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YouTube TV vs. Fubo vs. Hulu Live vs. Sling and More: 100 Top Live TV Streaming Channels Compared

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Before you’re tempted to attach yourself to a cable subscription, maybe it’s time to consider a live TV streaming service and let the cord go. The number of packages available today — for every kind of budget — is on the rise; however, live TV streaming services allow you to avoid those annoying contracts. They also offer a variety of channels, DVR and the ability to stream sports and other content. Plus, most services let you watch on your laptop or phone.  

Monthly pricing and regional sports networks can make it a challenge when choosing a live TV streamer but six main services to consider (we’re not including smaller ones) are FuboPhiloSling TVDirecTVYouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV

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It really boils down to the channels, right? We’ve examined which platforms feature the most top 100 channels in their main lineups to help you determine which one is best for your household.

The Big Chart: Top 100 channels compared (updated Feb. 2026)

The main difference between the services lies in their channel selection. All of them offer different lineups of channels for various prices. 

Below, you’ll find a chart that shows the top 100 channels across all six services. Note that not every service has a worthy 100. There are actually seven listed because Sling TV has two “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And if you’re wondering, I chose which “top” channels made the cut. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Universal HD.

Fubo and NBCUniversal still have not resolved their carriage dispute, resulting in a gap in Fubo’s channel lineup but a drop in monthly subscription prices. DirecTV offers signature streaming packages, and its basic plan starts at $90 per month, plus fees (excluding promotional rates). With channel losses and price hikes, some of the services may seem less appealing.

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Sling TV has made some changes to its Blue package in 2026. The price is $46 a month if you don’t have any local stations but the price has increased by $4 for those who do. If you have one or two local networks, such as NBC or Fox, the monthly rate is $50. Customers with three or more local stations in their Sling Blue package now pay $55 per month. 

Philo offers a small roster but packages HBO Max, Discovery Plus and AMC Plus access with it at no extra charge. But costs continue to go up and those changes are reflected in the chart below where applicable. 

Some more stuff to know about the chart: 

  • Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier. That price is listed next to the service’s name.
  • No = The channel isn’t available at all on that service. 
  • $ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
  • Regional sports networks — local channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams — are not listed. DirecTV’s $130 tier has the most RSNs by far, but a few are available on other services. You can also check out its MySports package for $70 and Xfinity’s sports and news offering.
  • Local ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and The CW networks are not available in every city. Because the availability of these channels varies, you’ll want to check the service’s website to verify that it carries your local network.
  • Local PBS stations are only currently available on DirecTV, Hulu Live and YouTube TV. Again, you’ll want to check local availability.
  • Sling Blue subscribers in cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City pay extra for access to channels like NBC and ABC. Check Sling’s site to see which local channels are available in your area.
  • Fubo subscribers get an $11 price decrease on its Pro and Elite plans amid the NBCU carriage dispute, but you may find that the ACC Network and SEC Network are included with the TV package at no extra cost. Check availability for your state.
  • The chart columns are arranged in order of price, so if you can’t see everything you want, try scrolling right.
  • Overwhelmed? An easier-to-understand Google Spreadsheet is here.

Philo vs. Sling TV vs. Fubo vs. YouTube TV vs. DirecTV vs. Hulu: Top 100 channels compared

