Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican plan to expand private school vouchers nationwide was dealt a major setback Friday when the Senate parliamentarian said the proposal would run afoul of procedural rules.The years-in-the-making plan would have created a federal tax credit supporting scholarships to help families send their children to private schools or other options beyond their local public schools. But in an overnight announcement, the Senate parliamentarian advised against including the proposal in President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill.It added to mounting problems for Republicans as key proposals were deemed ineligible for the filibuster-proof reconciliation package. The parliamentarian’s…

A German data protection official has reported Chinese AI app DeepSeek to Apple and Google, saying the app transfers users’ information to China illegally. Meike Kamp, Berlin’s Commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, told the companies that DeepSeek did not provide “convincing evidence” that users’ data was protected as required by EU laws. “Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,” Kamp said, adding that the two tech firms must now review the report and decide whether to remove the app. Kamp said that her office had asked DeepSeek…

2025-06-27T12:05:01Z Share Facebook Email X LinkedIn Copy link lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Peter Thiel said there would be “total stagnation” in technological advances without AI. The billionaire investor told the “Interesting Times” podcast that there was nothing else “going on” in tech. Thiel wants to see more risk-taking in areas like travelling to Mars or curing dementia. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has said he…

Crossing Minds, a startup that provides AI recommendation systems to e-commerce businesses, said on Thursday that its team is joining OpenAI. The startup was backed by Index Ventures, Shopify, Plug and Play, and Radical Ventures, and had raised more than $13.5 million across multiple rounds, according to Crunchbase. Crossing Minds largely worked with e-commerce companies to improve their personalization and recommendation systems. The company claims it studies customers’ on-site behavior data to gather insights on their shopping preferences without compromising privacy. “Joining OpenAI allows us to bring our work — and our values — into a mission we deeply respect:…

Alongside bolstering its AI research talent pool, Meta seems to be keen to flesh out its consumer-facing AI features. The company is in discussions to acquire a voice cloning startup called Play AI, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources. The tech giant aims to buy the startup’s tech and bring on board some of its staff, the report said. Play AI lets anyone clone different kinds of voices that they can use for AI-powered use cases, such as customer service, per its website. The startup has raised $23.5 million in total, and its investors include 500 Startups, Kindred Ventures, Race Capital,…

By Robin Respaut and Maggie FickSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -In what she calls the “wild west” of obesity medicines, Missouri-based Amy Spencer is a pioneer.Each week the mother of two injects herself with weight-loss drugs, two of which are in clinical trials and not yet approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One comes mixed with tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.Spencer, 50, is not part of any drug trial but mixes the cocktails herself, using tiny doses that she believes are safe. The total cost is about $50 monthly, as little as one-tenth of what…

The US manufacturing sector has been in decline for years. President Donald Trump’s import tariffs are unlikely to fix it — but robots or AI could.In a note on Thursday, Goldman Sachs analysts said that what the economy needs is a technological makeover.”A pickup in the pace of innovation remains the catalyst most likely to reverse the long-run stagnation in manufacturing productivity,” the Goldman analysts wrote.The analysts wrote that while China’s rise in manufacturing hurt US factories, fading “easy gains” from the manufacturing of computers and electronics also played a role.While Trump’s tariffs could help boost productivity in domestic manufacturing,…

The video opens with Isaiah Granet hanging up a payphone in wine country in Napa, California. A vintage car shaped like a rotary telephone rolls into frame.It’s not a surrealist short or an art school final project. It’s a launch video for a startup.The classic “We’re excited to announce —” funding post is getting the TikTok treatment. Bland, an AI startup making phone agents, is one of an increasing number of tech startups — mostly led by Gen Z founders — that are swapping static social media posts for slick launch videos to promote their venture rounds.With media coverage harder…

In her late 20s, Johnna Byrd was stuck. She was living in Las Vegas, but didn’t have much desire to do anything other than lie in bed and scroll on her phone. Her life was mostly virtual, and when she did get out of the house, it was usually to pick up the cheapest, most convenient drive-through meal she could.Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and excess weight had always been problems for Byrd. She had gastric sleeve surgery in 2019, but her PCOS symptoms worsened again, and her weight eventually crept back up to more than 350 pounds.In August 2021, she…

LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third consecutive Wimbledon championship and put his career-best 18-match winning streak on the line by facing the volatile Fabio Fognini in the first round at Centre Court when the tournament begins Monday.The singles brackets for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament were set in Friday’s draw, including potential men’s quarterfinals of No. 1 Jannik Sinner against No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 4 Jack Draper against No. 6 Novak Djokovic — who has won seven of his 24 major trophies at the All England Club — No. 2 Alcaraz against No.…