Image by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty / FuturismDevelopmentsThe Trump Administration's pick to run America's incredibly consequential Health and Human Services Department, Robert F. Jennedy Jr., declared during his contentious first confirmation hearing today that he was "raised at a time when there was no chronic disease epidemic."It's a claim as sweeping as it is idiotic.Kennedy is 71 years old, born in the year 1954, when the world was awash as it's always been in chronic diseases ranging from diabetes to arthritis to asthma, and far beyond (his uncle, former US president John F. Kennedy, suffered from a range of chronic conditions including Addison's disease.)The powerful Kennedy scion repeated versions of this claim throughout his failed presidential campaign; indeed, it's central to the "Make America Healthy Again" movement that Kennedy, a notorious conspiracy theorist whose various crusades against vaccines and modern healthcare systems has made him tens of millions of dollars, has become the leading figure of."Today, Americans' overall health is in a grievous condition," Kennedy added during today's hearing, adding later that "it's the human tragedy that moves us to care."To be clear, chronic disease is a major problem, and one that tons of American adults and children are suffering from. This a reality that actual medical and policy experts in the US are keenly aware of and one that's wildly complex. Processed foods, a key target of Kennedy's ire, are indeed bad for human health, and millions of Americans live in nutrition-poor food deserts; our deeply broken, impossible-to-navigate healthcare system regularly bankrupts people; toxic forever chemicals are in human lungs and newborn babies; industrialized farming is associated with elevated cancer risk for farm workers and consumers, according to the National Institutes of Health.In sum: pretty bad, especially considering that the US is the richest nation in the history of the world."The United States is the only industrialized country where we've been having rising mortality among working-age adults, and it really starts at age 15," James Perrin, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and former director of pediatrics at Mass General Hospital for Children, told The New York Times late last year."That's really scary, and it partly reflects that fact that we're producing lots of relatively unhealthy young Americans."That said, however, Kennedyfrequently overstates and exaggerates figures around chronic disease in young people in particular. And again, for a 71-year-old man to declare that day-to-day American health was overall betterwhen he was a kid is absurd.Before Medicare and Medicaid were signed into law in 1965, Americans, especially those in low-income families and areas, had extremely limited access to health care at all; as such, information about whatever chronic diseases they might have had just wouldn't have even been available. The first half of the 20th century also saw a heavy focus on containing and eradicating infectious diseases, like polio and measles, as opposed to chronic illness. And though public awareness about chronic disease gained ground in the latter half of the century largely due to breakthroughs in the fight against infectious illness we also developed significant advancements in diagnostic technology, tools, and guidelines, which have in turn allowed scientists to better track and diagnose chronic conditions (which impacts the kind of data we've been able to collect about them.)And by the way, if we're discussing the health landscape of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, we're talking about a moment in history before reckonings with various notorious toxins like lead and asbestos the former wasn't banned until 1978, and the latter in 1989 and when we were still subjecting American servicemembers to the horrors of chemical agents like Agent Orange and napalm.From smartphones to the staggering ubiquity of microplastics to a wealth inequality that limits access to quality healthcare and nutritious food, there's plenty that ails us in the modern world. But it's easy for Kennedy to say there wasn't an "epidemic" in chronic conditions during his youth, when both information and awareness were limited not to mention when his family's immense wealth could buy any health care they needed. Coming from an unqualified, pseudoscience-hawking, brain-wormed conspiracy theorist who consistently spouts corrosive nonsense about the very advancements that allowed the medical industry to focus on chronic conditions, it's especially rich."Anyone could stand up and say, 'We have a lot of chronic diseases. We need to look at it,'" the endocrinologist Jeffrey Flier, a former dean of Harvard Medical School who researches chronic illnesses like obesity and diabetes, told NPR this week. "The idea that he represents some new insight into the importance of that area and how we should be thinking about it is ludicrous."More on RFK Jr.: RFK Jr. Says Hell Send People Taking Adderall to Labor CampsShare This Article

