many as the niche home of Ted Lasso. But a growing array of hits over the past year helped lead into Apples biggest success yet with Severances second season. Now, that hot streak looks set to continue with two new releases hitting Apple TV+ soon.Apple TV+ winning streak kicked off last summer and hasnt let up sinceApple TV+ has never found greater success than it has right now. And I dont just mean that because of Severance.Starting last summer, the streamer has been launching one strong TV debut after another.It started with Presumed Innocent, which found a lot of mainstream successno doubt thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal and its buzzy plot.Later in the summer, subscribers got to enjoy the delightful comedy Bad Monkey from Bill Lawrence and Vince Vaughn.Then in the fall, some of Apples best shows all got new seasons in quick succession. These included:Though it wasnt quite the hit Apple hoped, Disclaimer was still a noteworthy event series for the company.And all of this led up to Severance, Apples biggest triumph yet.Im now very excited to start Dope Thief, which just arrived on TV+ as an acclaimed new crime thriller starring Brian Tyree Henry.And somehow, Apples upcoming slate looks just as compelling.Two new Apple TV+ shows are getting very strong buzzIn mere days, Apple TV+ is debuting a new comedy from Seth Rogen titled The Studio.The first two episodes drop this Wednesday, March 26, and its hard to find another Apple TV+ show thats ever received as strong of critical acclaim.Here are some key quotes from reviews:Discussing Film: one of the best TV shows that can be found on streamingTIME: 2025s best new show to dateMetro: the best show of 2025The Hollywood Reporter: strong contender for the best new comedy of 2025For a while, The Studio had a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Its now down to a lowly98%.After this weeks premiere episodes arrive, there will be new episodes of The Studio every week through May 21.Then in just a few weeks, another potential standout series arrives.Your Friends & Neighbors stars Jon Hamm as a wealthy hedge fund manager whose luck turns bad. After his life quietly falls apart, he turns to a life of crime, stealing household possessions from his affluent neighbors.Apple TV+ already gave the show an early season 2 pickup, which is a great sign. But buzz from critics has been encouraging too.Reviews are still embargoed, but some strong early reactions have slipped through, like this one from Glamour:Having seen the first few episodes, its a mix of Big Little Lies meets Breaking Bad but with its own unique spin on class, money, and gender dynamicsYour Friends & Neighbors will be your must-see weekly binge of the spring.Your Friends & Neighbors debuts Friday, April 11 with its first two episodes, with weekly releases thereafter through May 30.Apple TV+ new releases: wrap-upApple TV+ still is no Netflix in terms of mainstream appeal, and its subscriber numbers are low compared to competitors. But over the past year, the streamer seems to have finally hit its stride in a big way. Severances widespread success is evidence of that, but with two more big releases coming soon, we could be looking at a new winning era for Apples TV efforts.Apple TV+ isavailable for $9.99 per monthand features hit TV shows and movies likeTed Lasso,Severance,The Morning Show,Silo, andShrinking. You can alsowatch free in several ways.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was accidentally added to a group text message between key national security advisers as they discussed an upcoming offensive strike in Yemen and nobody seemed to know he was there until after the bombs went off.In an editorial about the stunning breach,The Atlantic's EIC Jeffrey Goldberg explained that he thought he was being pranked earlier in March when he was added to a Signal chat titled "Houthi PC small group" that seemed to contain users with handles corresponding to vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and defense secretary Pete Hegseth.The debacle began on March 11 when Goldberg received a Signal message request from a "Michael Waltz," the name of Trump's national security adviser. The two had met before, but the Atlantic editor doubted the person who added him was the real Waltz because Trump has a personal beef with Goldberg.A few days later, the Houthi group chat was created. Along with Golberg, the Waltz account included users with handles related to Rubio, Vance, and Hegseth, as well as ones the editor took to be Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other cabinet officials. The "PC" in the chat's name seemed to reference the "principals committee," which is fed-speak for the most senior national security officials.In short, it seemed that the group chat Goldberg had been added to either was an unauthorized digital meeting place for the National Security Council or a very good attempt at faking it.Before his eyes, the nation's top national security advisers began discussing their various takes on whether the United States should bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen