theverge--2020-07-31--V for Vendetta knew our future would be a bleak one

The Verge is a place where you can consider the future .
So are movies .
In Yesterday ’ s Future , we revisit a movie about the future and consider the things it tells us about today , tomorrow , and yesterday .
The movie : V for Vendetta ( 2006 ) directed by James McTeigue The future : In V for Vendetta , a lot has gone wrong very quickly , and it doesn ’ t seem like there ’ s much to be done about it .
The film is set in 2020 , and London is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascist High Chancellor Sutler ( John Hurt ) , the leader of the extremely Nazi-looking Norsefire party .
The parallels to real-world 2020 are alarming : the “ St .
Mary ’ s virus ” has unleashed a pandemic on the world , crippling the United States ( which doesn ’ t really factor into the film ’ s London-centric plot ) and sending it on a path to economic ruination and civil war .
The Norsefire party , which rode in on a wave of neoconservative support , locks up gay citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the state-sanctioned church , and is supported by state-run media .
Surveillance is almost casual , with government vans regularly sweeping the streets to listen in on citizens .
This is the world in which we meet Evey Hammond ( Natalie Portman ) , an unassuming employee of the British Television Network .
One night , she is threatened with sexual assault by secret police and is subsequently saved by V ( Hugo Weaving ) , a superhuman terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask .
Like Guy Fawkes , V has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several members of the government responsible for the Norsefire takeover and , it ’ s revealed , his own creation .
The film ends before we find out if he ’ s successful , but not before the citizens of London are inspired to also don his mask and take to the streets .
The great strength and weakness of ‘ V for Vendetta ’ is in its lack of specificity The past : V for Vendetta , while not as mean a work as the comic by Alan Moore and David Lloyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a movie that is unapologetically about a terrorist .
In March 2006 , this felt radical for a blockbuster movie that was written by the Wachowskis as their first big project after the Matrix trilogy .
Reviewers were fascinated by this .
“ The cleverest aspect of the film is the way it turns a terrorist into a crusading hero while remaining politically correct , ” Guardian film critic Philip French wrote in his review .
“ What it doesn ’ t manage is to create a credible future or avoid pomposity.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the worst time imaginable to release V For Vendetta , a film with — there ’ s really no polite word for it — a terrorist hero prone to saying things like ‘ Violence can be used for good , ’ and ‘ Sometimes blowing up a building can change the world.
’ ” begins Keith Phipps ’ review for The A.V .
Club .
“ So why does V For Vendetta play as such a crowd-pleaser ?
Only five years removed from 9/11 and just as many years into the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valorizing a terrorist felt radical in a way that was almost immediately arresting .
The film softens this very obvious edge with overt allusions to 1984 , making it feel as much of an homage to George Orwell as it is to Lloyd and Moore .
Alan Moore , the writer of the comic on which the film is based , refused to have his name appear in the film or on any materials promoting it .
( Moore has made it abundantly clear that he objects to any adaptation of his work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Purists would object to the film reducing the source material ’ s very specific response to Thatcherite England to a metaphor of Bush-era America ( in a story where America is specifically sidelined ) or the way the movie turned V into more of a dashing hero than a died-in-the-wool extremist .
But time had a way of rendering all of these points effectively moot .
The movie comes across much differently now .
The present : In retrospect , both the great strength and weakness of V for Vendetta is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orwellian aesthetics give it a sort of timeless veneer , and its arguments about fascism and the creeping death of liberty are old ones that become painfully relevant whenever there is a new attempt to undermine democracy by those in power .
The movie ’ s most enduring symbol is a mask , one that was adopted as a sign of real-world protest by the hacktivist group Anonymous in the early 2010s when Occupy Wall Street was the most widely known activist movement in the United States .
Unfortunately , a grinning Guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solidarity glossed over something vital about institutional oppression : it isn ’ t applied equally .
We know painfully well that subtlety is not a hallmark of authoritarianism ’ s reach In 2020 , attacks on democracy are brazen and blunt , and we know painfully well that subtlety is not a hallmark of authoritarianism ’ s reach .
In fact , as critic Scott Meslow wrote in 2018 , while V for Vendetta has more bite than it did upon release , you could now say it doesn ’ t go far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which a single shooting death of an innocent little girl could inspire an entire society to stand up against a militaristic police force , ” Meslow writes .
“ It imagines the resistance to an anti-democratic political movement rising up , in part , from powerful but principled members of that political movement .
A modern adaptation might dismiss all those plot points as too optimistic.
” V for Vendetta isn ’ t particularly concerned with the details — creeping concessions to fascists are recounted in a bleak cascade , and resistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The film ’ s universe is small ; the only perspective outside of Evey ’ s is that of Finch ( Stephen Rea ) , a Scotland Yard inspector who is on V ’ s trail and discovers that the government engineered the crisis that led to its power grab .
Through Finch , we piece it all together , and in the film ’ s best touch , it ’ s all portrayed in one dramatic montage : corruption , domination , and revolution existing side by side as events the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are about to happen over the movie ’ s final 30 minutes .
It ’ s very affecting , but it glosses over how much work it is to defend democracy — how much the people you need to stand beside you in protest actually prefer the rule of fascism as long as the fascists align with them , how institutions aren ’ t built for democracy but for normalcy , and how the people running them will always choose the latter over the former .