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Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) Fubo ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
Total channels: 43 24 34 39 78 56 75
ABC No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
CBS No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fox No No Yes (some markets) Yes Yes Yes Yes
NBC No No Yes (some markets0 No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
PBS No No No No Yes Yes Yes
CW No No No Yes Yes Yes (limited) Yes
MyNetworkTV No No No No Yes Yes Yes
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) Fubo ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
A&E Yes Yes Yes No No $ Yes
ACC Network No $ No Yes Yes $ Yes
Accuweather Yes No No Yes No Yes No
AMC Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Animal Planet Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes
BBC America Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
BBC World News Yes $ $ No Yes $ No
BET Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Big Ten Network No No $ Yes Yes $ Yes
Bloomberg TV No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Boomerang No $ $ No No Yes $
Bravo No No Yes No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) Fubo ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
Cartoon Network No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
CBS Sports Network No No No Yes Yes $ Yes
Cheddar Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cinemax No No No No $ $ $
CMT Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
CNBC No No $ No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
CNN No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Comedy Central Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cooking Channel Yes $ $ $ No $ $
Destination America Yes $ $ $ No $ $
Discovery Channel Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Disney Channel No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Disney Junior No $ No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Disney XD No $ No Yes Yes Yes Yes
E! No No Yes No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
ESPN No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
ESPN 2 No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
ESPNEWS No $ No $ Yes $ Yes
ESPNU No $ No $ Yes $ Yes
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) Fubo ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
Food Network Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Fox Business No No $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fox News No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
FS1 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
FS2 No No $ Yes Yes $ Yes
Freeform No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
FX No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
FX Movies No No $ $ Yes $ Yes
FXX No No $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
FYI Yes $ $ No No $ Yes
Golf Channel No No $ No (due to carriage dispute) Yes $ Yes
Hallmark Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
HBO/Max No No No No $ $ $
HGTV Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
History Yes Yes Yes No No $ Yes
HLN No $ Yes No Yes Yes Yes
IFC Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Investigation Discovery Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Lifetime Yes Yes Yes No No $ Yes
Lifetime Movie Network Yes $ $ No No $ Yes
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) FuboTV ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
Magnolia Network Yes $ $ No Yes $ Yes
MeTV Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
MGM+ $ $ $ No $ $ No
MLB Network No $ $ $ No $ Yes
Motor Trend Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
MSNBC No No Yes No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
MTV Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
MTV2 Yes $ $ $ Yes Yes $
National Geographic No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Nat Geo Wild No No $ $ Yes $ Yes
NBA TV No $ $ $ Yes $ No
NFL Network No No Yes Yes Yes $ Yes
NFL Red Zone No No $ $ $ No $
NHL Network No $ $ $ No $ No
Nickelodeon Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Nick Jr. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes $ Yes
Nicktoons Yes $ $ $ Yes $ $
OWN Yes No No No Yes $ Yes
Oxygen No No $ Yes Yes $ Yes
Paramount Network Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
Science Yes $ $ $ No $ $
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) FuboTV ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)
SEC Network No $ No $ Yes $ Yes
Showtime No $ $ $ $ $ $
Smithsonian Yes No No Yes Yes $ Yes
Starz $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Sundance TV Yes $ $ No Yes Yes No
Syfy No No Yes No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
Tastemade Yes $ $ Yes Yes $ No
TBS No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
TCM No $ $ No Yes $ Yes
TeenNick Yes $ $ $ Yes Yes $
Telemundo No No No Yes Yes $ Yes
Tennis Channel No $ $ $ No $ No
TLC Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
TNT No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Travel Channel Yes Yes Yes No Yes $ Yes
TruTV No $ Yes No Yes $ Yes
TV Land Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
USA Network No No Yes No (due to carriage dispute) Yes Yes Yes
VH1 Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes
Vice Yes Yes Yes No No $ Yes
WE tv Yes $ $ No Yes Yes No
Channel Philo ($33) Sling Orange ($46) Sling Blue ($46) FuboTV ($74) YouTube TV ($83) DirecTV ($90) Hulu with Live TV ($90)

James Martin/CNET

Hulu Plus Live TV, which includes access to Disney Plus, Hulu on-demand and ESPN Plus, is one of the most expensive platforms, now at $90 a month for its base package. Its channel selection isn’t as robust as YouTube TV, but Hulu’s significant catalog of on-demand content sets it apart. ABC shows like High Potential and exclusive titles such as Shōgun, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building give it a content advantage.

Live TV subscribers also receive unlimited DVR that includes fast-forwarding and on-demand playback — at no additional cost. It’s a move that has aligned Hulu with its competitors in terms of features but the channel lineup may still be a deciding factor. It’s pricier than YouTube TV, which has more channels, but the access to Disney Plus and ESPN may make it a more appealing choice for you. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.

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James Martin/CNET

Apart from its current carriage dispute with Disney, YouTube has an excellent channel selection, easy-to-use interface and best-in-class cloud DVR. Typically, the $83-per-month service is one of the best cable TV replacements. It offers a 4K upgrade add-on for an additional price, but the downside is that there isn’t much to watch at present unless you watch select channels. If you don’t mind paying a bit more than the Sling TVs of the world, or want to watch live NBA games, YouTube TV offers a high standard of live TV streaming. Read our YouTube TV review.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

If you want to save a little money and don’t mind missing out on local channels, Sling TV is the best of the budget services. Its Orange and Blue packages start at $46 per month, and you can combine them for a monthly rate of $61 (more in some regions). The Orange option nets you one stream, while Blue gives you three. It’s not as comprehensive or as easy to navigate as YouTube TV, but with a bit of work, including adding an antenna or an AirTV 2 DVR, it’s an unbeatable value. We’ll also add that the service offers local channels such as ABC and CBS in some regions, where the monthly rate is $50 or $55. Read our Sling TV review.

