Johnathan Smith

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said he is immediately moving medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, which includes drugs like ketamine, Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids.

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Hackpocalypse deferred

Anthropic's Mythos model is purportedly so good at finding vulnerabilities that the Claude-maker is afraid to make it available to the general public for fear that criminals will take advantage. But early analysis shows that Mythos may not be as dangerous as some would have you believe.…

The Justice Department alleges that the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

If you've been refreshing our front page today looking for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 "Dual Edition" review, I don't have good news for you: we won't be publishing a review, because we had no access to a review sample. AMD typically reaches out to us, offering to be part of the reviews, but not this time. So, after waiting for a few days, I reached out to them, because I would have loved to test this really interesting SKU, but I was told no samples were available for TechPowerUp.

We're not alone. As VideoCardz noted in their review roundup, Gamers Nexus reacted strongly after being denied a sample, ComputerBase, one of the top publications, was also denied, just like many others that you know for their deep, methodical testing—exactly the kind of reviews that dig into cache behavior, inter-CCD latency, power scaling, and per-game CCD parking quirks, which on a part like this are arguably the whole story.

Zuck reportedly needs to capture workers’ keystrokes to build AI

Meta, the company built on watching everything its billions of users do online so it can keep them clicking on ragebait and targeted ads, is reportedly now installing surveillance software on employees’ work computers.…

You know we've hit rock-bottom with memory affordability when ASRock innovates a new memory standard to lower prices. The new "HUDIMM," or half unbuffered DIMM, is an ASRock-innovated standard. It calls for UDIMMs with half a rank of memory, populating just one of the two 40-bit sub-channels. Such a DIMM would only offer half its bandwidth even at its rated memory clock, and of course half the density. The HUDIMM standard is targeted at entry-level builds and business desktops that just want a modern platform for everyday tasks, and something to tide over the DDR5 memory crunch. ASRock partnered with Team Group to manufacture the first HUDIMM memory modules, which it tested to work on its Intel 600-series, 700-series, and 800-series chipset motherboards. HUDIMM support probably requires some UEFI firmware-level awareness of the standard, and ASRock is expected to release firmware updates for the same.

Here's the fun part—ASRock made it possible for end-users to pair HUDIMMs with regular UDIMMs that have two 40-bit sub-channels; for example, pairing an 8 GB HUDIMM with a 16 GB UDIMM, to achieve asymmetric capacities such as 24 GB, and the bandwidth of at least 3 DDR5 sub-channels. ASRock also developed HSODIMM, which—you guessed it—is a DDR5 SO-DIMM with just one sub-channel. Team Group will manufacture these HSODIMMs, and ASRock's Deskmini series mini-PCs that are based on MoD (mobile on desktop) platforms, will implement support for them. ASRock is perfectly faced to address the client computing market during the DDR5 famine; besides the HUDIMM/HSODIMM innovation, the company is developing a new crop of Socket LGA1700 motherboards with both DDR4 and DDR5 memory slots.

SK hynix agreed last September to remove its previous bonus cap and allocate 10% of annual operating profit directly to employees as performance-based payouts.

Like the majority of the companies participating, it remains a mystery

Last week, Anthropic surprised the world by declaring that its latest model, Mythos, is so good at finding vulns that it would create chaos if released. Now, under the title of Project Glasswing, over 50 selected companies and orgs are allowed to test the hyped up LLM to find security holes in their own products. But just how many problems have they really discovered?…

Trade group warns onshoring demands will leave Americans stuck with older gear

The Global Electronics Association (GEA) warns that the US ban on foreign-made network routers is impractical because few are made domestically, leaving consumers with little choice and delaying access to next-gen products, just as Wi-Fi 7 adoption should be ramping up.…

Magyar ended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's 16-year grip on power in a landslide victory on Sunday. The former Orbán loyalist burst onto the scene as an opposition leader in 2024.

(Image credit: Attila Kisbenedek)

NVIDIA appears to have faced a sharp increase in warranty-related costs during 2025, with new figures indicating that the company paid out $894 million in warranty claims, up from $81 million in 2024.