The Verge is a place where you can consider the future. So are movies. In Yesterday’s Future, we revisit a movie about the future and consider the things it tells us about today, tomorrow, and yesterday.
The movie: V for Vendetta (2006) directed by James McTeigue
The future: In V for Vendetta, a lot has gone wrong very quickly, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much to be done about it. The film is set in the late 2020s, and London is now under the authoritarian rule of the fascist High Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt), the leader of the extremely Nazi-looking Norsefire party.
The parallels to real-world 2020 are alarming: the “St. Mary’s virus” has unleashed a pandemic on the world, crippling the United States (which doesn’t really factor into the film’s London-centric plot) and sending it on a path to economic ruination and civil war. The Norsefire party, which rode in on a wave of neoconservative support, locks up gay citizens, anyone who practices a religion other than the state-sanctioned church, and is supported by state-run media. Surveillance is almost casual, with government vans regularly sweeping the streets to listen in on citizens.
This is the world in which we meet Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), an unassuming employee of the British Television Network. One night, she is threatened with sexual assault by secret police and is subsequently saved by V (Hugo Weaving), a superhuman terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask. Like Guy Fawkes, V has a plan to blow up Parliament and assassinate several members of the government responsible for the Norsefire takeover and, it’s revealed, his own creation. The film ends before we find out if he’s successful, but not before the citizens of London are inspired to also don his mask and take to the streets.
The great strength and weakness of ‘V for Vendetta’ is in its lack of specificity
The past: V for Vendetta, while not as mean a work as the comic by Alan Moore and David Lloyd it’s based on, is a movie that is unapologetically about a terrorist. In March 2006, this felt radical for a blockbuster movie that was written by the Wachowskis as their first big project after the Matrix trilogy. Reviewers were fascinated by this.
“The cleverest aspect of the film is the way it turns a terrorist into a crusading hero while remaining politically correct,” Guardian film critic Philip French wrote in his review. “What it doesn’t manage is to create a credible future or avoid pomposity.”
“By all rights, this should be the worst time imaginable to release V For Vendetta, a film with — there’s really no polite word for it — a terrorist hero prone to saying things like ‘Violence can be used for good,’ and ‘Sometimes blowing up a building can change the world.’” begins Keith Phipps’ review for The A.V. Club. “So why does V For Vendetta play as such a crowd-pleaser?
Only five years removed from 9/11 and just as many years into the US War on Terror, a blockbuster film valorizing a terrorist felt radical in a way that was almost immediately arresting. The film softens this very obvious edge with overt allusions to 1984, making it feel as much of an homage to George Orwell as it is to Lloyd and Moore.
Alan Moore, the writer of the comic on which the film is based, refused to have his name appear in the film or on any materials promoting it. (Moore has made it abundantly clear that he objects to any adaptation of his work out of principle, regardless of quality.) Purists would object to the film reducing the source material’s very specific response to Thatcherite England to a metaphor of Bush-era America (in a story where America is specifically sidelined) or the way the movie turned V into more of a dashing hero than a died-in-the-wool extremist. But time had a way of rendering all of these points effectively moot. The movie comes across much differently now.
The present: In retrospect, both the great strength and weakness of V for Vendetta is in its lack of specificity. Its Orwellian aesthetics give it a sort of timeless veneer, and its arguments about fascism and the creeping death of liberty are old ones that become painfully relevant whenever there is a new attempt to undermine democracy by those in power.
The movie’s most enduring symbol is a mask, one that was adopted as a sign of real-world protest by the hacktivist group Anonymous in the early 2010s when Occupy Wall Street was the most widely known activist movement in the United States. Unfortunately, a grinning Guy Fawkes mask meant to denote an anonymous solidarity glossed over something vital about institutional oppression: it isn’t applied equally.
We know painfully well that subtlety is not a hallmark of authoritarianism’s reach
In 2020, attacks on democracy are brazen and blunt, and we know painfully well that subtlety is not a hallmark of authoritarianism’s reach. In fact, as critic Scott Meslow wrote in 2018, while V for Vendetta has more bite than it did upon release, you could now say it doesn’t go far enough.
“It imagines a universe in which a single shooting death of an innocent little girl could inspire an entire society to stand up against a militaristic police force,” Meslow writes. “It imagines the resistance to an anti-democratic political movement rising up, in part, from powerful but principled members of that political movement. A modern adaptation might dismiss all those plot points as too optimistic.”
V for Vendetta isn’t particularly concerned with the details — creeping concessions to fascists are recounted in a bleak cascade, and resistance is sparked by a single dramatic act. The film’s universe is small; the only perspective outside of Evey’s is that of Finch (Stephen Rea), a Scotland Yard inspector who is on V’s trail and discovers that the government engineered the crisis that led to its power grab. Through Finch, we piece it all together, and in the film’s best touch, it’s all portrayed in one dramatic montage: corruption, domination, and revolution existing side by side as events the film depicted are intercut with scenes that are about to happen over the movie’s final 30 minutes.
It’s very affecting, but it glosses over how much work it is to defend democracy — how much the people you need to stand beside you in protest actually prefer the rule of fascism as long as the fascists align with them, how institutions aren’t built for democracy but for normalcy, and how the people running them will always choose the latter over the former.
The past can’t hurt you anymore, unless you let it: When V for Vendetta first came out in 2006, eminent critics like Roger Ebert, Joe Morgenstern and Peter Travers stated that the film was set in 2020 — and that’s what we originally wrote too. But a tipster points out one of the movie’s plot points is about a terrorist attack at St. Mary’s that occurred ”14 years ago”, and a minute after revealing that (1h, 31m), the movie shows that several covert intelligence operatives who died “the day after the St. Mary’s outbreak” were marked deceased in 2014.


theverge--2020-07-31--President Trump plans to sever TikTok from its Chinese owner, Bloomberg reports

President Donald Trump intends to sign an order that would direct ByteDance to sell its ownership of the US-based video-sharing app TikTok , according to Bloomberg .
The order , which could be announced as soon as Friday afternoon , would employ the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States ( CFIUS ) to force ByteDance to divest , similar to the process undertaken against Grindr ’ s Chinese investors last year .
Earlier this month , US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the Trump administration was “ certainly looking at ” banning TikTok in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly how it planned to do so .
“ We are taking this very seriously .
We are certainly looking at it , ” Pompeo said at the time .
“ With respect to Chinese apps on peoples ’ cellphones , the United States will get this one right too.
” A TikTok spokesperson responded to the Trump administration ’ s reported order and Microsoft speculation in a statement to The Verge : While we do not comment on rumors or speculation , we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok for entertainment and connection , including our community of creators and artists who are building livelihoods from the platform .
We ’ re motivated by their passion and creativity , and committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform .
Bloomberg reported that the order could be announced as early as Friday afternoon .
A reporter at Fox Business confirmed the reports , mentioning Microsoft as a potential buyer .
In 2017 , ByteDance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for $ 1 billion and rebranded it as TikTok .
Both Congress and the Trump administration have been skeptical of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for years .
Last November , CFIUS launched a national security review of the app after politicians voiced concern over the company ’ s privacy practices and its alleged relationship with the Chinese Communist Party .
On Thursday , Sens .
Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) and Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding that the agency open an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans ’ civil liberties ” and “ the national security implications of both companies ’ relationships with the People ’ s Republic of China.
” TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing any user data with the Chinese government .

President Donald Trump intends to sign an order that would direct ByteDance to sell its ownership of the US-based video-sharing app TikTok, according to Bloomberg. The order, which could be announced as soon as Friday afternoon, would employ the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to force ByteDance to divest, similar to the process undertaken against Grindr’s Chinese investors last year.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the Trump administration was “certainly looking at” banning TikTok in the country, stopping short of explaining exactly how it planned to do so.
“We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo said at the time. “With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right too.”
A TikTok spokesperson responded to the Trump administration’s reported order and Microsoft speculation in a statement to The Verge:
While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok. Hundreds of millions of people come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, including our community of creators and artists who are building livelihoods from the platform. We’re motivated by their passion and creativity, and committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.
Bloomberg reported that the order could be announced as early as Friday afternoon. A reporter at Fox Business confirmed the reports, mentioning Microsoft as a potential buyer. In 2017, ByteDance purchased Musical.ly, a lip-syncing app, for $1 billion and rebranded it as TikTok.
Both Congress and the Trump administration have been skeptical of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for years. Last November, CFIUS launched a national security review of the app after politicians voiced concern over the company’s privacy practices and its alleged relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
On Thursday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding that the agency open an investigation into TikTok and Zoom over “reported violations of Americans’ civil liberties” and “the national security implications of both companies’ relationships with the People’s Republic of China.”


theverge--2020-08-01--The Genki Covert Dock is a clever portable Switch dock, but it’s expensive

