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5th Circuit Says Due Process Rights For Immigrants No Longer Exist In Its Jurisdiction

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from the supreme-court-jr dept

Trump and his supporters clearly believe migrants have no constitutional rights. But that’s simply not true. They have the same rights as citizens for one truly obvious reason: a government could choose to declare certain people non-citizens in order to strip them of their rights. That would be highly problematic in a nation that’s almost entirely the result of immigration, which is why courts have routinely held that non-citizens have the same rights as citizens while on US soil.

That’s still the case, for the most part. The Fifth Circuit — fulfilling its role as the preferred US Supreme Court understudy — has chosen to ignore literally hundreds of rulings in favor of due process rights for immigrants to decide those no longer exist in the states most migrants detained by the government get sent to before being removed from the country.

Last November, the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate due process rights had been rejected by more than 100 judges in more than 200 cases. A few months later — and with a full-press surge happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota — the number of rejections has spiked:

A POLITICO review of thousands of ICE detention cases found that at least 360 judges rejected the expanded detention strategy — in more than 3,000 cases — while just 27 backed it in about 130 cases.

While most of the mass deportation action is currently happening far north of the Fifth Circuit (which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas), arrested immigrants are often sent almost immediately to detention facilities closer to the southern US border. Texas is, by far, the most popular destination for ICE detainee flights.

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The Fifth Circuit waited around until late Friday night to release this decision [PDF], presumably in hopes of seeing the backlash subside a bit before the judges were due back at the office. Steve Vladeck covers all the angles in his post on this abhorrent ruling, starting with how this is an insane conclusion to reach given that 3,000 cases around the country have upheld the same rights the Fifth Circuit has chosen to deny to any migrant with the misfortune of finding themselves in its jurisdiction.

Well, late Friday night, in a ruling handed down just two days after oral argument, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit adopted the extreme minority view—holding that, yes, the government can indefinitely detain without bond millions of non-citizens who have been here for generations; who have never committed a crime; and who pose neither a risk of flight nor any threat to public safety. The Fifth Circuit’s opinion was written by Judge Edith Jones and joined in full by Judge Kyle Duncan—two of the most reactionary, right-wing federal appellate judges in the country…

The obvious upshot of this decision is that ICE et al will be rushing detainees to Texas ASAFP to take advantage of this ruling.

As Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from the American Immigration Council noted last night, the Fifth Circuit’s decision will “fuel ICE’s push to transfer people to Texas immediately,” and it will put “even more pressure on plaintiffs and district courts outside the 5th Circuit. Unless the habeas is filed before a person is transferred to the 5th Circuit, a person may remain locked in appalling conditions, never even allowed to ask for bond.” All of that can be traced to another procedural technicality—the principle that a district court gains jurisdiction over a habeas petition if, but only if, it is filed while the petitioner is physically in that court’s jurisdiction. In other words, to avoid being subject to the Fifth Circuit’s decision (while it remains on the books), detainees arrested elsewhere would have to have someone file on their behalf before they’re physically transferred into the Fifth Circuit.

There’s still a chance that people arrested in, say, Minneapolis, Minnesota might be able to avoid the Fifth Circuit’s refusal to recognize their due process rights. But the denial of due process rights begins immediately in most cases, with ICE officers refusing to allow detainees to contact family members, much less seek legal representation. If ICE can get them on a plane headed south before anything is filed in local courts, the Fifth Circuit’s ruling will override whatever rights migrants might have still had access to in the states they were removed from.

An appeal of this decision is already in process. And while it’s concerning that this particular iteration of the Supreme Court will be handling it, it’s not a foregone conclusion that it will convert the Fifth’s ruling into nationwide precedent. Even at its worst, the Supreme Court has rejected a handful of Fifth Circuit rulings that cross the line into an open embrace of violent fascism. On the other hand, this version of the Supreme Court is far more prone to deliver wordless rubber stamps of appellate decisions it likes, so some caution is warranted.

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This decision requires the most MAGA-coded judges in the Fifth to buy everything the Trump administration is selling. And what it’s selling is a brand new interpretation of the phrase “seeking admission.” Rather than limiting it to people crossing the border illegally, it applies this definition to any migrant who doesn’t have the proper paperwork, even if they arrived in this country decades ago.