FTC lawsuit lingers, while encouraging signs point to Iowa bill succeeding too

Agriculture manufacturing giant John Deere has agreed to a proposed $99 million settlement following a class action lawsuit in Illinois.…

Popular PC DIY enthusiast tools like CPU-Z and HWMonitor were briefly compromised during the night between April 9 and April 10. This left anyone who downloaded these tools from the CPUID website vulnerable to malware they thought was a normal software tool. What actually happened was that multiple users on Reddit noticed their downloads from CPUID for both CPU-Z and HWMonitor were flagged multiple times by Windows Defender for security concerns. During that night, users attempting to download these popular utilities found the website pointing to a different host where the modified .exe files were stored. After realizing what was happening, users started removing these compromised .exe files and waited for CPUID to issue a statement. One of the owners of CPUID published a statement on X, explaining that attackers had replaced the original download links with malware-infected file links, resulting in a widespread security vulnerability. Thankfully the website is now back up and safe to resume downloads.

Hi,
Investigations are still ongoing, but it appears that a secondary feature (basically a side API) was compromised for approximately six hours between April 9 and April 10, causing the main website to randomly display malicious links (our signed original files were not compromised). The breach was found and has since been fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience. I did my best to fix that mess as soon as possible :-/
Sam.

Microsoft's Copilot AI has generated significant negative sentiment among Windows 11 users, to the extent that even Microsoft has recognized the need to scale back some of the Copilot functionality it has long promoted. According to Windows Latest, Microsoft has updated core Windows applications such as Notepad and Snipping Tool. In March 2025, Microsoft added Copilot to Notepad, updating the note-taking application to integrate Copilot AI for rewrites, summaries, and other AI-related text features. However, as users grew weary of the persistent AI push, Microsoft put these integrations under review earlier this year. In response to strong backlash from the enthusiast community, Microsoft has removed the Copilot AI icon from the latest versions of Notepad and Snipping Tool, restoring them to their regular look. However, Microsoft now calls these Notepad features like rewrite and summarize as "Writing tools."

This change is a significant positive step by Microsoft. Additionally, the forced inclusion of the Copilot AI button in every application has been paused, as there has been minimal interest from users in utilizing these features. The TechPowerUp Forums have been a consistent source of criticism against Microsoft's forced AI integration, with a large community of PC enthusiasts opposing the "AI everywhere" approach. The Redmond-based company is also working on numerous performance, security, and other enhancements for Windows 11, and we are already beginning to see some of these changes. Considering that Microsoft has 80 Copilot apps and services, this is not a thing to take lightly.Below is the before and after comparison with the Copilot AI removed, courtesy of Windows Latest.

On Tuesday, Qualcomm lifts the embargo for their Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs, brace yourself.
Read more ▶

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The post Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Review Embargo Lifts Tomorrow Morning appeared first on Semiaccurate.

'Claude cannot be trusted to perform complex engineering tasks' according to GitHub ticket

If you've noticed Claude Code's performance degrading to the point where you find you don't trust it to handle complicated tasks anymore, you're not alone.…

YouTube's AI moderator acted on an errant DMCA takedown, affecting nearly every video that contained clips of the DLSS 5 trailer, including Nvidia's own YouTube video.

You could also put it this way: No sooner does Google introduce new open models than NVIDIA is right there with the right hardware platform ready to go. That’s exactly what’s happening now with Gemma 4. NVIDIA and Google have optimized the new Gemma 4 models for NVIDIA GPUs so they run not only in […]

Source

LinkedIn is understood to inject a JavaScript fingerprinting script on every page load that probes visitors' browsers for 6,236 installed Chrome extensions and collects detailed device telemetry.

The 13-year sales vet closed two deals worth $27 million, but ServiceNow has “nullified” his compensation saying he “overachieved” his quota.

ServiceNow is refusing to pay a salesman commissions on more than $27 million in sales, telling the 13-year veteran of the company that he "overperformed" his quota and insisting that instead he sign paperwork that retroactively reduces the commission amount, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the salesperson. ServiceNow has denied all his claims.…

Meanwhile, over in Israel...