Zooey Liao/CNET
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DirecTV’s base signature streaming package costs more than all the other platforms on this list  except Hulu Plus Live TV, and its stiffest competition is still Hulu and YouTube TV. With its channel selection, it’s ideal for sports fans who want to watch local or national games. 

The service does have its benefits, though — for example, it includes the flipper-friendly ability to swipe left and right to change channels. Additionally, it includes some channels that some other services can’t, including nearly 250 PBS stations nationwide. The $90 Entertainment package may suit your needs with its 90-plus channels and the inclusion of ESPN Unlimited. But for cord-cutters who want to follow their local NBA or MLB team, DirecTV’s pricier Choice package is a more robust live TV streaming pick because it has access to more regional sports networks than the competition. Nonetheless, you’ll want to make sure your channel is included here and not available on one of our preferred picks before you pony up. Read our DirecTV streaming service review.

Ty Pendlebury/CNET
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There’s a lot to like about Fubo — it offers a wide selection of channels and its sports focus makes it especially attractive to soccer fans or NBA, NHL and MLB fans who live in an area served by one of Fubo’s RSNs. It’s also a great choice for NFL fans because it’s one of three services, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, that offer NFL Network and optional RedZone. The biggest hole in Fubo’s lineup is the lack of Warner Bros. Discovery networks, including Cartoon Network, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, TBS and TNT — especially as the latter two carry a lot of sports content, in particular MLB, NBA and NHL. Its current dispute with NBCU is causing more channel losses (no ABC, Bravo, etc.). Those missing channels, and the $74 price tag for the base plan, make it less attractive than YouTube TV for most viewers. Read our Fubo review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Philo’s Core plan is now $33 and includes the AMC Plus bundle and HBO Max at no extra cost, and it’s still a cheap live TV streaming service with a variety of channels. But it lacks sports channels, local stations and big-name news networks — although BBC News and Cheddar are available. Philo offers bread-and-butter cable staples like Comedy Central, Hallmark Channel and Nickelodeon, and specializes in lifestyle and reality programming. It’s also one of the most affordable live services that streams Paramount, home of Yellowstone, and includes a cloud DVR, as well as optional add-ons from Hallmark Plus and Starz. We think most people are better off paying a few bucks more for Sling TV’s superior service, but if Philo has every channel you want, it’s a decent deal. Read our Philo review.

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After Outages, Amazon To Make Senior Engineers Sign Off On AI-Assisted Changes

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: Amazon’s ecommerce business has summoned a large group of engineers to a meeting on Tuesday for a “deep dive” into a spate of outages, including incidents tied to the use of AI coding tools. The online retail giant said there had been a “trend of incidents” in recent months, characterized by a “high blast radius” and “Gen-AI assisted changes” among other factors, according to a briefing note for the meeting seen by the FT. Under “contributing factors” the note included “novel GenAI usage for which best practices and safeguards are not yet fully established.”

“Folks, as you likely know, the availability of the site and related infrastructure has not been good recently,” Dave Treadwell, a senior vice-president at the group, told employees in an email, also seen by the FT. The note ahead of Tuesday’s meeting did not specify which particular incidents the group planned to discuss. […] Treadwell, a former Microsoft engineering executive, told employees that Amazon would focus its weekly “This Week in Stores Tech” (TWiST) meeting on a “deep dive into some of the issues that got us here as well as some short immediate term initiatives” the group hopes will limit future outages.

He asked staff to attend the meeting, which is normally optional. Junior and mid-level engineers will now require more senior engineers to sign off any AI-assisted changes, Treadwell added. Amazon said the review of website availability was “part of normal business” and it aims for continual improvement. “TWiST is our regular weekly operations meeting with a specific group of retail technology leaders and teams where we review operational performance across our store,” the company said.

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Garmin and Peloton devices now properly sync in both directions, giving you a more accurate idea of your daily fitness

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  • Peloton activities can now be synced with the Garmin app
  • For months, you could only sync data the other way
  • That should give you a better understanding of your health and fitness

If you use both Garmin and Peloton devices during your fitness activities, we’ve got some good news: the two companies’ products now sync together in both directions. And this makes it far easier to log your workouts and keep track of your pursuits than before.

That means if you record a workout with one of the best Garmin watches, it’ll sync to the Peloton app. And if you log a session on a Peloton device, it’ll arrive in your Garmin app too. Whatever your equipment setup, the two systems should now communicate properly.