The dissent, written by Judge Dana Douglas, makes it clear that this administration will do anything and everything that serves its racist desire to eject non-whites from the United States.

The Congress that passed IIRIRA (Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act [1996]) would be surprised to learn it had also required the detention without bond of two million people. For almost thirty years there was no sign anyone thought it had done so, and nothing in the congressional record or the history of the statute’s enforcement suggests that it did. Nonetheless, the government today asserts the authority and mandate to detain millions of noncitizens in the interior, some of them present here for decades, on the same terms as if they were apprehended at the border.

Do you want to be this shitty, Judge Douglas asks the judges who pretended this sort of thing is OK as long as it’s Trump doing it.

The majority stakes the largest detention initiative in American history on the possibility that “seeking admission” is like being an “applicant for admission,” in a statute that has never been applied in this way, based on little more than an apparent conviction that Congress must have wanted these noncitizens detained—some of them the spouses, mothers, fathers, and grandparents of American citizens. Straining at a gnat, the majority swallows a camel. I dissent.

Hopefully this ruling will be reset by the Supreme Court or an en banc rehearing. But for now, the law of the land in three states that are willing to house ICE detainees says due process rights are only available in the 47 states the Fifth Circuit doesn’t control.

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Filed Under: 14th amendment, 5th circuit, alien enemies act, due process, mass deportation, trump administration

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Tesla admits that remote humans can sometimes take control of its robotaxis

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The revelation comes from a March 26 response to Markey’s investigation into how autonomous vehicle companies use remote assistance operators.
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Bang & Olufsen Unveils Beolab 90 Zenith and Monarch Editions: Ultra-Luxury Anniversary Speakers Push Design and Price Into the Stratosphere

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To close out its 100th anniversary in appropriately over-the-top fashion, Bang & Olufsen has introduced the final two models in its five-part Beolab 90 Special Edition series: the Zenith and Monarch. They join the previously released Phantom, Mirage, and Titan variants, all built around the company’s flagship Beolab 90 loudspeaker, which remains in regular production. These aren’t incremental updates or lightly tweaked finishes.

They are ultra-limited, design-forward statements aimed at buyers who treat six-figure audio purchases the way most people treat a weekend Costco run. If you’re weighing one of these against a Bentley SUV and Porsche 911 Turbo on a random Monday and still have enough left over to feed an entire girls soccer team Chick-fil- A and imported herring, Bang & Olufsen knows exactly who you are and would like to have a word.  

Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen Founders
Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, Founders

Founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, the company didn’t just shape the look of modern audio gear—it built its reputation on turning serious engineering into functional art. A century later, Bang & Olufsen is marking the milestone the only way it knows how: by leaning harder into statement products that remind everyone why the brand still commands attention 100 years on.

The Original Beolab 90 

Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 (original)

The original Beolab 90 landed in 2015 as Bang & Olufsen’s 90th anniversary statement, and it wasn’t subtle. It hit like a controlled detonation. I was there for the debut, and the reaction hasn’t changed since: this thing is a brute, but a smart one. The engineering is serious, the power is borderline absurd, and the design doesn’t ask for your attention—it takes it. You don’t forget hearing a Beolab 90. Not the first time, not the tenth.

Each speaker packs 8,200 watts of built-in amplification driving 18 Scan-Speak drivers, powered by 14 ICEpower amps and four additional Class D units. It’s a ridiculous amount of hardware, housed inside an angular, multi-faceted enclosure that sits on a curved wooden base. The whole thing looks less like a loudspeaker and more like something pulled from a modern architecture exhibit.

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And it’s not just brute force. The Beolab 90 backs it up with real flexibility: extensive wired and wireless connectivity, including WiSA, plus a deep toolkit of calibration and room optimization technologies to shape how it performs in your space. This isn’t a flagship that leans on looks alone. It earns it.

Active Room Compensation: Adjusts for room acoustics, furniture placement, and speaker positioning to deliver a more precise soundstage with clearer spatial cues.

Beam Width Control: Lets you dial in how focused or wide the sound dispersion is, shifting from a tight sweet spot to broader room coverage for more relaxed listening.

Beam Direction Control: Enables selection of one of five acoustic “front” positions, allowing the system to redirect the primary listening focus based on your room layout.

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Active Bass Linearization (ABL): Dynamically manages bass output relative to volume and available power, enhancing low-end presence at lower levels while protecting the drivers from overload.

