Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

BALTIMORE (AP) — The New York Mets consider Juan Soto to be a bona fide All-Star, despite the snub he received from those who selected the National League squad for the Midsummer Classic on July 15.Soto, in his first year with the Mets, has performed well enough to earn the respect of his manager and teammates. In their opinion, he’s deserving of a place in the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.“He’s an All-Star for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday night after the Mets beat Baltimore 7-6. “It’s frustrating, but I’m hoping in the next couple of days we…

LangChain, an AI infrastructure startup providing tools to build and monitor LLM-powered applications, is raising a new round of funding at an approximate $1 billion valuation led by IVP, according to three sources with knowledge of the deal.  LangChain began its life in late 2022 as an open-source project founded by Harrison Chase, who was then an engineer at machine learning startup Robust Intelligence. After generating significant developer interest, Chase transformed the project into a startup, securing a $10 million seed round from Benchmark in April 2023, That round was followed a week later by a $25 million Series A…

One month after its big WWDC event, Apple appears to be waffling about how glass-like its new “Liquid Glass” software aesthetic should be.Apple’s newest beta of its iOS 26 iPhone software frosts over much of the transparent design. In the test version of its forthcoming software, Apple increased the contrast between the front display and background items, also boldening the bubbles’ tints.The latest changes likely make iOS 26’s interface more readable — but some critics questioned if Apple was getting rid of what they felt was so innovative about the redesign it first showed off.Apple typically releases its new version…

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — João Pedro had just scored on a 20-yard curling shot in his first start for Chelsea, putting his team ahead in a Club World Cup semifinal less than a week after signing with the London power. He took two steps to start to celebrate and then he stopped.He clasped his hands.He muted his joy.He would not exhibit excessive exuberance against the team that developed him from a boy into a professional.“When I was young, I didn’t have nothing. They gave everything to me,” he said after his two goals lifted Chelsea over Fluminense 2-0 on…

An open letter voicing support for a Sequoia Capital partner is circulating online after the VC’s remarks about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani generated backlash.Sequoia Capital has faced pressure to act after its partner, Shaun Maguire, called Mamdani an “Islamist” — a remark Maguire has said was political, not religious or racial. An open letter signed by hundreds of self-identified founders, investors, and tech workers called on the VC firm to take disciplinary action on Maguire.Now, a letter of support is generating signatures of its own.”On July 4, Shaun published a post on X,” the letter reads. “Whether one…

Shaun Maguire, a partner at the blue-chip venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, is under fire for his comments about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — and his past remarks suggest he’s not afraid of controversy.In response to a New York Times story about Mamdani marking his ethnicity as both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 application to Columbia University, Maguire wrote on X that the candidate “comes from a culture that lies about everything.””It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda,” he said.The comments have ignited backlash from some in the…

As the Trump administration continues its push to undocumented immigrants, doctors are hearing that some patients are avoiding getting the health care they need over fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids could take place in medical settings.Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told “CBS Mornings Plus” on Tuesday that she has not seen any official ICE raids in hospitals, but that ICE agents have been seen in hospitals as well as other health care facilities.That’s because detention standards require that ICE detainees be provided medical services, including initial medical…

A new report estimates that AI will be a larger-than-ever part of the online shopping process during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, which began Tuesday morning. Amazon’s annual sale, which this year spans four days (July 8-11), is predicted to drive $23.8 billion in online spending across U.S. e-commerce retailers, as other businesses run their own competing sales alongside the popular shopping event. Adobe, whose e-commerce division regularly releases estimates for online shopping events like Black Friday and others, offers a view into online commerce by tracking transactions online. The firm’s analysis encompasses over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites,…

Private jets have begun buzzing above the cattle and potato farms of Sun Valley, Idaho, for the annual Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference.For more than four decades, the Tuesday after July 4 has marked the kickoff of the annual summit, which has become known as billionaire summer camp. What started out as a media-focused conference for a few dozen guests has since expanded to include hundreds from all corners of the business world.Between 160 and 190 aircraft — more than double the number of an average Tuesday — typically arrive at the Sun Valley Friedman Memorial Airport, shuttling CEOs…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, known more for delivering hard-hit homers than producing them in quantity, was added Tuesday to next week’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta.He is the fifth player named as a participant in Monday’s event at Truist Park, which hosts the All-Star Game a night later. Also competing are Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.“I’m really, really happy just because that’s what I do,” Cruz said ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Kansas City. “I like to hit balls far. I think I’m…