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Google brings Gemini in Chrome to India

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Google announced Wednesday that it is bringing Gemini integration for Chrome to new regions, including India, Canada, and New Zealand. The rollout will let users use Gemini in Chrome through a sidebar on desktop, enabling them to ask Google’s AI chatbot questions about the content on the screen, get information from their Gmail, Keep, Drive, and YouTube, and compare tab contents.

As part of the new rollout, Gemini will also support languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu, and Tamil, in addition to English and Chrome’s other newly supported languages.

Image Credits: Google

Google first introduced Gemini in Chrome in the U.S. through a floating window last September. The company introduced sidebar-based Gemini tools earlier this year.

Users who get access to this feature will see an “Ask Gemini” icon on the tab bar, which they can activate for any tab and ask questions, summarize content, or create a quiz to understand a topic. Google said that Gemini can also work across tabs. This means you can mention multiple tabs to get an answer, which is helpful when you are comparing items to shop for or tickets to buy for a trip.

Gemini can also connect with different tools, get your information, and give more personalized answers. It can connect to Gmail, Maps, Calendar, YouTube, and other Google apps for contextual answers, too. For instance, you can directly compose an email using Gemini in the sidebar on Chrome and send it to someone without leaving the window. You can also ask Gemini to summarize a YouTube video and list the main points alongside timestamp markers. The assistant can also schedule meetings or brief you about your day.

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Users can also use Google’s Nano Banana 2 generative AI tool directly in Gemini for Chrome to transform images. For instance, you can upload a photo of your room while buying furniture and ask the assistant to transform the image to see how an item would look in the room.

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Image Credits: Google

The company said that, along with desktop, it is also rolling out Gemini support in Chrome for iOS in India. When available, the option will show up in the address bar through a page tools icon.

Image Credits: Google

Google in January launched increased agentic capabilities, which can take over your browser and complete tasks on your behalf, for U.S.-based AI Pro and AI Ultra users. The company is keeping this function out of the latest expansion for users in India, New Zealand, and Canada.

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Nvidia GDC 2026 roundup: More path-traced games, DLSS 4.5 debut titles, and RTX mega foliage

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Users with high-refresh-rate monitors can participate in an opt-in beta for DLSS 6x multi-frame generation and dynamic mode starting March 31. The date lands slightly ahead of Nvidia’s previously stated April launch, which may be when the two features exit beta.
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Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro Compared: Key Differences Explained

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Nothing has announced two new mid-range smartphones, the Nothing Phone (4a) and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. The latest devices continue to follow the company’s design language, and the brand continues to shine in the competitive smartphone industry. Although the Pro version is similar to Phone (4a), it offers the following premium features: performance, design, and display. Below is a detailed comparison of the two versions in terms of design, display, camera, performance, and battery.

Price and Availability

The prices of the Nothing Phone (4a) and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro indicate the level of difference between the two devices in terms of features and upgrades. The standard Nothing Phone (4a) starts at ₹31,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant. The device also offers the option to purchase the upgraded 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB variants.

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro starts at ₹39,999 and offers the same internal memory options with some premium upgrades. The devices are set to go on sale starting March 13, 2026.

In terms of colours, the Phone (4a) will be available in black, white, blue, and pink, while the Pro model will come in black, silver, and pink.

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Design & Display

Nothing Phone 4a in different colors

Nothing continues to focus on its unique design language with both models. The devices feature the brand’s signature transparent back design, which highlights internal elements and gives the phones a distinctive appearance.

In the build department, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro leads the way with its aluminum unibody design, giving it a premium, robust look and feel. The Nothing Phone (4a), meanwhile, retains its transparent layered back panel so you can see the screws, compartments, and internal metalwork.

When it comes to the display, there are a couple of differences between the two devices. The Nothing Phone (4a) has a 6.78 inches AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has a slightly larger 6.83-inch AMOLED screen. It also has a higher peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits, compared to the 4,500 nits of the Nothing Phone (4a).

Cameras

Closeup of the cameras on the nothing phone 4a pro

The Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro have a decent camera setup that will surely satisfy photography enthusiasts. Both phones feature a 50MP primary camera with optical stabilization to keep your snaps locked in perfectly.

The Phone (4a) Pro takes it up a notch with its camera, which uses a Sony LYT700C 50MP sensor, along with a 50MP telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom and 140x digital zoom. The regular Phone (4a) also comes with telephoto capabilities, but it tops out at 70x digital zoom. Both phones also feature ultra-wide cameras and 32MP front-facing cameras for selfies and video calls.