Now that the fundamentals of the Beolab 90 are clear, Bang & Olufsen is marking both its 100th anniversary and the speaker’s 10-year milestone with five limited releases: the Beolab 90 Titan Edition, Phantom (Shadow), Mirage, and the new Monarch and Zenith editions, all developed through B&O’s Atelier program.

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Beolab 90 Monarch Edition

beolab-90-monarch

The Beolab 90 Monarch Edition leans into textural sophistication and Danish furniture design heritage, but compared to its sibling, this is the “restrained” one—if anything in this price range can be called that. It’s still sculptural, still a little intimidating, but at least it doesn’t look like it’s about to wake up in the middle of the night and make a decision about your family or dog.

Wood in Motion: Angled and curved rosewood lamellas follow the contours of the aluminium cabinet, creating a 360-degree visual rhythm that nods to classic fabric covers while adding real texture and tactility.

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Dynamic Knots: Six wooden knots connect the lamellas, with the front knot incorporating a subtle light-through-wood stripe that adds depth without screaming for attention.

Architectural Flow: A rosewood top ring frames the speaker, while the lower base panels continue the lamella pattern, tying the entire structure together in a cohesive, sculptural form.

Material Dialogue: The interplay between rosewood and ochre-coloured aluminium feels deliberate and balanced, blending natural warmth with precision engineering.

Textured Acoustics: Semi-transparent fabric sections reveal glimpses of the drivers beneath, reinforcing that this is still a serious piece of audio equipment—just dressed like high-end furniture instead of a sci-fi prop.

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Beolab 90 Zenith Edition

beolab-90-zenith

The Beolab 90 Zenith Edition takes a very different path with less restraint, and more spectacle. It’s a study in textural precision and sculptural excess, the kind of design that makes you stop and wonder if it’s genius, madness, or both. We’re honestly torn. Is this Rick James with metal cornrows, or something a high priest would wear in Dune? Either way, subtlety didn’t get an invite.

Pearl Architecture: Six panels feature 289 anodized aluminium spheres each, arranged in seven pearl-inspired finishes that shimmer and shift with the light. It’s mesmerizing—and just a little confrontational.

Facemask Precision: The machined aluminium facemask is pearl blasted and anodized in dark grey, giving it an oyster shell vibe that feels both organic and slightly armored.

Top Lid Inlay: A circular mother-of-pearl inlay crowns the speaker, matching the sphere dimensions and adding a luminous focal point that draws your eye whether you want it to or not.

Sculptural Flow: Curved panels follow the cabinet’s contours, integrating the layered textures into the overall architectural form without completely taming the visual chaos.

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Material Harmony: Polished aluminium elements and semi-transparent fabric attempt to balance the design, blending acoustic function with a tactile, almost ceremonial aesthetic that you’re either going to admire—or quietly question.

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Specifications

Pro Tip: As of now, all Beolab 90 variants; including the Monarch, Zenith, Titan, Phantom (Shadow), and Mirage Editions, share the same internal architecture and specifications. If Bang & Olufsen indicates otherwise, we’ll update the chart accordingly.

beolab-90-anniversary-edition-loudspeakers
Bang & Olufsen Model Beolab 90
Product Type Wireless Powered Speaker
Price (pair) From $211,800 (base model) Special Editions priced higher – refer to Availability and Price section
Designer Noto GmbH
Construction Materials Aluminium Fabric Wood
Recommended Room Size 30-200 m²
300-2000 ft²
Driver Configuration (per speaker) 7 x 1″ Scan-Speak Illuminator tweeter
7 x 4 ½” Scan-Speak Illuminator mid-range
3 x 10″ Scan-Speak Discovery woofer
1 x 13″ Scan-Speak Revelator front woofer
Amplification (per speaker) 7 x Bang & Olufsen ICEpower AM300-X for tweeter
7 x Bang & Olufsen ICEpower AM300-X for mid-range
3 x Heliox AM1000-1 for woofer
1 x Heliox AM1000-1 for front woofer
Frequency Range <12 – >43,000 Hz
Maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) @1m 126 dB SPL
Bass Capability (per pair) 118 dB SPL
Advanced Sound Features Adaptive Bass Linearization
Advanced Active Room Compensation
Beam Direction Control (5 sides)
Beam Width Control
Thermal Protection Yes
Wireless Connections Wireless Power Link (24-bit/48kHz)
WiSA (24-bit/96kHz)
Physical Connections (Primary Speaker) 1 x RCA (L/R)
1 x MIC / IR
1 x Power Link (RJ45)
1 x S/P DIF (24 bit / 192 kHz) 
1 x XLR (L/R) (fully balanced)
1 x Optical (24 bit / 96 kHz) 
1 x USB-B (Audio) (24 bit / 192 kHz)
1 x USB-A
2 x Digital Power Link
1 x Digital Power Link / Ethernet
1 x Power
Physical Connections (Secondary Speaker) 1 x USB-B (Audio)
1 x USB-A
3 x Digital Power Link
1 x Power
Dimensions per speaker
(WxHxD)
73.5  x 125.3 x 74.7 cm
(28.94 x 49.33 x 29.41 inches)
Weight (per speaker) 137 kg / 302 lbs

