Kalakshar US

The US House of Representatives just narrowly passed a budget bill, which has been referred to by President Trump and others as “one big, beautiful bill.” Hidden amongst the cuts to health care, debt add-ons and tax breaks for the rich is a ten-year ban of state AI laws. You read that right. States would be banned by the federal government from enforcing laws that regulate AI for the next decade.

The vote fell largely along party lines, with nearly every Republican member of the House approving the bill. This marks one of the most significant federal actions on technology policy in decades and it was buried in a budget bill that has nothing to do with AI.

This isn’t law just yet. The budget bill has to pass through the Senate and it could have a difficult road. It’s expected that Democratic lawmakers will challenge the AI regulation ban under what’s called the Byrd Rule, which prohibits “extraneous” provisions to the federal budget during the reconciliation process.

Even some Senate Republicans seem wary of the ban. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee expressed concern that it would override state legislation that protects artists from deepfakes in her state. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has also pushed back on the idea on the grounds that it could “tamp down on people’s efforts to address” issues posed by AI.

Supporters of the ban argue that it would stop a potentially confusing patchwork of differing state AI laws until Congress can craft its own federal legislation. This is pretty odd coming from the “states’ rights” crowd, but whatever.

Opponents, like many Democratic lawmakers and advocacy organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, call it a dangerous giveaway to big tech firms, as these companies stand to benefit the most from a completely unregulated market. They also say it poses a serious danger to Americans, as it would leave the citizenry unprotected from any associated risk. Current state laws address issues including deepfakes and discrimination in automated hiring.

“Make no mistake, the families who have come to this committee and begged for us to act won’t benefit from this proposal,” said Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan during a subcommittee hearing on the matter. “But you know who will? The big tech CEOs who are sitting behind Donald Trump at his inauguration.”

The budget bill, as passed by the House, also includes cuts to Medicaid totaling an estimated $625 billion and cuts to SNAP, otherwise called food stamps, totaling $300 billion. It could also force $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, which serves senior citizens, as a byproduct of adding nearly $4 trillion to the national deficit. It also ends the EV tax credit. All of this pays for an extension and expansion of previous tax cuts that disproportionately favor high-income earners.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/house-passes-budget-bill-that-inexplicably-bans-state-ai-regulations-for-ten-years-184936210.html?src=rss 

The United States Senate voted 51-44 mostly across party lines on Wednesday to repeal a waiver granted by the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, allowing the state of California to enact its Advanced Clean Cars II Regulations. ACC II requires that 80 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in California by 2035 be zero-emission.

Notably, the legitimacy of the vote itself was dubious, as the Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan staffer who helps the Senate understand its own rules — had warned that the waiver did not fall under the Senate’s purview. The parliamentarian noted that the EPA waiver wasn’t a formal rule but an administrative order. This means the waiver is not subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), the law Senate Republicans used to justify the vote. The CRA only became law in 1996, and had seen little use until recently — it has been used to overturn federal rules a total of 20 times, 16 of which occurred during the previous Trump administration.

The measure will now go to President Trump‘s desk for signature, as the House already passed legislation to repeal the waiver earlier this month.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a DC lobbying group that represents a number of automakers including GM, Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai, celebrated the vote. “These EV sales mandates were never achievable,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the lobbying group. He argued, “Meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.”

While these automakers rejoiced, environmental protection advocates struck a concerned tone. “It’s deeply disappointing that the Senate used the Congressional Review Act to block states from implementing air pollution standards to improve air quality. This illegitimate move poses threats to public health, the economy and states’ rights.” said Steven Higashide, director of the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

As reported in the L.A. Times, Will Barrett, senior director at the American Lung Association and a clean air advocate said, “This is a major blow to the decades-long public health protections delivered under the Clean Air Act.” Highlighting the importance of these waivers he said “It is more important than ever that California and all other states that rely on Clean Air Act waivers continue to cut tailpipe pollution through homegrown, health-protective policies.”

This is just the latest in continued efforts by the current administration to curtail or end legislation that supports or encourages wider adoption of electric vehicles and environmental protection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/senate-votes-to-kill-californias-gas-powered-vehicle-restrictions-191341389.html?src=rss 

Games Workshop, maker of the popular Warhammer 40K tabletop game, held its annual Warhammer Skulls festival today, and announced a slew of new video games, remasters and DLC for its properties. I’ve collected some of the more exciting announcements below. 

First, let’s start with Space Marine 2. In March, Games Workshop announced a sequel was already in development. At the time, the company said the new game was “likely years away from release,” but it also reiterated post-launch support for Space Marine 2 would continue. Today we got an update on Space Marine 2’s long awaited horde mode, called here Siege Mode. It will arrive as part of a free update slated for release on June 26. 

However, that’s not all. On June 10th, GW will release Space Marine — Master Crafted Edition. It’s a remaster of the 2011 original developed by Relic Entertainment. The new version features updated textures and character models, with support for 4K resolutions, modernized controls and a refreshed user interface. If you’ve not played Space Marine, it’s worth revisiting if only to hear Mark Strong voice protagonist Captain Titus. Master Crafted Edition arrives on June 10 on Xbox Series X/S and PC through Steam and GOG.  

Speaking of Relic, a remaster of the studio’s excellent Dawn of War is also on the way. No word on an exact release date yet, but GW says Dawn of War – Definitive Edition will feature updated visuals, camera controls and a new HUD. The re-release will be compatible with mods for the existing game, and has a 64-bit code base to ensure it’s playable on modern systems for years to come.    

For fans of boomer shooters, there’s Boltgun game on the way. It will arrive in 2026, and it’s coming to Steam, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. The new game will pick up right where the first game ended, with a new non-linear single player campaign that has new enemies for players to overcome. Of course, you’ll also have access to new weapons with which to vanquish the Emperor’s enemies in the most cartoonishly violent way possible. 

