A renewed push to impose a “billionaire tax” in California is sharpening a high-stakes debate over revenue, competitiveness, and enforcement in the nation’s largest state economy, with business leaders and tax policy critics warning that the proposal could trigger legal and administrative battles even before any new money is collected. The idea being discussed is…

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has issued a software recall after one of its robotaxis drove into an area of heavy smoke, raising fresh questions about how self-driving systems handle low-visibility and unusual roadway conditions. The recall addresses software used in Zoox’s self-driving vehicles. The company acted after a robotaxi became confused in heavy smoke…

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for broader international cooperation on artificial intelligence, saying the technology “should not be a solo performance by a single country,” according to multiple published reports. Xi’s remarks were delivered as he urged countries to increase global efforts to develop and govern AI, framing the technology as an area that should…

Columbus residents are facing worsening air quality as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued another statewide air quality advisory, with conditions expected to deteriorate into Friday. The advisory covers central Ohio, including the Columbus metro area, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to affect air across the state, according to recent reports from The Columbus…

European Union regulators have ordered Google to give rival AI assistant apps the same system-level access on Android that Google’s own Gemini receives, a move that would require changes to how AI tools can integrate with the operating system across Europe. The directive targets Android functionality that allows an assistant to work more deeply with…

Chinese startup Moonshot AI has unveiled a new artificial intelligence model under its Kimi brand that the company says performs competitively with leading systems from U.S. rivals including OpenAI and Anthropic. The model, referred to in recent coverage as Kimi and Kimi K3, was presented by Moonshot as a major step forward for the Beijing-based…

Senior officials in President Donald Trump’s orbit have escalated their rhetorical attacks on the political left, casting it as a threat to public order and national security and urging allies to confront what they describe as left-wing “political terrorism.” The push has been led by prominent Trump officials and advisers in a series of public…

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China must play a leading role in artificial intelligence, laying out a vision for the country to push ahead in AI development while urging broader cooperation on the technology’s future. Xi made the remarks in a major speech focused on AI, according to multiple published reports. In those accounts, he…

A man was arrested after allegedly entering an unauthorized area at NBC’s “Today” show studio in New York and confronting host Craig Melvin, according to multiple published reports. The intruder allegedly lunged at Melvin and yelled a racial slur before being taken into custody. The incident was reported as a security breach at the program’s…

Stocks slipped in Friday trading while oil prices climbed and remained on track for a weekly gain, as renewed hostilities in the Gulf raised concerns in global markets, according to Reuters. The pullback in equities was broad, with investors weighing the potential economic and corporate fallout from higher energy costs and the risk of further…

SpaceX called off a Starship test flight attempt after encountering an engine-start problem during the countdown, scrubbing the launch when some of the vehicle’s engines failed to ignite as planned. The scrub involved Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation, fully reusable rocket system being developed for missions to orbit and beyond. Multiple outlets described the attempt as Starship…

The United States has targeted Iranian bridges in an effort to disrupt key supply routes used by the Iranian regime, according to recent reports. The action centers on transportation infrastructure inside Iran, with particular attention on bridges that serve as connective chokepoints for moving goods and matériel. One report described U.S. strikes aimed at bridges…