The Bottom Line

Bang & Olufsen is not chasing volume here. The Monarch and Zenith editions exist to reinforce a point. The Beolab 90 remains one of the most technically ambitious loudspeakers ever built, and B&O can still wrap that engineering in designs that feel closer to gallery pieces than traditional hi-fi.

What is unique? The performance has not changed, and that is intentional. You still get the full Beolab 90 platform with 8,200 watts of amplification, beamforming, room compensation, and one of the most adaptable active speaker systems available. The premium is in the materials, finish, and exclusivity.

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What is great is that B&O left the core alone. The Beolab 90 remains a reference level system that can adapt to real rooms in ways most speakers at this level cannot. What is not so great is the price and the design risk. These sit in the middle of the six figure range, and the Zenith in particular will divide opinion and raise some questions from your therapist.

Who are these for? Not anyone chasing value. These are for buyers who want top tier performance and a visual statement that makes everything else in the room feel ordinary. In the context of ultra high-end Danish audio, that price almost feels reasonable when you look at what Børresen is asking for its top models.

beolab-90-zenith-monarch-loudspeakers
Beolab 90 Zenith Edition (left) | Monarch Edition (right)

Pricing & Availability

Following the debut of the Phantom (Shadow) and Mirage Editions at Bang & Olufsen’s San Francisco Culture Store in December 2025, the Beolab 90 Monarch and Zenith Editions are set to make their first public appearance at the same location before heading out on a global tour. Prospective buyers will have a chance to see them up close and hear them in a more controlled setting than the usual trade show chaos. Only 10 pairs of each edition will be produced, which tells you everything you need to know about who these are really for.

Each pair includes a certificate of authenticity, and buyers will also receive a miniature aluminum Beolab 90 sculpture in the matching finish, packaged in a custom aluminum case. It’s equal parts accessory and reminder that you didn’t just buy speakers, you bought into the mythology.

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U.S. pricing has not been officially confirmed, but estimates put both the Monarch and Zenith at around $520,000 per pair. In the UK, pricing is reported at £410,000, with EU pricing at €480,000 per pair. For context, the original Beolab 90 launched in 2015 at roughly $78,000, climbed to $135,000 in 2023, and now sits at $211,800 per pair in 2025. Inflation is one thing. This is something else entirely.

The Monarch and Zenith can be ordered from bang-olufsen.com.

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KitchenAid just added 3 smart new features to its iconic stand mixer

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KitchenAid is giving its classic stand mixer a thoughtful refresh, as the new Artisan Plus adds three practical upgrades aimed at making everyday baking a little smoother.

At the top of the list is a built-in LED bowl light, which automatically switches on when the tilt-head is lowered. It’s a small but useful addition, as it allows you to keep an eye on texture or consistency without stopping mid-mix.

In addition, KitchenAid has introduced precision speed control and a soft-start function. The latter gradually ramps up mixing speed to avoid the all-too-familiar flour explosion. At the same time, the refined controls give you a bit more accuracy when working with delicate ingredients.

Those changes build on what’s already a well-established formula. The Artisan Plus keeps the familiar tilt-head design but adds a double-flex edge beater that scrapes the bowl as it mixes. It also comes with a secure-fit pouring shield and stainless steel accessories, although existing attachments still work here too. As a result, long-time KitchenAid users won’t need to start from scratch.