The Genki Covert Dock doesn ’ t look like a dock .
It looks more like a wall brick that replicates the functionality of Nintendo ’ s much larger Switch Dock , but it ’ s small enough to stick into a pocket .
It ’ s a great Switch accessory to have if you travel a lot and want to connect your console to a TV wherever you go .
That ’ s part of what makes it great .
Another reason is that , unlike the slew of third-party dock alternatives sold on Amazon , the Covert Dock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spec that Nintendo ’ s dock uses .
So you won ’ t run the risk of damaging your Switch over the long-term — or worse , bricking it .
This one pulls the right amount of power from the outlet with its retractable prongs .
It even comes with three international adapters , which is a nice bonus to have when you get the chance to travel again .
The build quality is also excellent , with matte-textured , translucent black plastic encasing the GaN-based innards , similar to what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controller .
It ’ s even a little smaller than the 65W Aukey Omnia USB-C charger I have at home .
Considering that this dock replacement is much more capable than the average power brick , it ’ s an impressive feat .
These perks come at a high $ 74.99 price , which is just a bit lower than the $ 89.99 that Nintendo charges in the US for its standalone dock .
The latter also includes an HDMI cable and a power adapter .
There ’ s no HDMI cable included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough to understand given the price .
But what makes the cost more palatable is that it can double as a laptop dock , which is something the standard dock can ’ t do .
In fact , it ’ s possible that this dock might eliminate the need to bring several chargers on a trip .
It has a single 30W USB-C PD port that you can use to keep your phone or laptop charged when you ’ re not using it to power the Switch .
Having just one USB-C port @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple devices to charge at once — or a laptop that demands more power than the 30W USB-C port can provide .
So there are instances in which it might not eliminate the need to bring another adapter .
In addition to charging devices , the USB-C port can be used in conjunction with the HDMI input to mirror or extend your device ’ s screen to a TV .
It ’ s worth noting that it pushes out a maximum 1080p 60Hz signal , regardless of the fidelity of your content .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ USB-A port , which can charge a device .
Alternatively , the port can be used for connecting accessories to your Switch , like a wired gaming headset , a receiver for compatible wireless headsets , or , if you have a laptop connected , a flash drive or USB to Ethernet adapter .
It ’ d be great to have more ports , but if it came down to keeping the small size or having more ports , I ’ d pick the former over the latter .
Using the Covert Dock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience as the standard dock .
Instead of sliding the Switch into place , you just plug the included USB-C cable ( which has one L-shaped side for better cable management ) into the console .
As a result , if the entertainment center you ’ re setting the console on is small , you might have to put the Switch on the floor or in some other precarious position since there ’ s no cradle here .
Having to stress about whether someone , or a pet , might pull the Switch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my apartment when I ’ m using this portable dock .
If there ’ s one thing that ’ s good about Nintendo ’ s design , it ’ s that it keeps things out of view and possible danger .
Despite its high price , the Covert Dock has a simple job , and it does it well .
It lets me play the Switch using my TV just as well as the official dock does , and when I ’ m ready to go portable , the console is charged up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serves as a laptop dock in a pinch .
If you travel frequently or just want a convenient , pocket-friendly dock to bring along when you ’ re away from home , this is a great option .

The Genki Covert Dock doesn’t look like a dock. It looks more like a wall brick that replicates the functionality of Nintendo’s much larger Switch Dock, but it’s small enough to stick into a pocket. It’s a great Switch accessory to have if you travel a lot and want to connect your console to a TV wherever you go.
That’s part of what makes it great. Another reason is that, unlike the slew of third-party dock alternatives sold on Amazon, the Covert Dock was made to use the same power spec that Nintendo’s dock uses. So you won’t run the risk of damaging your Switch over the long-term — or worse, bricking it. This one pulls the right amount of power from the outlet with its retractable prongs. It even comes with three international adapters, which is a nice bonus to have when you get the chance to travel again.
The Covert Dock is a little thinner and shorter than this 65W Aukey Omnia charger.
The build quality is also excellent, with matte-textured, translucent black plastic encasing the GaN-based innards, similar to what’s found on Nintendo’s Switch Pro controller. It’s even a little smaller than the 65W Aukey Omnia USB-C charger I have at home. Considering that this dock replacement is much more capable than the average power brick, it’s an impressive feat.
These perks come at a high $74.99 price, which is just a bit lower than the $89.99 that Nintendo charges in the US for its standalone dock. The latter also includes an HDMI cable and a power adapter. There’s no HDMI cable included with the Covert Dock, which is tough to understand given the price. But what makes the cost more palatable is that it can double as a laptop dock, which is something the standard dock can’t do.
7.5 Verge Score Human Things Genki Covert Dock $ 74.9 The Good Matches Nintendo’s power spec
Includes a USB-C cable and global adapters
Works as a laptop or phone dock in a pinch The Bad Very expensive
Tops out at 1080p 60Hz
30W isn’t a ton of power these days
Doesn’t include an HDMI cord $75 at Human Things How we rate and review products
In fact, it’s possible that this dock might eliminate the need to bring several chargers on a trip. It has a single 30W USB-C PD port that you can use to keep your phone or laptop charged when you’re not using it to power the Switch. Having just one USB-C port isn’t great if you have multiple devices to charge at once — or a laptop that demands more power than the 30W USB-C port can provide. So there are instances in which it might not eliminate the need to bring another adapter.
In addition to charging devices, the USB-C port can be used in conjunction with the HDMI input to mirror or extend your device’s screen to a TV. It’s worth noting that it pushes out a maximum 1080p 60Hz signal, regardless of the fidelity of your content.
The Covert Dock also features a single USB-A port, which can charge a device. Alternatively, the port can be used for connecting accessories to your Switch, like a wired gaming headset, a receiver for compatible wireless headsets, or, if you have a laptop connected, a flash drive or USB to Ethernet adapter. It’d be great to have more ports, but if it came down to keeping the small size or having more ports, I’d pick the former over the latter.
The portable dock includes a USB-C cable with one L-shaped side for better cable management, as well as three travel adapters.
Using the Covert Dock isn’t as elegant of an experience as the standard dock. Instead of sliding the Switch into place, you just plug the included USB-C cable (which has one L-shaped side for better cable management) into the console. As a result, if the entertainment center you’re setting the console on is small, you might have to put the Switch on the floor or in some other precarious position since there’s no cradle here. Having to stress about whether someone, or a pet, might pull the Switch off the shelf is a concern in my apartment when I’m using this portable dock. If there’s one thing that’s good about Nintendo’s design, it’s that it keeps things out of view and possible danger.
Despite its high price, the Covert Dock has a simple job, and it does it well. It lets me play the Switch using my TV just as well as the official dock does, and when I’m ready to go portable, the console is charged up for my journey. Plus, it serves as a laptop dock in a pinch. If you travel frequently or just want a convenient, pocket-friendly dock to bring along when you’re away from home, this is a great option.


theverge--2020-08-01--President Trump says he will ban TikTok in the US today

President Trump has told reporters he ’ s planning to ban TikTok from operating in the US .
“ As far as TikTok is concerned , we ’ re banning them from the United States , ” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night .
Bloomberg reports that Trump indicated he ’ s ready to sign a document to order the ban as early as today , either via an executive order or emergency economic powers .
“ I will sign the document tomorrow , ” said Trump on Friday night , indicating that a ban could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat of a TikTok ban has been lingering since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility on July 7th , saying it was “ something we ’ re looking at.
” TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance , and critics have called out its privacy practices and potential ties to the Chinese government .
Pompeo also compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE , two Chinese companies that have been designated as threats to US national security .
Reports on Friday suggested the Trump administration would potentially force TikTok ’ s Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move triggered rumors about Microsoft potentially acquiring TikTok ’ s US operations , a move that Trump appeared to downplay on Friday .
“ [ It ’ s ] not the deal that you have been hearing about , that they are going to buy and sell , and this and that .
And Microsoft and another one .
We ’ re not an M & A company , ” said Trump .
It ’ s still not clear exactly how the Trump administration will force a TikTok ban in the US .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but a network block like China ’ s Great Firewall would simply be unprecedented in the US .
American law doesn ’ t have any precedent for blocking software in such a way , so it ’ s unlikely that the White House will be able to immediately block TikTok with a network ban .