In the meantime, today you can download Boltgun — Words of Vengeance, a free typing action game that will have you spelling words and phrases from Warhammer lore like “thin your paints” and “Ghazghkull.” You bet I’m downloading it right now.  

Last but not least, Owlcat, creator of the CRPG Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, is working on a sequel to the criminally underrated Rogue Trader. The new game is adaptation of GW’s Dark Heresy RPG and casts the player as the leader of an Inquisition party. It looks like Owlcat has a bigger budget this time around, which is a great sign for the project. Rogue Trader had moments where it felt like if Owlcat had the time and resources that Larian did to work on Baldur’s Gate 3, it would have been every bit as popular.

Again, those are just some of the announcements Games Workshop made today, so be sure to check out the Warhammer Community website to get the full story.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/boltgun–words-of-vengeance-is-warhammers-grimdark-answer-to-typing-of-the-dead-193515536.html?src=rss 

Pocket, Mozilla’s service for saving articles to read later, is shutting down on July 8, 2025. Mozilla says it’s phasing out Pocket and Fakespot, its browser extension for vetting product reviews, in an attempt “to be intentional about where we invest our time and resources” as the company continues to support Firefox.

Starting today, May 22, Pocket is no longer available to download and you can’t sign up for a Pocket Premium subscription. Mozilla says existing annual and monthly subscriptions will be cancelled automatically, and annual subscribers will be fully refunded on July 8. You’ll have until October 8 to export your Pocket data before Mozilla deletes it, and the Pocket API, which lets apps and devices access the articles you’ve saved, will be shut down on the same day.

The Fakespot website, browser extension and apps will no longer be available starting on July 1, 2025 and you’ll lose access to Review Checker in Firefox (a Fakespot-powered feature) even earlier on June 10. Mozilla acquired Fakespot in 2023 “to help people navigate unreliable product reviews using AI and privacy-first tech,” but the company says that “while the idea resonated, it didn’t fit a model we could sustain.”

Pocket lived an even longer life at Mozilla as one of the last OG read-it-later apps. Mozilla acquired the service in 2017, but Pocket existed for a decade before that, first launching in 2007 as a browser extension called Read It Later before it was renamed to Pocket in 2012.

Like Instapaper, Pocket promised to take an article URL and convert the page into a highly-readable, ad-free document that you could access while you were away from your browser. Some modern browsers have built-in “Reader” modes that can do the same thing on-demand, but Pocket made it possible to archive it all for later, even if the page was taken down.

With Pocket out of the picture, the best alternatives are Instapaper, which got a new lease on life when it bought itself from Pinterest in 2018 and Readwise Reader, which combines read-it-later features and the ability to review eBook highlights in the same app. For more instructions on how to rescue your Pocket data before its deleted, Mozilla has an online guide.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/mozilla-is-shutting-down-its-read-it-later-app-pocket-183247576.html?src=rss 

The Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum is on sale for $150 via Amazon as part of a Memorial Day promotion. This represents a 25 percent discount, which translates to $50. That’s pretty darn close to a record low price.

The LVAC-200 made our list of the best cordless vacuums, and we specifically recommended it to the budget-conscious. It’s lightweight, at three pounds, and does a great job at cleaning different types of dry messes. We tried it out on both hard and carpeted floors, with exceptional results. There are three suction modes and a push-button start. It even ships with a hand-vac attachment.

This vacuum doesn’t come with a storage base, but it’s easily disassembled. Just detach the cleaning head from the extension arm and the arm from the motor base and it can be stored just about anywhere. However, it also stands upright on its own thanks to a locking mechanism.

We appreciated the five-stage filtration system, even if it’s not HEPA-certified. The dustbin, however, is on the smaller side at 0.75 liters. This means the debris will have to be manually disposed of fairly regularly. We found that it was almost entirely full after one pass. Despite these drawbacks, this is still one heck of a vacuum for the money. We recommended it at the original $200 asking price, so we definitely recommend it now.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-cordless-vacuums-is-on-sale-for-150-as-a-memorial-day-promotion-170031374.html?src=rss 

Disney has taken another step into the hyper-competitive world of live sports broadcasting. According to The Guardian, the entertainment conglomerate has secured a five-year deal to broadcast live Women’s Champions League soccer matches on Disney+ across multiple European broadcast territories, including the United Kingdom. 

From the NFL on YouTube to the Grammys on Disney+, the broadcast rights to live events have become a hot commodity as streamers look to make inroads into one of cable TV’s biggest selling points. And in recent years, broadcast rights for women’s sports leagues have become more competitive as the category’s growth in viewership accelerates.

Amazon has been streaming WNBA games since 2021, and last year Netflix secured the rights to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Disney’s investment in streaming the best in European women’s soccer signals an important continuation of that trend.

According to the same report by The Guardian, Disney made a “hugely competitive offer” for the streaming rights, and is said to be investing not only in the rights themselves, but in extensive coverage with high-caliber production. The deal was entered into in agreement with UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association, which means club representatives were involved in the discussions.

In the United States, the broadcast rights for the Women’s Champions League are held exclusively by DAZN; the platform currently streams 19 matches for free in addition to more for subscribers. YouTube had signed on as a streaming partner in the US for all games from 2021 to 2023, but didn’t renew that deal when it ended.

The deal reportedly includes some free-to-air coverage of the Women’s Champions League in the United Kingdom, though there are no details yet on which games or how many exactly. So if you’re in the UK, don’t forget to renew that TV license.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-will-reportedly-stream-womens-champions-league-soccer-matches-across-much-of-europe-155854592.html?src=rss