TheGradientAll-Weather 120V Window Heat Pump I saw atCES 2025was blowing crisp, cool air onto the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, sitting on a makeshift window at a booth shared with the other home electrification companiesBioLiteand Copper.This isn't your dad's window air conditioner. That old thing couldn't keep you warm at all, much less when it's below zero outside. That's why Gradient's big window heat pump is so much larger -- and more expensive.Read more: Best of CES 2025 Winners, Awarded by CNET GroupRather than sitting inside the window and taking up all of the space, like most window units, the Gradient unit straddles the bottom of the window, with the outdoor and indoor units hanging below, like a horseback rider's legs dangling from the saddle. All the Best Home Tech Gadgets We Saw at CES 2025: Robot Maids, Fog Gardens and More See all photos A powerful heat pump for small spacesThe All-Weather model was designed to boost the heating performance of Gradient's primary model meant for moderate climates. The moderate climate model can keep a home warm when the mercury outside drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The All-Weather model, built to meet the needs of the New York City Housing Authority, is rated for weather down to minus-13 degrees.Gradient's heat pump can heat and cool up to 500 square feet, with 9,300 BTUs of cooling power and up to 9,000 BTUs for heating. But perhaps the coolest part is that this big device (it weighs 140 pounds) can run off a standard 120-volt outlet -- no electrical work needed. A Gradient rep told CNET by email you won't need to hire a professional to help install it. The All-Weather 120V Window Heat Pump can be installed on your own. Mist, Wi-Fi and more heat pump perksThe unit has some nifty features. The outdoor unit has a diffuser that turns any condensate into mist, meaning no water is pooling up underneath it or dripping onto the ground below. The heat pumps are Wi-Fi enabled and can be controlled either from the app or from a touch thermostat on the indoor unit.The heat pump also doesn't block the view of the window. Because it hangs below, you can still open and close the window, see outside and use the top of the heat pump as a small table surface.So far, Gradient's heat pumps have been mostly available only to specific buyers -- namely the New York City Housing Authority. But company reps told me business customers can buy direct from Gradient. A few units were made available to individual consumers through a contractor in the the New York area, but those quantities were very limited, and the company mostly sells to businesses. A Gradient rep said the company believes that's the fastest way to scale up electrification, and it means you might see these heat pumps in businesses, schools or multifamily housing.The All-Weather model has an MSRP of $3,800 -- a lot more than your typical window AC, but for something with a lot more capability. And because it doesn't require any permitting, ductwork or electrical work, expect the installation cost to be a lot smaller than other ways to heat and cool your home.Correction, Jan. 29: Updated to clarify that direct-to-consumer sales are limited to one contractor. CES 2025: We Still See These 35 Products When We Close Our Eyes See all photos

Whether you're getting the freshest fruit and veggies delivered, shopping at the supermarket's organic section or handpicking peaches by the pound at the local farm, it all needs washing before you eat or cook with it.Between bacterial dangers like E.coli, salmonella and listeria, cross-contamination, other people's hands and the various chemicals left on veggies in the form of pesticides or protectants, no vegetable should avoid a trip to the sink before it enters your mouth. And yes, that includes organic because organic does not mean pesticide-free; it just means no toxic pesticides, a common misconception most grocery shoppers have.Before you get too worked up about pesticides in your produce, consider that theUS Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program(PDF) found over 99% of foods sampled measured residue levels that met the safety standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency, with 27% having no detectable pesticide residues at all. In short: Some residue is OK, and not all chemicals found on food are harmful -- you don't need to freak out over forgetting to wash a handful of fruits and veggies. For instance, a food-grade wax is sprayed on apples to replace the natural wax washed away during the post-harvest cleaning process. Trace amounts of pesticides