President Trump has told reporters he’s planning to ban TikTok from operating in the US. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night. Bloomberg reports that Trump indicated he’s ready to sign a document to order the ban as early as today, either via an executive order or emergency economic powers.
“I will sign the document tomorrow,” said Trump on Friday night, indicating that a ban could take effect “essentially immediately.”
The threat of a TikTok ban has been lingering since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility on July 7th, saying it was “something we’re looking at.” TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, and critics have called out its privacy practices and potential ties to the Chinese government. Pompeo also compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese companies that have been designated as threats to US national security.
TikTok US General Manager Vanessa Pappas thanked the company’s US supporters in a video on Saturday. “We’ve heard your outpouring of support,” she said, adding “we’re not planning on going anywhere.” The company will bring 10,000 jobs into the US over the next three years, Pappas said. “We’re here for the long run.”
Reports on Friday suggested the Trump administration would potentially force TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest it. Such a move triggered rumors about Microsoft potentially acquiring TikTok’s US operations, a move that Trump appeared to downplay on Friday. “[It’s] not the deal that you have been hearing about, that they are going to buy and sell, and this and that. And Microsoft and another one. We’re not an M&A company,” said Trump.
It’s still not clear exactly how the Trump administration will force a TikTok ban in the US. There are variety of different methods, but a network block like China’s Great Firewall would simply be unprecedented in the US. American law doesn’t have any precedent for blocking software in such a way, so it’s unlikely that the White House will be able to immediately block TikTok with a network ban.


theverge--2020-08-01--How the Trump administration could ‘ban’ TikTok

The Trump administration is apparently considering a ban on Chinese social media apps , including the popular video app TikTok .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility on July 7th , saying it was “ something we ’ re looking at ” in a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham — and on July 31st , President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he planned to personally ban the app using his own authority , instead of potentially forcing its Chinese owner to divest it .
The comments could easily have been bluster .
But Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , two companies that have suffered very real consequences after drawing US government ire .
With tension rising between the US and China , Trump trying to ban TikTok isn ’ t out of the question — and while it ’ s not nearly as simple as Trump , Pompeo and Ingraham make it sound , it could still cause trouble for the company and its users .
The most intense app bans happen at the network level , blocking any communication between the targeted servers and users in the country .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Great Firewall , and it ’ s how India enforces its recently implemented TikTok ban .
( Australia , which is considering a similar ban , would likely take the same approach . )
But American law doesn ’ t have any precedent for blocking software in that way , so it seems unlikely that the White House would be able to follow through on that kind of heavy-handed network censorship .
TikTok doesn ’ t have the same vulnerabilities as Huawei or ZTE Pompeo compared the administration ’ s TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ZTE , which included locking them out of government contracts .
It ’ s true that TikTok has been banned from many government employees ’ work phones , including members of the US military , and some lawmakers are pushing for an even broader restriction .
But Huawei and ZTE sold components to telecom operators who , in turn , worked with government agencies .
TikTok is a consumer app , so that ’ s a much less serious punishment .
“ Huawei and ZTE are used by enterprises , ” says Samm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Law School ’ s Paul Tsai China Center .
“ TikTok is used by so many people in the US.
” A more likely target is the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ( CFIUS ) , which oversees mergers and investments involving non-US companies .
CFIUS opened a national security investigation into TikTok last year , citing similar concerns to Pompeo , and there ’ s enough evidence against the company to build a plausible case .
TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based company ByteDance , and critics have raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practices and its potential ties to the Chinese government .
Leaked moderation guidelines discouraged criticism of events like the Tiananmen Square protests .
Although TikTok says it stores American user data in the US , there ’ s a persistent concern that it could pass information to Chinese state agencies .
( TikTok has repeatedly denied that it shares information this way , and it says the moderation guidelines are no longer used . )
“ The Chinese government has a history of gaining control over nodes in the information system , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verge in an interview last year .
If CFIUS decides Chinese ownership is a problem , the council could cause a lot of trouble for TikTok .
In recent years , CFIUS has rejected some high-profile merger and acquisition plans — including a Chinese company ’ s purchase of gay hookup app Grindr , which it nixed on national security grounds .
The council could make TikTok restructure in a way that further separates its US presence from its Chinese one , or even make ByteDance sell off Musical.ly , a Chinese company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US .
It ’ s still not precisely a “ ban , ” though — and it certainly doesn ’ t generalize to all Chinese social media apps .
Even if the government can ’ t ban TikTok , it could try to deplatform it To really take TikTok off Americans ’ phones , the government would have to do something like make Apple and Google sever their ties with ByteDance ( along with any other Chinese app makers ) .
Getting removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeal , even if you could still access it through a sideloaded app or website .
Apple , in particular , keeps tight control over iOS devices ; its App Store policy is so restrictive that it ’ s spurred antitrust lawsuits .
The government would essentially be ordering companies to deplatform TikTok — and deplatforming can be extremely powerful .
To do this , the Trump administration could repeat a tactic it used with Huawei : have the Commerce Department put TikTok on the “ entity list ” that limits its commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t need congressional approval to do this , and it can cite any US company that does business with them ( barring special exemptions ) for violating sanctions .
The entity list has stopped Google from working with Huawei on Android phones , and if TikTok were successfully added to the list , Apple and Google would have a hard time keeping them in the App Store .
James Lewis , director of technology policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies , says putting TikTok on the list would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dubious .
“ They could sanction them , but usually the sanction is tied to trade violations or espionage or proliferation or intellectual property theft .
You can ’ t just do it because you ’ re mad at a company , ” says Lewis .
Unlike TikTok , Huawei is facing actual US criminal charges for racketeering and trade secret theft .
The claims about TikTok are still suspicions , not legal complaints .
Even an unrelated lawsuit for unlawfully collecting children ’ s data was settled almost immediately .
Trump often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his orders are lawful .
If he issues an executive order that purports to “ ban ” TikTok or other Chinese apps , it will probably get challenged immediately in court , but it will still create uncertainty and reputational damage .
The White House is already trying to warn investors away from Chinese companies , and even intermittent app store problems would slow its user growth and hurt advertising revenue .
And many users might not realize Trump can ’ t legally shut down TikTok — so they could abandon it before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options would constitute a literal banning of TikTok — that is , a block that cuts US users off from TikTok ’ s network .
Similar to President Trump ’ s threats of shutting down Facebook and Twitter , Pompeo ’ s discussion of banning TikTok obscures the real limits of US government power .
Even so , it could foreshadow genuinely troubling attempts to limit how Americans can use the internet .
Update , August 1st , 12:12 AM ET : Added that President Trump has now personally threatened to ban the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An earlier version of this piece referred to Musical.ly as an American app but did not note that the company itself was Chinese .
This has been updated for clarity .