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KitchenAid Artisan PlusKitchenAid Artisan Plus

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There’s also a bit more flexibility in how you use it day to day. The mixer offers 11 speeds, including a new half-fold setting designed for gently combining lighter mixtures, preventing you from knocking the air out of them.

Design-wise, KitchenAid hasn’t strayed far from what made the mixer iconic in the first place. You’ll still get that classic silhouette, now paired with 15 colour options including exclusive finishes like a fetching Sun Dried Tomato, Wild Blueberry and Feather Pink.

It’s a relatively modest update on paper, but that’s arguably the point. Rather than reinventing the mixer, KitchenAid is refining it, adding small, genuinely useful features while keeping the core experience intact.

The Artisan Plus Stand Mixer is available now for $600. This positions it as the brand’s most premium take on a design that’s already stood the test of time.

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Gmail finally lets you change your cringey old usernames

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Google is finally doing the thing Gmail users have been begging for years, which is letting them change the actual username in their Gmail address. This is no longer just an early rollout, as Google says the feature is now available for all Google Account users in the US. So it’s still a limited release, […]

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Volvo’s parent just revealed a $15,000 extended-range EV, and it shows how wide the US value gap has become

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Geely, the Chinese automotive giant that owns Volvo, has just unveiled the Boyue EREV in China with a limited-time price of 107,900 Yuan, or roughly about $14,900. This price is worth noting, considering it’s not a stripped-down city car, but an extended-range SUV. It further highlights the value gulf between China and the US looks even wider.

This isn’t some tiny -range compromise either. Geely says the Boyue EREV offers up to 375 km of CLTC electric range and as much as 1,525 km of combined range, depending on the variant. It uses a 1.5 liter range extender, a 160kW electric motor, and either a 28.3 kWh or 50.4 kWh LFP battery pack. The larger battery also supports 3C fast charging, which claims to hit 80% charge from 30% in just about 15 minutes.

What else does it offer?

The Boyue EREV also doesn’t cut corners for the price, offering a 14.6-inch central display, an 8.8-inch instrument cluster, Flyme Auto, and support for both Carlink and Huawei HiCar. Keeping up with other high-tech Chinese EVs, you also get 50W wireless charging, an optional 16-speaker audio, an optional HUD, and L2-level driver assistance. It is also a real family SUV too, measuring 4,680mm long with a 2,778mm wheelbase.

Why this is such a big deal

The bigger story here is not just Geely’s new SUV. It is what this kind of product says about the market split. Reuters reported earlier this week on Geely’s broader importance to Volvo as the Swedish brand navigates a tough car market. It also underlines just how central the Chinese parent has become. And despite US buyers wanting to buy Chinese EVs, they remain largely shut out of this kind of value.

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European Union wants to ban AI-created images and video in official messaging

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  • EU reckons it could assert trust and authenticity by removing AI-generated content
  • The bloc is also drafting a code of practice to protect citizens
  • Blocking AI altogether might not be the best move, though

The European Union is reportedly considering a ban on AI-generated images and videos – otherwise known as deepfakes – in official communications.

According to new Politico reporting, with ongoing geopolitical tensions rising, elections running their courses and further public announcements, it’s believed the focus would be to protect trust in government messaging.

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Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro review: a super thin slab with a glorious display

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro: Two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro is a laptop in the ultrabook class, featuring a sublime design that keeps bulk to a minimum.

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Google fixes fourth Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks in 2026

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Google Chrome

Google released emergency updates to fix another Chrome zero-day vulnerability exploited in attacks, marking the fourth such security flaw patched since the start of the year.

“Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2026-5281 exists in the wild,” Google said in a security advisory issued on Tuesday.

As detailed in the Chromium commit history, this vulnerability stems from a use-after-free weakness in Dawn, the underlying cross-platform implementation of the WebGPU standard used by the Chromium project.

Attackers can exploit this Dawn security flaw to trigger web browser crashes, data corruption, rendering issues, or other abnormal behavior.

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While Google has found evidence that threat actors were exploiting this zero-day flaw in the wild, it did not share details about these incidents.

“Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix. We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed,” the company noted.

Google Chrome 146.0.7680.178

​Google has now fixed the zero-day for users in the Stable Desktop channel, with new versions rolling out to Windows, macOS (146.0.7680.177/178), and Linux users (146.0.7680.177). While Google says that this out-of-band update could take days or weeks to reach all users, it was immediately available when BleepingComputer checked for updates today.