in retaliation for their piracy in the Suez Canal. Though Goldberg was still incredulous, he began to notice the messages in the spirited back-and-forth "sounded as if they were written by the people who purportedly sent them, or by a particularly adept AI text generator.""If it was a hoax," the Atlantic EIC wrote, "the quality of mimicry and the level of foreign-policy insight were impressive."The morning of the strikes, the Hegseth account sent a message that contained so much "operational detail" about the Yemen bombing campaign that Goldberg reckoned it "could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel" had it been viewed by an adversary instead of a perplexed journalist.Later that day, after the strikes went off and unofficial death counts began trickling in, Golberg was forced to admit to himself that the Signal group chat "was almost certainly real." He then was compelled to remove himself from it, which invariably triggered an announcement that his account, dubbed only "J G," had left the chat.When Goldberg contacted the affected parties to see what was up, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes admitted, incredibly, that what he'd sent "appears to be an authentic message chain.""We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain," Hughes said, before adding that the "thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials."Legal experts thatThe Atlantic spoke to, meanwhile, suggested that such classified information being shared on Signal, a non-authorized chat app, was bad enough between officials and that adding in a journalist made the entire thing tantamount to a leak.The whole thing is made even more extrardinary by Trump's harping, during the 2016 election, on his opponent Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server whereas his own top staff are now planning military operations on a private messaging app.Incredibly, Hegseth and the other people in the seemingly unofficial and unauthorized National Security Council meeting seemed to be aware that privacy was paramount. At one point, Hegseth even claimed, while Goldberg watched silently on his phone, that the mission was "currently clean on [operations security]."Share This Article

Image by Getty / FuturismGeneticsGenetics firm 23andMe, maker of the once-popular take-home DNA testing kits, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, casting a looming shadow over the extremely sensitive user data it's still storing on its servers.The company, which was founded almost two decades ago, has been in severely dire financial traits for years now, struggling to effectively monetize its service, which most customers will only buy once.Now, its cofounder and CEO Anne Wojcicki a die-hard for the company, who has made several takeover bids has resigned, leaving behind a shell of its former self.And that could spell a data privacy disaster of unprecedented proportions as 23andMe is more vulnerable than ever to being snatched up by another company along with its treasure chest of DNA data.In a "consumer alert" to California residents, the state's attorney general Rob Bonta implored them to invoke "their rights" and direct "23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company."As the Washington Post columnist Geoffrey Fowler points out in a helpful piece, it takes just a minute to delete your data from the website.Besides the threat of a takeover, consumer data could already be vulnerable to hacking. Case in point, the personal data of nearly seven million customers was exposed for a whopping five months in 2023, greatly undermining the company's reputation.Mass layoffs, including the resignations of most of its governing board, have left the company in tatters. Its share price has been turned into a penny stock, dropping well over 50 percent in value just today.23andMe maintains that everything is fine, promising that there will be no changes to how it manages and protects people's data, as CBS News reports.But that shouldn't dissuade users from deleting their data before it lands in the wrong hands. Besides, it's not just their own DNA that's at stake."If you gave your data to 23andMe, you also gave the genetic data of your parents, your siblings, your children, and even distant kin who did not consent to that," privacy expert Carissa Veliz told the BBC in November.In the meantime, Wojcicki is still hoping to pick up the pieces."While I am disappointed that we have come to this conclusion and my bid was rejected, I am supportive of the company and I intend to be a bidder," she tweeted on Monday. " I have resigned as CEO of the company so I can be in the best position to pursue the company as an independent bidder.""Our foundation was the trust and respect of our customers, and they were always the guiding light on how we made decisions," she added. "If I am fortunate enough to secure the companys assets through the restructuring process, I remain committed to our long-term vision of being a global leader in genetics and establishing genetics as a fundamental part of healthcare ecosystems worldwide."Share This Article