The Trump administration is apparently considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, including the popular video app TikTok. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility on July 7th, saying it was “something we’re looking at” in a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham — and on July 31st, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he planned to personally ban the app using his own authority, instead of potentially forcing its Chinese owner to divest it.
The comments could easily have been bluster. But Pompeo also compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE, two companies that have suffered very real consequences after drawing US government ire. With tension rising between the US and China, Trump trying to ban TikTok isn’t out of the question — and while it’s not nearly as simple as Trump, Pompeo and Ingraham make it sound, it could still cause trouble for the company and its users.
The most intense app bans happen at the network level, blocking any communication between the targeted servers and users in the country. That’s the approach taken by China’s Great Firewall, and it’s how India enforces its recently implemented TikTok ban. (Australia, which is considering a similar ban, would likely take the same approach.) But American law doesn’t have any precedent for blocking software in that way, so it seems unlikely that the White House would be able to follow through on that kind of heavy-handed network censorship.
TikTok doesn’t have the same vulnerabilities as Huawei or ZTE
Pompeo compared the administration’s TikTok plans to its crackdown on Huawei and ZTE, which included locking them out of government contracts. It’s true that TikTok has been banned from many government employees’ work phones, including members of the US military, and some lawmakers are pushing for an even broader restriction. But Huawei and ZTE sold components to telecom operators who, in turn, worked with government agencies. TikTok is a consumer app, so that’s a much less serious punishment. “Huawei and ZTE are used by enterprises,” says Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. “TikTok is used by so many people in the US.”
A more likely target is the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which oversees mergers and investments involving non-US companies. CFIUS opened a national security investigation into TikTok last year, citing similar concerns to Pompeo, and there’s enough evidence against the company to build a plausible case.
TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based company ByteDance, and critics have raised several issues around both its overall privacy practices and its potential ties to the Chinese government. Leaked moderation guidelines discouraged criticism of events like the Tiananmen Square protests. Although TikTok says it stores American user data in the US, there’s a persistent concern that it could pass information to Chinese state agencies. (TikTok has repeatedly denied that it shares information this way, and it says the moderation guidelines are no longer used.) “The Chinese government has a history of gaining control over nodes in the information system,” Freedom House analyst Sarah Cook told The Verge in an interview last year.
If CFIUS decides Chinese ownership is a problem, the council could cause a lot of trouble for TikTok. In recent years, CFIUS has rejected some high-profile merger and acquisition plans — including a Chinese company’s purchase of gay hookup app Grindr, which it nixed on national security grounds. The council could make TikTok restructure in a way that further separates its US presence from its Chinese one, or even make ByteDance sell off Musical.ly, a Chinese company whose American app helped TikTok launch in in the US. It’s still not precisely a “ban,” though — and it certainly doesn’t generalize to all Chinese social media apps.
Even if the government can’t ban TikTok, it could try to deplatform it
To really take TikTok off Americans’ phones, the government would have to do something like make Apple and Google sever their ties with ByteDance (along with any other Chinese app makers). Getting removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store would vastly reduce TikTok’s appeal, even if you could still access it through a sideloaded app or website. Apple, in particular, keeps tight control over iOS devices; its App Store policy is so restrictive that it’s spurred antitrust lawsuits. The government would essentially be ordering companies to deplatform TikTok — and deplatforming can be extremely powerful.
To do this, the Trump administration could repeat a tactic it used with Huawei: have the Commerce Department put TikTok on the “entity list” that limits its commercial ties to US companies. The administration doesn’t need congressional approval to do this, and it can cite any US company that does business with them (barring special exemptions) for violating sanctions. The entity list has stopped Google from working with Huawei on Android phones, and if TikTok were successfully added to the list, Apple and Google would have a hard time keeping them in the App Store.
James Lewis, director of technology policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says putting TikTok on the list would be extreme, unusual, and legally dubious. “They could sanction them, but usually the sanction is tied to trade violations or espionage or proliferation or intellectual property theft. You can’t just do it because you’re mad at a company,” says Lewis. Unlike TikTok, Huawei is facing actual US criminal charges for racketeering and trade secret theft. The claims about TikTok are still suspicions, not legal complaints. Even an unrelated lawsuit for unlawfully collecting children’s data was settled almost immediately.
Trump often isn’t overly concerned with whether his orders are lawful. If he issues an executive order that purports to “ban” TikTok or other Chinese apps, it will probably get challenged immediately in court, but it will still create uncertainty and reputational damage. The White House is already trying to warn investors away from Chinese companies, and even intermittent app store problems would slow its user growth and hurt advertising revenue. And many users might not realize Trump can’t legally shut down TikTok — so they could abandon it before anything even happens.
None of these options would constitute a literal banning of TikTok — that is, a block that cuts US users off from TikTok’s network. Similar to President Trump’s threats of shutting down Facebook and Twitter, Pompeo’s discussion of banning TikTok obscures the real limits of US government power. Even so, it could foreshadow genuinely troubling attempts to limit how Americans can use the internet.
Update, August 1st, 12:12 AM ET: Added that President Trump has now personally threatened to ban the app using presidential authority.


theverge--2020-08-01--Brace yourselves: Google’s Pixel 4A is finally, probably coming Monday

With a rumored $ 349 price , OLED screen , Google ’ s great camera , and a good-enough processor , the upcoming Pixel 4A sounds like it ’ ll be a tough deal to beat for those who don ’ t need a premium phone .
And it looks like the phone will finally be launching on August 3rd .
Google has officially confirmed that a new Pixel phone is coming this Monday , and while there ’ s a slight possibility it could be a different phone , Google itself had also leaked a picture of a phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else we ’ d heard .
Now , more renders of the phone have been leaked that appear to confirm a lot of the earlier rumors .
Ishan Agarwal posted an image of the phone similar to ones we ’ ve seen previously and apparent confirmation of the phone ’ s specs .
Teases about the phone have been leaking for months , with specs , renders , camera samples , wallpapers , and even images of a prototype device making the rounds .
Back in April , 9to5Google had a rundown of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4A : • Same video recording capabilities as Pixel 4 ( max of 4K at 30fps ) Eagle-eyed readers will notice Argarwal ’ s tweet also references the previously-rumored 5G version of the 4A , expected this fall with a price tag of $ 499 , along with a Pixel 5 .
Agarwal also tweeted that the 4A will be available in the US , UK , Ireland , Germany , Australia , Japan , and Canada .
His information jibes with earlier reported specs about its camera .
Twitter user TechDroider had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pixel 4A : For those awaiting the arrival of Google ’ s newest budget smartphone , it ’ s been quite the saga .
Google canceled Google I/O 2020 , which was set for May , due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
That would have been the expected time to unveil the Pixel 4A .
And although it wasn ’ t necessarily expected , a slew of Android 11 announcements in June had no mention of the Pixel 4A either .
Last year ’ s Pixel 3A set the bar for sub- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to camera performance ; The Verge ’ s Dieter Bohn said in his review it was the best phone in its price range , with “ a camera that ’ s among the best you can get on any smartphone.
” At the time of its release , Google spotlighted the camera ’ s low-light photography in ads comparing the Pixel 3A to Apple ’ s much more expensive iPhones .
But since then , Apple released its iPhone SE 2020 for just $ 399 , featuring both the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
The Verge ’ s review called the iPhone SE 2020 a good deal and a good smartphone , noting it ’ s likely to last longer than similar Google models , with video capability that “ punches about its weight class .
”