One year ago, Israel was on the front pages every day, in large part because of all the protests over the war in Gaza. Because of the ceasefire, or because attention is on Iran, or because of... maybe some other reason, that's not true anymore.

Consequently, a decision just made by the Knesset is flying under the radar a bit. Yesterday, by a vote of 62-58, the members approved a measure backed by far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, by which that nation would resume capital punishment, but only for Palestinians who perpetrated attacks aimed at "ending Israel's existence." This represents a sea-change in Israeli law. In cases of murder, the death penalty had been abolished since 1954. The only person put to death by Israel since then was Adolf Eichmann, who was executed for crimes against humanity in 1962. Now, just like that, capital punishment is back.

Anyone who opposes the death penalty will find this distasteful. Making it worse, however, is that it is delimited by ethnicity. There have been claims that "Israel is the first state in history to legislate a death sentence that applies only to one ethnic group." That's probably not true—if you go far enough back, there must be examples of the Romans targeting one particular group, or maybe the Assyrians, or the Persians. Still, it's not common, particularly in the modern world. And it's definitely not a good look, especially since there's plenty of footage of Ben-Gvir and other members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit Party celebrating the vote with glasses of champagne.

We have pointed out many times, particularly in the context of Israel, that war is a continuation of politics by other means. That means that PR is most certainly a part of the equation, and an important part. And Israel, which is very dependent on support from Western nations, has a particular need to be careful about the image it puts forward. At the moment, because Donald Trump is the U.S. president, and because of the Iran War, the Israeli government has a hall pass to do pretty much whatever it wants. But they could be playing with fire.

It is very possible, maybe even likely, that the Israeli Supreme Court strikes down this new law. But if that does not happen, and if executions commence, that is going to be a very serious blow to Israel's public image. The European nations are already outraged about the new law, and have suggested that anyone who participates in carrying it out could be guilty of crimes against humanity, and could be arrested and put on trial if they move beyond Israel's borders.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump won't be president forever. Eventually, a Democrat will reclaim the Oval Office. And while that Democrat is not likely to be overtly hostile to Israel, they are very likely to answer to a voter base that has very mixed feelings about that nation. That future Democratic president is also going to be someone who was born well after World War II, and who answers to voters of similar age, and so is not likely to be nearly as in-touch with the sentiments that led to the creation of a Jewish nation in the first place. It is doubtful that this president would cut off Israel entirely, but lukewarm American support for that nation could be enough to put them in a precarious condition, particularly if the Iran War makes the Iranians behave in a more aggressive manner. In other words, one day, not too far off, that champagne that Ben-Gvir was drinking might just turn to vinegar.

And since this has inadvertently emerged as a running theme of today's posting, allow us to pose a question: Beyond being members of different Abrahamic traditions, is there really all that much difference between Pete Hegseth, Itamar Ben-Gvir and, say, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? At best, they embrace extremely violent, grossly corrupted versions of the religions they claim to profess. At worst, they don't really believe at all, and are merely using their religion as a cloak to advance their political agenda. If readers have comments—maybe we're right, maybe we're wrong—we welcome them at comments@electoral-vote.com. (Z)

The status of a decades-old bunker beneath the now-demolished East Wing is unclear, but the Trump administration has cited security concerns in its legal filings in favor of continuing construction.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

A month ago, Health Secretary Kennedy said his agency would soon give compounding pharmacies the greenlight to make the products, which have exploded in popularity despite a lack of data.

(Image credit: 5./15 WEST/iStockphoto)

On your Windows PC, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) uses Secure Boot certificates to ensure that only trusted software initiates the startup sequence. The certificates currently in use were originally issued in 2011 and are set to expire in late June 2026. To address this, Microsoft has been quietly rolling out updated certificates through Windows Update. Starting in April 2026, users can check their device's status via a new indicator in the Windows Security app. By navigating to Device security and then Secure Boot, a color-coded badge will show whether your device is fully updated, awaiting an update, or requires immediate attention.