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Processor & Battery

Different colors of the nothing phone 4a

Both Nothing phones get a midrange processor, but a slightly different one. The standard 4a houses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, while the bigger brother gets the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 for faster performance, thanks to higher clock speeds. After a bit of controversy last time, the brand has bundled UFS 3.1 storage.

Both phones have the same battery size: 5,400mAh, a slight increase over the previous generation. Both phones also feature 50W fast charging, which will help reduce charging time when you have access to a compatible charger. However, you should be able to enjoy all-day battery life with regular use, partly due to the battery size and partly to the hardware itself.

Which One Should You Choose?

If you are trying to decide between the two devices, the Nothing Phone (4a) offers great value for money. It delivers most of the key features, including the signature design, capable cameras, and smooth performance, while keeping the price relatively low.

The Phone (4a) Pro, on the other hand, targets users who want extra upgrades. With its premium metal build, improved performance, narrower bezels, and the advanced Glyph Matrix interface, it provides a more polished smartphone experience. Your final choice will largely depend on how much you are willing to spend.

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Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases

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The inspector general’s office of the Social Security Administration is investigating allegations of a security breach by a member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency operation spearheaded by Elon Musk. A whistleblower has claimed that a former software engineer from DOGE said he possessed two databases from the SSA, “Numident” and the “Master Death File.” The person reportedly asked for help transferring the databases from a thumb drive “to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company],” an unnamed government contractor where he is currently employed. Those databases include personal information about more than 500 million living and deceased Americans.

The Washington Post reported that the whistleblower complaint was filed with the inspector general in January. “When The Post contacted the agency and the company in January, both said they had not heard of the complaint. Both said they subsequently looked into the allegations and did not find evidence to confirm the claims,” the publication said. It is unclear why the complaint is now being investigated and neither party offered comment this week for The Post‘s article. The SSA watchdog informed both members of Congress and the Government Accountability Office of its investigation.

These allegations follow a different whistleblower complaint filed last August about DOGE access and mishandling of data from the SSA. Charles Borges, former chief data officer at the agency, claimed that a SSA database was stored in an unsecured cloud environment. “This is absolutely the worst-case scenario,” Borges told The Post of the latest claims. “There could be one or a million copies of it, and we will never know now.”

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Microsoft’s return-to-office policy creates a return to slower commutes, traffic analysis shows

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The blur of the morning commute: Sunrise and car lights during the trip across Seattle’s SR 520. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

Seattle-area Microsoft employees who are showing up in the office three days a week are also showing up on roadways and impacting commuters’ speeds, according to new data from traffic analysis company Inrix.

Inrix measured travel speeds on eastbound and westbound SR 520 and southbound and northbound I-405 during the weeks of Feb. 23 and March 2. Many of Microsoft’s more than 50,000 employees in the region rely on the roadways and bridges connecting Seattle and the Eastside to the company’s headquarters campus in Redmond, Wash.

The data shows speeds on 520 dropped across all days during the first week, with speeds on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday showing the slowest travel speeds over just over 30 mph.

Morning commute speeds between Tukwila and Bellevue fell as much as 35% and as much as 25% between Lynnwood and Bellevue. The evening commute saw speeds drops as much as 27% between Bellevue and Tukwila on Friday while speeds fell 21% northbound between Bellevue and Lynnwood, Inrix reported.

Microsoft isn’t dictating from above which three days people will need to be in the office. Specifics are left to individual teams and managers. Some groups may require more than three days, and certain customer-facing roles like field sales and consultants are exempt.

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The region’s roadways could get some relief when Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection opens March 28, finally linking Seattle and the Eastside by light rail across Lake Washington — connecting downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue and the Redmond Technology station at Microsoft headquarters.

Previously: Microsoft’s new RTO policy starts Feb. 23, bringing Seattle-area workers back 3 days a week

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Google starts rolling out Gemini in Chrome to users in Canada, India and New Zealand

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At the start of the year, Google brought a host of new Gemini-powered features, including built-in Nano Banana image generation, to Chrome. After debuting in the United States, those features are now making their way to Chrome users in Canada, India and New Zealand, with support for 50 additional in tow. Among the new languages Gemini in Chrome can now converse in are French, Gujarati, Hindi and Spanish.

To try out Gemini in Chrome, tap the sparkle icon at the top right of the interface. This will open the sidebar interface Google introduced in January. From there, you can chat with the company’s Gemini chatbot without the need to switch tabs. From the sidebar, you can also access Google’s in-house image generator. Additionally, Gemini in Chrome offers integrations with Gmail, Maps, Calendar, YouTube and other Google apps. If you live outside Canada, India or New Zealand, Google says it will make Gemini in Chrome available in more countries and languages throughout the rest of 2026. Oh, and if don’t want to use Gemini in Chrome, you can right click on the sparkle icon and select unpin to never see it again.