With a rumored $349 price, OLED screen, Google’s great camera, and a good-enough processor, the upcoming Pixel 4A sounds like it’ll be a tough deal to beat for those who don’t need a premium phone. And it looks like the phone will finally be launching on August 3rd.
Google has officially confirmed that a new Pixel phone is coming this Monday, and while there’s a slight possibility it could be a different phone, Google itself had also leaked a picture of a phone last month that matches up with everything else we’d heard. Now, more renders of the phone have been leaked that appear to confirm a lot of the earlier rumors. Ishan Agarwal posted an image of the phone similar to ones we’ve seen previously and apparent confirmation of the phone’s specs.
Teases about the phone have been leaking for months, with specs, renders, camera samples, wallpapers, and even images of a prototype device making the rounds. Back in April, 9to5Google had a rundown of all the rumored specs for the Pixel 4A:
5.81-inch display (2340 x 1080 resolution)
Snapdragon 730
64GB or 128GB storage
6GB RAM
3,080mAh battery
12.2-megapixel rear camera
Same video recording capabilities as Pixel 4 (max of 4K at 30fps)
8-megapixel front-facing camera (hole-punch cutout)
Headphone jack
Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
Eagle-eyed readers will notice Argarwal’s tweet also references the previously-rumored 5G version of the 4A, expected this fall with a price tag of $499, along with a Pixel 5.
Agarwal also tweeted that the 4A will be available in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Canada. His information jibes with earlier reported specs about its camera.
Twitter user TechDroider had a look at the box contents for the Pixel 4A:
For those awaiting the arrival of Google’s newest budget smartphone, it’s been quite the saga. Google canceled Google I/O 2020, which was set for May, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That would have been the expected time to unveil the Pixel 4A. And although it wasn’t necessarily expected, a slew of Android 11 announcements in June had no mention of the Pixel 4A either.
Last year’s Pixel 3A set the bar for sub-$400 phones, particularly when it came to camera performance; The Verge’s Dieter Bohn said in his review it was the best phone in its price range, with “a camera that’s among the best you can get on any smartphone.”
At the time of its release, Google spotlighted the camera’s low-light photography in ads comparing the Pixel 3A to Apple’s much more expensive iPhones.


theverge--2020-08-01--How to watch two NASA astronauts journey home in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule

This afternoon , NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are scheduled to start their journey back to Earth inside SpaceX ’ s new Crew Dragon , bringing an end to their historic flight to the International Space Station .
If all goes to plan , the two will splash down in the Crew Dragon off the western coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon .
Getting back to Earth from orbit is no easy task , and the two astronauts have a long trip ahead of them before they ’ re back on solid ground .
Once Behnken and Hurley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll spend the next 18 hours in orbit , slowly distancing themselves from the ISS , before making the dive into Earth ’ s atmosphere .
That begins a harrowing trip down to the surface , as the Crew Dragon experiences extreme temperatures reaching up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit and slows down from 17,500 miles per hour .
Things get underway this afternoon , when Behnken and Hurley climb inside the Crew Dragon and close the hatch at around 5:45PM ET .
They ’ ll remain inside until the scheduled time for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Crew Dragon in place at the Station will retract , releasing the capsule into space .
Right after that , thrusters on the Crew Dragon will do two quick burns in order to separate out further from the ISS .
A couple hours after undocking , the Crew Dragon will do another engine burn to put the vehicle on the path toward its planned landing site .
Right now , NASA and SpaceX are targeting a splashdown off the coast of Pensacola , on the edge of Florida ’ s panhandle in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of seven potential sites around Florida where the Crew Dragon could land .
NASA and SpaceX would rather the Crew Dragon land on the east side of Florida , near Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral , Florida .
However , Tropical Storm Isaias is projected to skim eastern Florida this weekend , forcing Behnken and Hurley to head farther west .
If Pensacola doesn ’ t work out , the Crew Dragon will head toward a backup site outside of Panama City .
If either location works out , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has touched down in the Gulf of Mexico .
After that final burn , it ’ s a long wait until things pick back up again .
Behnken and Hurley will try to get some sleep overnight ahead of their scheduled descent through the atmosphere on Sunday afternoon .
At around 1:44PM ET on Sunday , SpaceX will jettison a big chunk of the Crew Dragon ahead of the landing : the capsule ’ s trunk .
It ’ s a cylindrical piece of hardware attached to the back end of the capsule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extra room to carry cargo .
It also houses all of the solar panels that generate power for the Crew Dragon during flight .
But when it comes time to land , SpaceX doesn ’ t need the trunk anymore , so it separates and falls into Earth ’ s atmosphere , where it burns up .
At 1:49PM ET on Sunday , the final descent begins .
The Crew Dragon will burn its thrusters again , taking the capsule out of orbit and setting it on course for Earth .
That starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Crew Dragon will start to heat up as it falls through the atmosphere , while the capsule ’ s outer heat shield should protect the vehicle and the crew inside .
The amount of heated plasma that builds up around the capsule is so intense that it actually triggers a communications blackout that will last up to six minutes .
At 1:51PM ET on Sunday , the final descent begins The atmosphere helps to cushion the Crew Dragon ’ s fall , slowing it down immensely .
But the capsule needs a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At an altitude of roughly 18,000 feet , two drogue parachutes will deploy from the capsule when it ’ s moving at around 350 miles per hour .
These small chutes slow the capsule down to about 119 miles per hour ahead of the main parachutes deploying .
When the Crew Dragon reaches an altitude of 6,000 feet , four big red and white parachutes will deploy to keep braking the vehicle , allowing it to touch down gently in the ocean at around 2:41PM ET .
As soon as the capsule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boats carrying dozens of people will meet up with the Crew Dragon .
They ’ ll hoist the capsule out of the ocean , retrieve the parachutes , and then get Behnken and Hurley out into the fresh air .
The astronauts will then be airlifted to shore , thanks to a helipad on one of the recovery vessels .
The helicopter will take them to a plane that will transport them back to Houston .
NASA ’ s coverage of the landing will begin at 5:15PM ET , just before Behnken and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The agency will provide continuous live coverage all the way through the splashdown , showing scenes from mission control centers at both NASA and SpaceX .
That way , viewers can follow along with every part of Behnken and Hurley ’ s journey home .