The badge system is simple yet significant. A green checkmark indicates that the new certificates are installed and no further action is needed. A yellow caution badge, which will start appearing in May 2026, means the update is either pending or has been blocked by a hardware or firmware limitation. A red stop icon is the most serious state and could appear as early as June 2026, once older certificates start expiring. When this occurs, the device will no longer be able to receive critical boot-level security updates. The same status is reflected in the Windows Security system tray icon, so warnings are visible even when the app is closed.

The Dell XPS 14 achieved battery life that's nearly three times as long as the M5 MacBook Air thanks to its 120Hz VRR display that can go as low as 1Hz.

Conventional DRAM contract prices will rise 58% to 63% quarter-over-quarter in Q2 2026, while NAND Flash contract prices will jump 70% to 75% QoQ.

NVIDIA has introduced a new beta feature called Auto Shader Compilation, or ASC, through the latest NVIDIA App update, and it targets a familiar pain point in modern PC gaming: long initial loading phases and shader compilation stutter in DirectX 12 titles.

ICE at Airports Is on the Rocks

It is not clear why Donald Trump ordered ICE to invade airports. Was it because lines were horribly long and he felt he had to do something, anything, just to show he noticed it? Was it the dress rehearsal for invading the polling places in November to scare brown and Black voters away so they wouldn't vote? Was it just to show how manly and tough he is?

We don't know, but we do know two things. First it has been pointless, because the lines are just as long now with ICE as before ICE. Working at a security checkpoint requires detailed specialized training that ICE agents don't have. Yes, they can stand at an exit of the secured area and make sure nobody enters it that way, but the people who were guarding the exits weren't the highly trained people who look at x-rayed luggage. So replacing them with ICEmen doesn't actually reduce the lines at all.

Second, we know that travelers do not like or respect ICE or think their presence is a plus. Verasight ran a poll and asked about these things. Here is how various law enforcement agencies stack up on the question "How much do you trust each agency to act professionally and follow the law?":

What stands out is that ICE and CBP are widely distrusted, in a whole different ballpark than, say, the state police. More than half of Americans don't trust ICE to follow the law. While TSA is generally not loved, people do think that for the most part it follows the law.

The poll also asked if sending ICE to airports makes travel safer. More voted for less safe (39%) than more safe (30%). While they were at it, Verasight also asked about sending ground troops to Iran. And 72% oppose that. Among Democrats, that is 93%; among independents, it is 67% and among Republicans it is a small majority, at 51%. If Trump sends them in, his poll numbers will collapse. He may or may not be aware of that since everyone around him is careful not to tell him anything he might not like. (V)

NVIDIA is reportedly experiencing manufacturing issues with its next-generation "Rubin Ultra" GPU design, one of the company's most ambitious chip development projects, due to the limitations of modern packaging technology. The world's largest company is already shipping customer samples of the standard "Rubin" GPUs, with mass shipments set to begin this summer. However, the current roadmap for the upgraded "Rubin Ultra" design may be encountering technological limitations, as NVIDIA's design goals are too ambitious for TSMC's packaging capabilities. Reportedly, NVIDIA plans to double the regular "Rubin" two-die package with 8 HBM4 modules into a new "Rubin Ultra" package that will include four silicon dies and 16 HBM4E modules in a single package. This configuration is scheduled for 2027, but the sheer volume of silicon may be too much for TSMC's packaging, according to Global Semi Research.

In a typical CoWoS package, TSMC usually combines multiple smaller dies and multiple HBM memory modules into a unified package that supports the entire AI build-out. However, with the ambitious "Rubin Ultra" design, NVIDIA planned to use CoWoS-L, which was expected to handle the design and concept that "Rubin Ultra" was based on. It is rumored, however, that in a 2+2 die package—meaning four dies as in this architecture—TSMC is encountering warping issues. The package—which includes a substrate—is bending in multiple directions, causing the compute dies of "Rubin Ultra" to not make complete contact with the underlying substrate. This instability means that TSMC has to explore alternatives within its packaging portfolio. One of these alternatives is a panelized approach called CoPoS, which stands for Chip-on-Panel-on-Substrate.

Four Army officers were on track to become one-star generals, NPR confirms. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth's involvement in the promotion process is highly unusual.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)