typically won't impact your health significantly, but if you're worried about downing pesticides or other chemicals your food may have been exposed to, you might take a better-safe-than-sorry approach and wash your produce before eating.Some varieties are more prone to persistent particulates than others, and to help sort the dirtiest produce from the not-so-bad, the Environmental Working Group, a food safety nonprofit, publishes a list of produce most likely to contain pesticides. It's called The Dirty Dozen, and it's a cheat sheet of which fruits and vegetables you should always wash. Strawberries are the produce most likely to have pesticides, according to the study. Angela Lang/CNETThe group analyzed 47,510 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables, tested by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture.The No. 1 offender of pesticides in the group's latest study? Strawberries. The popular berries had more total instances of chemicals found on them than any other fruit or vegetable included in the sweeping analysis.Below you'll find the 12 foods most likely to contain pesticides -- and the 15 foods least likely to be tainted. The Dirty Dozen: The fruits and vegetables to always wash Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Foods most likely to contain pesticides, according to FDA and USDA data.StrawberriesSpinachKale, collard and mustard greensGrapesPeachesPearsNectarinesApplesBell and hot peppersCherriesBlueberriesGreen beans Strawberries, spinach and kale are foods you'd be wise to wash thoroughly before eating. Mitatzgrzkan/500px/Getty ImagesThe Dirty Dozen is a good indicator meant to alert consumers to the fruits and vegetables most in need of thorough washing. Even a quick rinse with water or a spritz ofproduce washhelps.You can also sidestep much of the potential risk by buyingcertified organic fruits and vegetablesthat are free from the use of farming pesticides. Knowing which foods are more likely to contain pesticides might help you decide where to spend that bit of extra money on organic. As I learned in ananalysis of organic and nonorganic prices, they aren't as expensive as you might think. It doesn't always make sense to splurge on organic produce. Jupiterimages/GettyMore takeaways from the Dirty Dozen studyMore than 95% of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines and grapes tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.A total of 209 different pesticides were found on Dirty Dozen items.Of those 209, over 50 different pesticides were detected on every type of crop on the list, except cherries.Kale, collard and mustard greens, as well as hot peppers and bell peppers, had the most pesticides detected of any crop -- 103 and 101 pesticides in total, respectively.Conversely, the EWG found these 15 fruits and vegetables Ieast likely to contain pesticides. Foods with naturally occurring protective skin are far less likely to contain potentially harmful pesticides. Westend 61/Getty ImagesThe Clean 15: Fruits and vegetables you can skip washingThese are the fruits and vegetables least likely to contain pesticides, according to the study:AvocadosSweet cornPineappleOnionsPapayaSweet peas (frozen)AsparagusHoneydew melonKiwiCabbageWatermelonMushroomsMangoesSweet PotatoesCarrotsThe Clean 15 were found to have the lowest levels of pesticide contamination across all of the tested samples, but that doesn't mean that they aren't contaminated by pesticides at all. It certainly doesn't mean that the fruits and veggies you're bringing home aren't contaminated with bacteria, either. You'd be statistically safer consuming unwashed food from the Clean 15 than the Dirty Dozen, but it's still a good rule of thumb to rinse all of your fruits and vegetables before eating them.EWG's methodology involves six measures of pesticide contamination. The analysis focuses on which fruits and vegetables are most likely to contain one or more pesticides but does not measure how much of any one pesticide is on a given piece of produce. You can read more on the EWG's Dirty Dozen in the published study here.Washing fruit and vegetables FAQs What were the results of Environmental Working Group's 2024 Shopper's Guide Dirty Dozen sample testing? Out of the analyzed tested samples, EWG found that 95% of the samples from the Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables category were coated in potentially harmful fungicides. On the other hand, nearly 65% of the samples from the Clean Fifteen fruits and vegetables category displayed no detectable amounts of fungicide. What pesticides were identified by the EWG? The EWG identified a number of pesticides during the analysis of tested samples, and the organization found that four of the five most common pesticides were potentially dangerous fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil.