This afternoon, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are scheduled to start their journey back to Earth inside SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon, bringing an end to their historic flight to the International Space Station. If all goes to plan, the two will splash down in the Crew Dragon off the western coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Getting back to Earth from orbit is no easy task, and the two astronauts have a long trip ahead of them before they’re back on solid ground. Once Behnken and Hurley undock from the space station, they’ll spend the next 18 hours in orbit, slowly distancing themselves from the ISS, before making the dive into Earth’s atmosphere. That begins a harrowing trip down to the surface, as the Crew Dragon experiences extreme temperatures reaching up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit and slows down from 17,500 miles per hour.
Things get underway this afternoon, when Behnken and Hurley climb inside the Crew Dragon and close the hatch at around 5:45PM ET. They’ll remain inside until the scheduled time for undocking at 7:34PM ET. Hooks holding the Crew Dragon in place at the Station will retract, releasing the capsule into space. Right after that, thrusters on the Crew Dragon will do two quick burns in order to separate out further from the ISS.
A couple hours after undocking, the Crew Dragon will do another engine burn to put the vehicle on the path toward its planned landing site. Right now, NASA and SpaceX are targeting a splashdown off the coast of Pensacola, on the edge of Florida’s panhandle in the Gulf of Mexico. The location is one of seven potential sites around Florida where the Crew Dragon could land. NASA and SpaceX would rather the Crew Dragon land on the east side of Florida, near Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, Tropical Storm Isaias is projected to skim eastern Florida this weekend, forcing Behnken and Hurley to head farther west. If Pensacola doesn’t work out, the Crew Dragon will head toward a backup site outside of Panama City. If either location works out, this will be the first time a spacecraft has touched down in the Gulf of Mexico.
After that final burn, it’s a long wait until things pick back up again. Behnken and Hurley will try to get some sleep overnight ahead of their scheduled descent through the atmosphere on Sunday afternoon. At around 1:44PM ET on Sunday, SpaceX will jettison a big chunk of the Crew Dragon ahead of the landing: the capsule’s trunk. It’s a cylindrical piece of hardware attached to the back end of the capsule, providing support during launch and providing extra room to carry cargo. It also houses all of the solar panels that generate power for the Crew Dragon during flight. But when it comes time to land, SpaceX doesn’t need the trunk anymore, so it separates and falls into Earth’s atmosphere, where it burns up.
At 1:49PM ET on Sunday, the final descent begins. The Crew Dragon will burn its thrusters again, taking the capsule out of orbit and setting it on course for Earth. That starts a very quick series of events. The Crew Dragon will start to heat up as it falls through the atmosphere, while the capsule’s outer heat shield should protect the vehicle and the crew inside. The amount of heated plasma that builds up around the capsule is so intense that it actually triggers a communications blackout that will last up to six minutes.
At 1:51PM ET on Sunday, the final descent begins
The atmosphere helps to cushion the Crew Dragon’s fall, slowing it down immensely. But the capsule needs a little extra help to get down safely. At an altitude of roughly 18,000 feet, two drogue parachutes will deploy from the capsule when it’s moving at around 350 miles per hour. These small chutes slow the capsule down to about 119 miles per hour ahead of the main parachutes deploying. When the Crew Dragon reaches an altitude of 6,000 feet, four big red and white parachutes will deploy to keep braking the vehicle, allowing it to touch down gently in the ocean at around 2:41PM ET.
As soon as the capsule is in the water, two SpaceX boats carrying dozens of people will meet up with the Crew Dragon. They’ll hoist the capsule out of the ocean, retrieve the parachutes, and then get Behnken and Hurley out into the fresh air. The astronauts will then be airlifted to shore, thanks to a helipad on one of the recovery vessels. The helicopter will take them to a plane that will transport them back to Houston.


theverge--2020-08-01--Microsoft reportedly puts TikTok acquisition talks on hold

Talks between Microsoft and TikTok parent company ByteDance were paused after President Trump voiced his opposition to the deal , The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday .
And while the deal does not appear to be dead , both parties are reportedly trying to get a handle on where the Trump administration stands , and if it plans any future action against the Chinese-based video sharing app .
President Trump told reporters Friday he was planning to ban TikTok from operating in the US .
“ As far as TikTok is concerned , we ’ re banning them from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aboard Air Force One .
Bloomberg reports the president said he was ready to sign a document to order the ban as early as today , either via an executive order or emergency economic powers .
“ I will sign the document tomorrow , ” he said on Friday night , indicating that a ban could take effect “ essentially immediately.
” Microsoft was in advanced talks with ByteDance prior to the president ’ s comments , the WSJ said .
Trump ’ s remarks led TikTok to agree to add 10,000 jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still hold after the president ’ s comment was unclear Saturday .
A deal was possible as early as Monday , according to the WSJ .
Reuters reported Saturday that ByteDance had agreed to sell its American operations to prevent the Trump administration from banning it in the US , and , that Microsoft would be in charge of protecting US user data .
The plan would have allowed another American company to take over TikTok in the US .
The administration has threatened to ban the video-sharing app for several weeks ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 7th a ban was “ something we ’ re looking at.
” President Trump said Friday “ we ’ re banning them from the United States , ” but didn ’ t provide specifics other than he planned to take action as early as Saturday .
TikTok US General Manager Vanessa Pappas said in a video on Saturday that “ we ’ re not planning on going anywhere ” and the company is “ here for the long run.
” TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance , and has been scrutinized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to China ’ s government .
Pompeo has compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE , two Chinese companies the Trump administration has designated as threats to US national security .
Last month , TikTok users and K-pop fans encouraged followers to buy tickets to President Trump ’ s rally in Tulsa but not show up , in an attempt to leave seats at the rally empty .
Turnout for the rally was lower than the Trump campaign had expected .
Reports on Friday suggested the Trump administration would potentially force TikTok ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several published reports indicated Microsoft was in advanced talks to acquire the company .
US law doesn ’ t have any precedent for blocking software , the way China ’ s Great Firewall does .
UPDATE August 1st , 4:31PM ET : Adds information that the talks between Microsoft and ByteDance appear to be paused

Talks between Microsoft and TikTok parent company ByteDance were paused after President Trump voiced his opposition to the deal, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. And while the deal does not appear to be dead, both parties are reportedly trying to get a handle on where the Trump administration stands, and if it plans any future action against the Chinese-based video sharing app.
President Trump told reporters Friday he was planning to ban TikTok from operating in the US. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Bloomberg reports the president said he was ready to sign a document to order the ban as early as today, either via an executive order or emergency economic powers.
“I will sign the document tomorrow,” he said on Friday night, indicating that a ban could take effect “essentially immediately.”
Microsoft was in advanced talks with ByteDance prior to the president’s comments, the WSJ said. Trump’s remarks led TikTok to agree to add 10,000 jobs in the US. Whether that will still hold after the president’s comment was unclear Saturday. A deal was possible as early as Monday, according to the WSJ.
Reuters reported Saturday that ByteDance had agreed to sell its American operations to prevent the Trump administration from banning it in the US, and, that Microsoft would be in charge of protecting US user data. The plan would have allowed another American company to take over TikTok in the US.
The administration has threatened to ban the video-sharing app for several weeks; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 7th a ban was “something we’re looking at.” President Trump said Friday “we’re banning them from the United States,” but didn’t provide specifics other than he planned to take action as early as Saturday.
TikTok US General Manager Vanessa Pappas said in a video on Saturday that “we’re not planning on going anywhere” and the company is “here for the long run.”
TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, and has been scrutinized for its privacy practices and potential ties to China’s government. Pompeo has compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese companies the Trump administration has designated as threats to US national security.
Last month, TikTok users and K-pop fans encouraged followers to buy tickets to President Trump’s rally in Tulsa but not show up, in an attempt to leave seats at the rally empty. Turnout for the rally was lower than the Trump campaign had expected.
Reports on Friday suggested the Trump administration would potentially force TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest it, and several published reports indicated Microsoft was in advanced talks to acquire the company.
US law doesn’t have any precedent for blocking software, the way China’s Great Firewall does.