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OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT with interactive learning tools as lawsuits and Pentagon backlash mount

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The past ten days have been among the most consequential in OpenAI’s history, with developments stacking up across product, politics, personnel, and the courts. Here is what happened — and what it means.

OpenAI on Tuesday launched a set of interactive visual tools inside ChatGPT that let users manipulate mathematical and scientific formulas in real time — a genuinely impressive education feature that landed in the middle of the most turbulent stretch of the company’s corporate life.

The new experience covers more than 70 core math and science concepts, from the Pythagorean theorem to Ohm’s law to compound interest. When a user asks ChatGPT to explain one of these topics, the chatbot now generates a dynamic module with adjustable sliders alongside its written response. Drag a variable, and the equations, graphs, and diagrams update instantly. The feature is available today to all logged-in users worldwide, across every plan, including free.

OpenAI tells VentureBeat that 140 million people already use ChatGPT each week for math and science learning. That is a staggering number. It also means the feature arrives with unusually high stakes: since late February, OpenAI has been sued by the family of a 12-year-old mass shooting victim who alleges the company knew the attacker was planning violence through ChatGPT; lost its head of robotics over a Pentagon deal that triggered a near-300% spike in app uninstalls; watched more than 30 of its own employees file a legal brief supporting rival Anthropic against the U.S. government; and scrapped plans with Oracle to expand a flagship data center in Texas. Its chief competitor’s app, Claude, now sits atop the App Store.

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The interactive learning tools are, on their merits, a strong product. They also arrive at a company fighting on every front simultaneously — and burning through an estimated $15 billion in cash this year to do it.

Learning Blocks Press shot Ohms

ChatGPT’s new interactive learning module for Ohm’s Law, with adjustable sliders for current and resistance and a real-time circuit visualization. (Credit: OpenAI)

How the new ChatGPT learning tools actually work

The feature is built on a simple pedagogical premise: students understand formulas better when they can see what happens as the inputs change.

Ask ChatGPT “help me understand the Pythagorean theorem,” and the system now responds with a written explanation alongside an interactive panel. On the left, the formula $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$ appears in clean notation with sliders for sides $a$ and $b$. On the right, a geometric visualization — a right triangle with squares drawn on each side — reshapes dynamically as you adjust the values. The computed hypotenuse updates in real time. The same treatment applies across topics: voltage and resistance for Ohm’s law, pressure and temperature for the ideal gas equation, radius and height for cone volume.

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OpenAI’s initial roster of more than 70 topics targets high school and introductory college material: binomial squares, Charles’ law, circle equations, Coulomb’s law, cylinder volume, degrees of freedom, exponential decay, Hooke’s law, kinetic energy, the lens equation, linear equations, slope-intercept form, surface area of a sphere, trigonometric angle sum identities, and others.

The company cited research suggesting that “visual, interaction-based learning can lead to stronger conceptual understanding than traditional instruction for many students,” and pointed to a recent Gallup survey in which more than half of U.S. adults said they struggle with math. In early testing, OpenAI said, students reported the modules helped them grasp how variables relate to one another, and parents described using them to work through problems alongside their children.

Anjini Grover, a high school mathematics teacher quoted in OpenAI’s announcement, said the feature stands out for “how strongly this feature emphasizes conceptual understanding.” Raquel Gibson, a high school algebra teacher, called it “a step towards empowering students to independently explore abstract concepts.”

The tools build on ChatGPT’s existing education features — a “study mode” for step-by-step problem solving and a quizzes feature for exam prep — and OpenAI said it plans to expand interactive learning to additional subjects. The company also said it intends to publish research through its NextGenAI initiative and OpenAI Learning Lab to study how AI shapes learning outcomes over time.

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Learning Blocks Press shot Pythagorean

An interactive Pythagorean theorem module in ChatGPT, where users can drag sliders to adjust the lengths of a right triangle’s sides and watch the geometry update in real time. (Credit: OpenAI)

A lawsuit alleging OpenAI knew a mass shooter was planning an attack

On the day before OpenAI shipped its education tools, the company faced the most serious legal challenge it has ever faced.

On Monday, the mother of 12-year-old Maya Gebala filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging the company had “specific knowledge of the shooter’s long-range planning of a mass casualty event” through ChatGPT interactions and “took no steps to act upon this knowledge.” Gebala was shot three times during a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia on February 10 that killed eight people and the 18-year-old attacker. She suffered what the lawsuit describes as a catastrophic traumatic brain injury with permanent cognitive and physical disabilities.