January 29, 20255 min readRFK Jr., Confirmation Hearing Showed 5 Ways He Threatens PublicHealthFrom Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.s views on vaccines to Medicaid, here are some ways his nomination for head of the Department of Health and Human Services could have sweeping effects on health careBy Tanya Lewis edited by Lauren J. YoungRobert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during his confirmation hearing on January 29, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty ImagesRobert F. Kennedy, Jr., faced a barrage of questions from U.S. senators today during his confirmation hearing for his nomination for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing focused on views Kennedy, an environmental lawyer with no medical training, has expressed on several important issues facing Americans public health today, including vaccines, chronic disease and federal health care programs such as Medicaid. Kennedys responses could reveal how he would lead the governments vast health and medical apparatus should he be confirmed.The hearing was a reminder of just how sprawling the Department of Health and Human Services is and just how far reaching the areas of health care that the secretary has their hand on, says Jason Schwartz, an associate professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health, who specializes in vaccines and vaccination policy. I was struck by, under questioning from both Republican and Democratic senators, the areas where theres clearly not a great deal of familiarity on Kennedys part regarding major components of the HHS portfolio.Kennedy has made unsupported and dangerous claims about fluoridation, raw milk and other topics. In the hearing, Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado also brought up Kennedys unsubstantiated past statement that Lyme disease was a bioweapon. Perhaps most notably, Kennedy has frequently promoted false or misleading claims about vaccines, though he tried to distance himself from some of them during todays hearing.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.As the [hearings] questions pointed out, theres been almost no one whos been a more expansive critic of vaccines in his work for such a long time, Schwartz says.Here are five takeaways from the hearing that reveal what Kennedys leadership of HHS might look like.VaccinesKennedy has a long record of antivaccine activism, despite the fact that his own children are vaccinated. He has falsely linked vaccines to autism and has benefitted financially from efforts to revoke the approval of certain vaccines. Despite this history, Kennedy stated in the hearing that he is not antivaccine but rather prosafety. Democratic senators begged to differ. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon pointed to Kennedys visit to Samoa in 2019, which occurred months before a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, many of them children. Vaccination rates were already low following a tragic incident the previous year, when two nurses accidentally administered combined the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella with a muscle relaxant, leading to the deaths of two children. Kennedy met with antivaccine advocates during his visit and later wrote a letter to the countrys prime minister inaccurately suggestion that a defective vaccine could have caused the infections. In the confirmation hearing Kennedy denied responsibility for any role in the deadly outbreak, however.During the COVID pandemic, Kennedy sought to revoke the approval of the lifesaving COVID vaccines just six months after their rollout. In the hearing, he said he was against the vaccines use in six-year old children and cited a misleading claim that that age group does not get severely ill from COVID. Yet health experts acknowledge the vaccines likely saved millions of lives, including childrens.The data clearly show that there has been plenty of risk of COVID in young children, and while its not as common a cause of serious illness or death as it is in older individuals, no one would argue that it isnt still a significant health concern, and theres a very good reason to continue to recommend vaccination in young children, Schwartz says.MedicaidDuring the hearing, Kennedy was asked about his views on Medicaid, the government insurance program that supports nearly 80 million low-income Americans. (The program was plunged into uncertainty yesterday when the Trump administration announced a federal funding freeze that roughly coincided with the Medicaid portal temporarily going offline, which meant that people could not check enrollment status or submit claims.) Kennedy at times appeared to confuse Medicare and Medicaid in the hearing, Schwartz says; the nominee claimed that most people are dissatisfied with the latter program, despite clear evidence to the contrary. When questioned about whether he would cut Medicaid, he gave indirect answers stating he would follow President Donald Trumps desire to reform it.AbortionIn the past Kennedy has been supportive of abortion, but in recent months and during the hearing, he appears to have changed his position. When Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma questioned him about his views on abortion, he said that he agreed with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy and that 1.2 million abortions (the estimated number in the U.S. in 2023) is too many. He also said he supports Trumps view that states should decide on abortion access, yet like the president, he also opposes late-term abortions (which are almost always done for medical reasons) and supports so-called conscience exemptions (in which a provider can choose not to provide abortion care for religious reasons).Chronic DiseaseMuch of the Republicans questioning of Kennedy focused on his belief that the country is facing a chronic disease epidemic driven by obesity, unhealthy food and a broken health care system. Kennedy cited a slew of statistics about how rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and autoimmune illnesses, and autism have mushroomed, particularly in children. He has pointed to processed foods and food additives as major drivers of this trend. Some evidence has linked consumption of ultraprocessed foods to health harms, but its unclear what, if any, actions Kennedy would take as HHS secretary to combat it. President Trump has taken a deregulatory approach to government, so the idea of his administrations HHS regulating food companies or school lunches doesnt appear likely.Infectious DiseasesAs the hearing wrapped up, the questions turned to Kennedys previous statements about shifting HHSs priorities away from infectious diseases to chronic ones. He reportedly told an antivaccine conference in November 2023 that he would tell the National Institutes of Health to take a break from studying infectious diseases for the next eight years. When Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota asked, Do you intend to give research on bird flu a break?referring to a disease that has caused a widespread outbreak in U.S. cattle, infected 67 people in the country and killed oneKennedy demurred, saying he would continue to work to prevent pandemics. His previous record of opposing vaccines and other vital health measures suggest otherwise.Kennedys review for HHS secretary is expected to go before another congressional committee on Thursday. Senators also have a period to submit further questions to Kennedy before a final vote.Additional reporting by Lauren J. Young.