If you don’t want to update the browser manually, you can also have it check for updates at the next launch and install them automatically.

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This is the fourth actively exploited Chrome zero-day patched since the start of the year. The first (CVE-2026-2441) was an iterator invalidation bug in CSSFontFeatureValuesMap (Chrome’s implementation of CSS font feature values), which Google addressed in mid-February.

Google patched two other Chrome zero-day bugs exploited in attacks earlier this month: the first is an out-of-bounds write weakness in the Skia 2D graphics library (CVE-2026-3909), and the second is an inappropriate implementation vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine (CVE-2026-3910).

In 2025, Google fixed a total of eight zero-days exploited in the wild, many of which were discovered and reported by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which is known for tracking and identifying zero-day exploits used in spyware attacks.

Automated pentesting proves the path exists. BAS proves whether your controls stop it. Most teams run one without the other.

This whitepaper maps six validation surfaces, shows where coverage ends, and provides practitioners with three diagnostic questions for any tool evaluation.

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Startup Pitches ‘Brainless Clones’ To Serve the Role of Backup Human Bodies

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MIT Technology Review discovered that startup R3 Bio has pitched an ethically and scientifically explosive long-term vision beyond its public work on non-sentient monkey “organ sacks”: creating human “brainless clones” or replacement bodies for organs as part of an extreme life-extension agenda. From the report: Imagine it like this: a baby version of yourself with only enough of a brain structure to be alive in case you ever need a new kidney or liver. Or, alternatively, he has speculated, you might one day get your brain placed into a younger clone. That could be a way to gain a second lifespan through a still hypothetical procedure known as a body transplant.

The fuller context of R3’s proposals, as well as activities of another stealth startup with related goals, have not previously been reported. They’ve been kept secret by a circle of extreme life-extension proponents who fear that their plans for immortality could be derailed by clickbait headlines and public backlash. And that’s because the idea can sound like something straight from a creepy science fiction film. One person who heard R3’s clone presentation, and spoke on the condition of anonymity, was left reeling by its implications and shaken by [R3 founder John Schloendorn’s] enthusiastic delivery. The briefing, this person said, was like a “close encounter of the third kind” with “Dr. Strangelove.” […]

MIT Technology Review found no evidence that R3 has cloned anyone, or even any animal bigger than a rodent. What we did find were documents, additional meeting agendas, and other sources outlining a technical road map for what R3 called “body replacement cloning” in a 2023 letter to supporters. That road map involved improvements to the cloning process and genetic wiring diagrams for how to create animals without complete brains. A main purpose of the fundraising, investors say, was to support efforts to try these techniques in monkeys from a base in the Caribbean. That offered a path to a nearer-term business plan for more ethical medical experiments and toxicology testing — if the company could develop what it now calls monkey “organ sacks.” However, this work would clearly inform any possible human version.

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If TikTok doomscrolling wasn’t bad enough, it now serves an emoji game in DMs

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As if endless scrolling wasn’t bad enough already, TikTok has now quietly added a hidden emoji game inside DMs. The mini-game is live right now and works in both one-on-one messages and group chats. It means the app now has one more little trick to keep users hanging around even when they are technically done watching videos.

And honestly, it is exactly the kind of feature you would expect from a platform that has mastered years of mastering the art of making “just five more minutes” turn into an hour.

What’s the game, and why you should be wary

The game kicks off when you send a single emoji in a chat. If you tap on this emoji, your chosen emoji becomes part of the game itself, floating across the screen to give you a speed boost as you try to bounce upward across a stack of alligators.

The goal is to climb as high as possible while avoiding skeleton alligators, with some of these disappearing after one landing. So it’s all about quick reactions and enough chaos to make you give it another try. TikTok also shows both your score and your opponent’s high score in the top-right corner. So this basically turns it into a lightweight little competition instead of just a throwaway gimmick.

It is very on-brand

TikTok told TechCrunch that it launched the Easter egg to make messaging more fun and add a playful competitive element to DMs. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing something like this. Instagram added its own hidden emoji DM game two years ago, and Meta has also been experimenting with games inside Threads chats.

On paper, this is just a harmless little DM mini-game. But in practice, it is one more engagement hook dropped into a platform that was already very good at monopolizing attention.

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