The claim paints a damning picture of how the shooter used ChatGPT. It alleges the platform functioned as a “counsellor, pseudo-therapist, trusted confidante, friend, and ally” and was “intentionally designed to foster psychological dependency between the user and ChatGPT.” The shooter was under 18 when they began using the service, the suit states, and despite OpenAI’s requirement that minors obtain parental consent, the company “took no steps to implement age verification or consent procedures.”

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OpenAI has separately acknowledged that it suspended the shooter’s account months before the attack but did not alert Canadian law enforcement — a decision that provoked sharp political fallout. B.C. Premier David Eby said after a virtual meeting with Altman that the CEO agreed to apologize to the people of Tumbler Ridge and work with the provincial government on AI regulation recommendations.

None of the claims have been proven in court. OpenAI has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. But the case poses a question that transcends any single legal proceeding: when an AI company’s own internal systems identify a user as dangerous enough to ban, what obligation does it have to tell someone?

The Pentagon deal that split OpenAI from the inside

The Tumbler Ridge lawsuit is unfolding against the backdrop of an internal crisis that has already cost OpenAI key talent and millions of users.

On February 28, CEO Sam Altman announced a deal giving the Pentagon access to OpenAI’s AI models inside secure government computing systems. The agreement came days after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publicly refused similar terms, saying his company could not proceed without assurances against autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. The Pentagon responded by designating Anthropic a “supply-chain risk” — a classification normally reserved for foreign adversaries — and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth barred any military contractor from conducting commercial activity with the company.

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The reaction inside OpenAI was immediate. Caitlin Kalinowski, who joined from Meta in 2024 to build out the company’s robotics hardware division, resigned on principle. “AI has an important role in national security,” she wrote publicly. “But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.” Research scientist Aidan McLaughlin wrote on social media that he “personally don’t think this deal was worth it.” Another employee told CNN that many OpenAI staffers “really respect” Anthropic for walking away.

The reaction outside the company was even more dramatic. ChatGPT uninstalls spiked more than 295% on the day the deal was announced. Anthropic’s Claude surged to No. 1 among free apps on the U.S. Apple App Store and remained there as of this past weekend. Protesters gathered outside OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters calling for a “QuitGPT” movement.

And in the most extraordinary development, more than 30 OpenAI and Google DeepMind employees — including DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean — filed an amicus brief Monday supporting Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Defense Department. The brief argued that the Pentagon’s actions, “if allowed to proceed,” would “undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence and beyond.” The employees signed in their personal capacity, but the spectacle of OpenAI’s own researchers rallying to a competitor’s legal defense against the same government their company just partnered with has no real precedent in the industry.

Altman, to his credit, has not pretended the situation is fine. In an internal memo later shared publicly, he admitted the deal “was definitely rushed” and “just looked opportunistic and sloppy.” He revised the contract to include explicit prohibitions against mass domestic surveillance and the use of OpenAI technology on commercially acquired data. He also publicly said that enforcing the supply-chain risk designation against Anthropic “would be very bad for our industry and our country.”

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Meanwhile, Anthropic warned in court filings that the Pentagon’s blacklisting could cost it up to $5 billion in lost business — roughly equivalent to its total revenue since commercializing its AI technology in 2023. The company is seeking a temporary court order to continue working with military contractors while the case proceeds.

Why OpenAI’s $15 billion cash burn makes every user count

Strip away the lawsuits and the politics, and OpenAI still has a math problem of its own.

The company is expected to burn through approximately $15 billion in cash this year, up from $9 billion in 2025. It has roughly 910 million weekly users. About 95% of them pay nothing. Subscriptions alone cannot bridge that gap, which is why OpenAI is simultaneously building out an internal advertising infrastructure and leaning on partners like Criteo — and reportedly The Trade Desk — to bring advertisers into ChatGPT.

The company is hiring aggressively for this effort: a monetization infrastructure engineer, an engineering manager, a product designer for the ads experience, a senior manager for ad revenue accounting, and a trust and safety specialist dedicated to the ads product, all based at headquarters in San Francisco. The compensation bands run as high as $385,000 — the kind of investment a company makes when it plans to own its ad stack, not rent it.