There are many reasons to be Googling Miami Airbnbs ahead of your next vacation (spring break, South Beach, and nonstop parties immediately come to mind), but the Magic City has many facets to its frenetic charm.Miami is also a hotbed for avant-garde fashion, design, and art, which is why people flock to the beach every year to navigate the crowds at Art Basel and Design Miami. History buffs can explore architecture from the 1920s at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, stroll the Deering Estate house museum, or study up on Miamis urban and environmental design at the Coral Gables Museum. Theres plenty of nightlife to speak of, too, but if youre aiming for something more low-key, catch a live performance at the Historic Miracle Theatre, or head over to ArtecHouseMiami to immerse yourself in interactive art.You could even devote a day or so to scouring the food scene, from a Cuban food tour of Little Havana to noshing at trendy spots like the playful, pastel-hued Casadonna or local favorites like the News Cafe, the historic restaurant where Gianni Versace used to venture to pick up his daily newspaper.No matter if youre traveling solo, with a partner, or with a group, there are countless Miami vacation rentals to set you up for an epic vacation to remember, whether you want to be somewhere along the stately avenues of Coral Gables or right in the heart of bustling downtown Miami. Here, nine of our favorite Miami Airbnbs for doing the most (or the least, if relaxation is key) on your visit.Courtesy of AirbnbSuite in Espaola WayIn the heart of South Beach and along the Spanish-influenced Espaola Way lies the peachy-hued Casa Victoria where you'll be posted during your sunny visit. The color palette continues indoors, where pops of orange and yellow complete the tropical vibe of your suite complete with a king-size bed and twin-size floor mattress (which rolls up if you're flying solo). The windows that wrap around your suite soak in lots of sunlight and views of the picturesque surroundings, but one of the biggest perks of your temporary home are the light-blocking curtains which gently diffuse all that light when youre sleeping off your hangover from the night before.BOOK NOWCourtesy of Airbnb

Website blocking Democrat teams up with movie industry to propose website-blocking law Proposed US law slammed as "censorious" and an "Internet kill switch." Jon Brodkin Jan 29, 2025 5:45 pm | 43 Credit: Getty Images | Yuichiro Chino Credit: Getty Images | Yuichiro Chino Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreUS Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) today proposed a law that would let copyright owners obtain court orders requiring Internet service providers to block access to foreign piracy websites. The bill would also force DNS providers to block sites.Lofgren said in a press release that she "work[ed] for over a year with the tech, film, and television industries" on "a proposal that has a remedy for copyright infringers located overseas that does not disrupt the free Internet except for the infringers." Lofgren said she plans to work with Republican leaders to enact the bill.Lofgren's press release includes a quote from Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). As we've previously written, the MPA has been urging Congress to pass a site-blocking law."More than 55 nations around the world, including democracies such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, have put in place tools similar to those proposed by Rep. Lofgren, and they have successfully reduced piracy's harms while protecting consumer access to legal content," Rivkin was quoted as saying in Lofgren's press release today.Lofgren is the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a member of the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet.Bill called censorious site-blocking measureAlthough Lofgren said her proposed Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act "preserves the open Internet," consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge described the bill as a "censorious site-blocking" measure "that turns broadband providers into copyright police at Americans' expense.""Rather than attacking the problem at its sourcebringing the people running overseas piracy websites to courtCongress and its allies in the entertainment industry has decided to build out a sweeping infrastructure for censorship," Public Knowledge Senior Policy Counsel Meredith Rose said. "Site-blocking orders force any service provider, from residential broadband providers to global DNS resolvers, to disrupt traffic from targeted websites accused of copyright infringement. More importantly, applying blocking orders to global DNS resolvers results in global blocks. This means that one court can cut off access to a website globally, based on one individual's filing and an expedited procedure. Blocking orders are incredibly powerful weapons, ripe for abuse, and we've seen the messy consequences of them being implemented in other countries."The Re:Create Coalition, which advocates for "balanced copyright" laws, said that Lofgren's bill "would give Big Content the Internet kill switch it has sought for decades."Lofgren's bill would impose site-blocking requirements on broadband providers with at least 100,000 subscribers and providers of public domain name resolution services with annual revenue of over $100 million. The bill has exemptions for VPN services and "similar services that encrypt and route user traffic through intermediary servers"; DNS providers that offer service "exclusively through encrypted DNS protocols"; and operators of premises that provide Internet access, like coffee shops, bookstores, airlines, and universities.Lofgren released a summary of the bill explaining how copyright owners can obtain blocking orders. "A copyright owner or exclusive licensee may file a petition in US District Court to obtain a preliminary order against a foreign website or online service engaging in copyright infringement," the summary said.For non-live content, the petition must show that "transmission of a work through a foreign website likely infringes exclusive rights under Section 106 [of US law] and is causing irreparable harm." For live events, a petition must show that "an imminent or ongoing unauthorized transmission of a live event is likely to infringe, and will cause irreparable harm."Blocking ordersThe proposed law says that after a preliminary order is issued, copyright owners would be able to obtain orders directing service providers "to take reasonable and technically feasible measures to prevent users of the service provided by the service provider from accessing the foreign website or online service identified in the order." Judges would not be permitted to "prescribe any specific technical measures" for blocking and may not require any action that would prevent Internet users from using virtual private networks.Lofgren's summary said a court could issue a preliminary order if the following requirements are met:The foreign website or online service is identified by domain name, IP address, or similar identifier.The petitioner has attempted to serve notice to the website's operator.The petitioner has notified service providers that facilitate access to the infringing website.The operator is outside the US or cannot be determined to be within the USThe website is primarily designed for infringement, has no commercially significant purpose other than infringement, or is intentionally marketed for infringing use.The petitioner has attested under penalty of perjury to the accuracy of its claims and has a substantial interest in enforcing its rights.The operator of a foreign website or online service would have 30 days to appear in court and contest a preliminary order.Lofgren: Bill respects First AmendmentLofgren argues that foreign piracy websites "present a massive and growing threatcosting American jobs, harming the creative community, and exposing consumers to dangerous security risks." She says her bill "is a smart, targeted approach that focuses on safety and intellectual property, while simultaneously upholding due process, respecting free speech, and ensuring enforcement is narrowly focused on the actual problem at hand."In addition to the MPA, Lofgren's office said the bill also has support from the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Authors Guild, the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Copyright Alliance, and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).Lofgren's press release argues that the bill respects the First Amendment because "every blocking order must go through a US court, requiring clear evidence, due process, and judicial oversight to ensure fair enforcement and prevent censorship." By targeting only foreign piracy sites, it "ensures that lawful US platforms, mixed-use sites, and independent creators remain unaffected," the press release said.Public Knowledge said the bill would give copyright holders too much power. "The entertainment industry already has unprecedented power to control Americans' access to the Internet; they have the legal authority to force Internet service providers to disconnect subscribers based on mere accusations of copyright infringement," Rose said.Rose was referring to lawsuits filed by copyright holders alleging that ISPs haven't adequately fought piracy on their networks and failed to terminate repeat infringers. ISPs have fought the lawsuits, telling the Supreme Court that they shouldn't have to aggressively police copyright infringement on broadband networks. ISPs also say that the mass terminations of Internet users demanded by record labels would hurt people "who did not infringe and may have no connection to the infringer."Jon BrodkinSenior IT ReporterJon BrodkinSenior IT Reporter Jon is a Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica. He covers the telecom industry, Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, broadband consumer affairs, court cases, and government regulation of the tech industry. 43 Comments