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But advertising inside ChatGPT introduces a trust problem that compounds the ones OpenAI is already managing. Users who abandoned the app over the Pentagon deal demonstrated that loyalty to ChatGPT is thinner than its market share suggests. Adding commercial messages to a product already under fire for its military ties and its handling of a mass shooter’s data will require OpenAI to navigate user sentiment with a precision it has not recently demonstrated.

The infrastructure picture is equally unsettled. Oracle and OpenAI recently scrapped plans to expand a flagship AI data center in Abilene, Texas, after negotiations stalled over financing and OpenAI’s evolving needs. Meta and Nvidia moved quickly to explore the site — a reminder that in the current AI arms race, any gap in execution gets filled by a competitor within days.

Why interactive learning is OpenAI’s strongest remaining argument

Beyond the product itself, the education feature carries strategic significance for OpenAI.

Education has always been ChatGPT’s cleanest use case — the application where the technology most obviously augments human capability rather than surveilling it, weaponizing it, or monetizing the attention of people who came looking for help. It is the use case that resonates across demographics: students prepping for the SAT, parents revisiting algebra at the kitchen table, adults circling back to concepts they never quite understood. And it is the use case where ChatGPT still holds a clear lead. Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and xAI’s Grok are all investing in education, but none has shipped anything comparable to real-time interactive formula visualization embedded in a conversational interface.

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OpenAI acknowledged that the “research landscape on how AI affects learning is still taking shape,” but pointed to its own early findings on study mode as showing “promising early signals.” The company said it will continue working with educators and researchers through its NextGenAI initiative and OpenAI Learning Lab, and plans to publish findings and expand into additional subjects.

Somewhere tonight, a ninth-grader will open ChatGPT, drag a slider, and watch a hypotenuse lengthen across her screen. The Pythagorean theorem will make sense for the first time. She will not know about the Pentagon deal, or the Tumbler Ridge lawsuit, or the 295% spike in uninstalls, or the $15 billion cash burn underwriting the server that just rendered her triangle. She will only know that it worked. For OpenAI, that may have to be enough — for now.

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Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo Redefines Affordable Power

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MacBook Neo Hands-On Review
Apple debuted the MacBook Neo on March 4, 2026, and units begin arriving in customers’ hands tomorrow (March 11th). The laptop starts at $599, or a modest $499 for students thanks to educational pricing. That alone has a lot of people sitting up and taking note, and with good reason, given that past entry-level MacBooks were priced at $999 or higher.



Apple based the Neo on the same A18 Pro chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro. This mobile processor handles everyday activities easily; online browsing is snappy, streaming is smooth, and light creative tasks like photo editing or casual gaming seem extremely responsive. Apple says the Neo can get through everyday tasks 50% faster than recent Intel-based PCs, and its built-in AI features can work up to three times faster in certain situations. On top of that, the chip runs so efficiently that the laptop stays completely silent even during long sessions, with no fans, no noise, and nothing to worry about.


Apple 2026 MacBook Neo 13-inch Laptop with A18 Pro chip: Built for AI and Apple Intelligence, Liquid…
  • HELLO, MACBOOK NEO — Ready for whatever your day brings, MacBook Neo flies through everyday tasks and apps. Choose from four stunning colors in a…
  • THE MOST COLORFUL MACBOOK LINEUP EVER — Choose from Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard to complete the…
  • POWER FOR EVERYDAY TASKS — Ready the moment you open it, MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro chip delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to…


The Neo’s battery life is also decent, with Apple estimating that you can get roughly 16 hours of movie playback or mixed use from a single charge. That’s more than enough to get you through a full day of lectures, emails, video calls, and surfing without having to look for an outlet. The 13-inch Liquid Retina display is definitely no slouch, with a resolution of 2408 x 1506, a brightness of 500 nits, and support for a billion colors.


There are four color choices: silver, pink, citrus, and indigo. Each one includes matching keycaps and software components such as backgrounds and icons. The aluminum body feels robust and quality, weighing approximately 2.7 pounds and measuring 0.50 inches thick. Reviewers say the design is sturdy and compact, and if you look closely, it’s comparable in quality to the MacBook Air, but it feels a lot more approachable.

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You’ll find two USB-C ports, one of which supports USB3 speeds and DisplayPort for connecting external monitors up to 4K at 60Hz, as well as a headphone socket. The Magic Keyboard has been updated to make it much more pleasant to type on, however the standard model does not include backlighting. The Multi-Touch trackpad still supports all of your favorite gestures, but with mechanical clicks rather than the fancy haptic version found on more costly versions. A 1080p FaceTime camera is also included, along with beamforming mics and side-firing speakers that have been tuned for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, ensuring clean calls and solid sound for music or videos.

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