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Update: The release has been delayed.Following successful funding on Kickstarter, the turn-based tactical strategy game Warside has finally locked in a release date. It will launch for Switch and multiple other platforms on 28th January 2025.In case you missed our existing coverage of this one, as you can see, it's heavily inspired by a certain Nintendo series. The developer previously mentioned how it felt it could "evolve" the genre and was happy to cite not only Advance Wars but also series like Wargroove and Into The Breach as inspirations.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI as part of a broader partnership that could see the Japanese conglomerate spend more than $40 billion on AI initiatives with the Microsoft-backed startup, according to Financial Times.The potential investment would make SoftBank OpenAIs largest single backer, the report said, surpassing Microsoft, which first invested in the ChatGPT maker in 2019. The deal comes after both companies announced last week they would jointly invest $100 billion in Stargate, a U.S. data center project for OpenAI that could expand to $500 billion over four years.SoftBank plans to invest $15 billion to $25 billion directly into OpenAI in addition to its $15 billion Stargate commitment, the report said. OpenAI will invest around $15 billion in Stargate, with SoftBanks equity investment potentially covering OpenAIs infrastructure commitment.The talks come at a time when Chinese firm DeepSeeks release of its R1 reasoning model, which was built on a relatively modest budget, rattled public markets this week.The chip giant Nvidia lost as much as $589 billion in a day before making slight recovery, as investors worried that big investments in expensive AI hardware might not be necessary if companies could achieve similar results with fewer resources.OpenAI claimed earlier this week that it had found evidence that DeepSeek used OpenAIs proprietary models to train R1 and other models through a technique called distillation, which allows developers to achieve similar performance with smaller models at a much lower cost. The company says this would violate its terms of service, which prohibit using outputs to develop competing models.OpenAIs deal with SoftBank, which Financial Times says hasnt finalized, represents SoftBank founder Masayoshi Sons biggest bet since injecting $16 billion into WeWork. It would also reduce OpenAIs dependence on Microsoft for computing resources, with Microsoft recently agreeing to give up its position as OpenAIs exclusive cloud provider.Around 20% of Stargates funding is expected to be equity, with the remainder financed through debt secured against assets and cash flow, the report said. OpenAI, which reached a $157 billion valuation last year, is also negotiating to become a for-profit company to facilitate additional fundraising.

Heres what you need to know and do.dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesGoogles backtrack on its promise to kill tracking cookies last year created a huge furor. But all seems to have gone rather quiet since then. In the background, there are all kinds of standoffs as no one can agree on what should happen next. Meanwhile, Google has suddenly brought back digital fingerprinting for some added spice.But those devilish little cookies are still with us, and if youre one of Chromes 3 billion users, then theyre still following you around, reporting back to their ad-industry masters. There is no real clarity as yet as to what happens next, when it happens, and how the ad industry and Google and regulators will ever find common ground.The issue is that Google wants to offer an opt-in (or opt-out) for users to decide whether to enable tracking cookies on their browser. The industry fears a cataclysmic rejection akin to Apples opt-out, which caused chaos for all those tracking iPhone users. There is also the question as to what Google can use instead, given its account-based insight into all those users that is not as reliant on cookies.Cue DigiDays latest, of which it warns anyone waiting for Google to drop a game-changing cookie update can go ahead and breathe its not coming with this one.MORE FOR YOUBut what seems to have been decided is that the opt-in prompt will be global, which is the sledgehammer solution. Because when asked if they want to be tracked, the smart money is on most users saying no, I do not.Its hardly groundbreaking information, DigiDay says, but it does signal the direction things are heading: Web advertising is inching closer to the mobile app model, where consent-based prompts from Google and Apple already dictate privacy settings.And it seems that whatever happens will extend beyond cookies into tracking IP addresses as well, which you will only be able to hide when browsing incognito.This is all very high-level and has not yet provided enough substance for a backlash from anyone. But when the detail comes that will quickly change. How this is designed end executed will be critical. And all eyes will be on Google and any conflicts that might appear in how the new ad-industry order is being restructured.As DigiDay points out, after five years of investment into Googles promised cookie overhaul, ad execs are fed up with delays and half measures. Beneath it all, skepticism lingers: If consent collection drives the majority of Chrome users to opt out of third-party tracking, Google will still have access to user data at the transactional level thanks to its own walled garden.Google isnt saying much, other than to point out theres nothing really new here. But perhaps thats the point, weve seen all this before and yet here we all still are.Meanwhile, for those 3 billion Chrome users the promise is a one-click leave me alone button that will kill cookies. Better they had been killed for everyone all at once, but at least you can kill them for yourself, with that easy button when it comes.Quite what will be done instead remains to be seen.