theverge--2020-08-01--GeForce Now will now automatically sync to your Steam library

GeForce Now users can sync their Steam libraries to their accounts with Nvidia ’ s new Game Sync feature .
Compatible games will appear in the My Library section of Game Sync , Nvidia announced .
The “ bring your own game ” cloud service , which launched its paid tier earlier this year , allows users to play games purchased through other platforms— including Steam , the Epic Games STore , Battle.net , and Uplay— in the cloud .
But searching for games in your Steam library that were compatible with GeForce Now was a bit of a slog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a user ’ s Steam library supported by GeForce Now and will add them to the “ My Library ” list within the app automatically , Nvidia says .
To sync your Steam account with your GeForce Now library , go to Game Sync in Settings whenever you purchase a new game via Steam .
When Nvidia launched the paid tier of GeForce Now it caused some controversy among game publishers , who saw it as a way for users to access copyrighted content without publishers ’ permission , and several pulled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updated its policy in May , requiring publishers and developers to opt in to the platform to have their games available to be played remotely on Nvidia ’ s servers .

GeForce Now users can sync their Steam libraries to their accounts with Nvidia’s new Game Sync feature. Compatible games will appear in the My Library section of Game Sync, Nvidia announced.
The “bring your own game” cloud service, which launched its paid tier earlier this year, allows users to play games purchased through other platforms— including Steam, the Epic Games STore, Battle.net, and Uplay— in the cloud. But searching for games in your Steam library that were compatible with GeForce Now was a bit of a slog.
The new feature will identify games in a user’s Steam library supported by GeForce Now and will add them to the “My Library” list within the app automatically, Nvidia says. To sync your Steam account with your GeForce Now library, go to Game Sync in Settings whenever you purchase a new game via Steam.


theverge--2020-08-01--Apple reportedly acquires startup that could turn iPhones into payment terminals

Apple has acquired a startup with technology that could turn iPhones into mobile payment terminals , Bloomberg reported .
Montreal-based Mobeewave has tech that requires only an NFC chip to work , allowing users to tap either their smartphone or a credit card to another phone for payment processing .
NFC chips have been included in iPhones since the iPhone 6 .
And while Apple Pay lets shoppers tap their iPhones to pay at a retail store , adding Mobeewave could allow any iPhone to accept payments without extra hardware like a card reader .
According to Bloomberg , Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and has retained its team of employees .
Neither company would comment on the transaction .
Rival phone manufacturer Samsung partnered with Mobeewave last year on a pilot point-of-sale program in Canada .
And as Bloomberg notes , Samsung ’ s venture division is an investor in Mobeewave .
Apple has acquired several other startups this year so far , including popular weather app Dark Sky in March .
It looks to be integrating Dark Sky ’ s features into its native weather app in iOS 14 and has shut down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of August 1st .
Apple also confirmed in May that it bought VR broadcast company NextVR .

Apple has acquired a startup with technology that could turn iPhones into mobile payment terminals, Bloomberg reported. Montreal-based Mobeewave has tech that requires only an NFC chip to work, allowing users to tap either their smartphone or a credit card to another phone for payment processing. NFC chips have been included in iPhones since the iPhone 6. And while Apple Pay lets shoppers tap their iPhones to pay at a retail store, adding Mobeewave could allow any iPhone to accept payments without extra hardware like a card reader.


theverge--2020-08-01--Researchers become their own lab rats with DIY coronavirus vaccine

Vaccine trials have had a weird week .
First , there was the exhilarating kickoff of two massive clinical trials for vaccines created by Moderna and Pfizer .
Each company is hoping to recruit 30,000 volunteers to test whether its vaccine is effective and safe .
This is normal .
What ’ s not normal is a bunch of researchers in Boston who have decided to test a DIY coronavirus vaccine on themselves .
At least 20 people have mixed together the vaccine and sprayed it up their noses as part of what they ’ re calling the Rapid Deployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a truly wild MIT Technology Review story from editor Antonio Regalado .
Among the people testing the vaccine is Harvard University geneticist George Church .
You may know him from other efforts , including recoding the human genome , Woolly Mammoth Revival , and Genetic Matchmaking .
Church was a mentor to Preston Estep , a geneticist who started Radvac in March .
As Regalado notes , this is all happening completely outside of any sort of regulation or oversight .
Predictably , many bioethicists find this approach to vaccine development ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are also other risks that aren ’ t directly related to the safety or efficacy of the DIY vaccine on the self-declared research subjects .
There ’ s been a worrying rise in vaccine mistrust over the past few years , both in the US and around the world .
Now , in the middle of a global pandemic , people are still distrustful of vaccines , and it ’ s getting worse , thanks to rampant misinformation .
“ Since the outset of the pandemic , vaccine-related falsehoods have ballooned on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brodwin wrote in a recent article on STAT , “ and recent research suggests some of those inaccurate posts are gaining traction among people who weren ’ t previously opposed to vaccinations.
” “ Since the outset of the pandemic , vaccine-related falsehoods have ballooned ” Radvac isn ’ t responsible for the current dire state of vaccine attitudes in the US and around the world .
But if you ’ re going to experiment with high-profile drugs in the hopes of changing the world , you should be acutely aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the reasons these falsehoods are able to take hold ?
People who are already scared of the pandemic are also pretty freaked out by the speed at which these vaccines — whether from big firms or small experiments — are being produced .
“ I just feel like there ’ s a rush to get a vaccine out , so I ’ m very hesitant , ” Joanne Barnes , a retired fourth grade teacher from Fairbanks , Alaska , told The New York Times earlier this month .
Barnes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is “ otherwise always scrupulously up-to-date on getting her shots , including those for shingles , flu and pneumonia.
” The trepidation felt by people like Barnes is why vaccine experts and virologists have repeatedly warned against cutting scientific corners in the pursuit of a vaccine .
There ’ s a worry that if those experiments go badly , it could damage people ’ s willingness to get even a safe , approved vaccine in the future .
“ Despite the genuine need for urgency , the old saying holds : measure twice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into potentially risky vaccines and therapies will betray that trust and discourage work to develop better assessments .
Despite the genuine need for urgency , the old saying holds : measure twice , cut once , ” Shibo Jiang , a professor of virology at Fudan University in Shanghai , wrote in Nature back in March .
As it is , Radvac is measuring and cutting with their own lives , gambling that they can make progress and stay small enough to pass unnoticed by regulatory groups .
“ What the FDA really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big , which makes claims , or makes money .
And this is none of those , ” Church told Tech Review .
“ As soon as we do any of those things , they would justifiably crack down .
Also , things that get attention .
But we haven ’ t had any so far.
” That ’ s sure changed .
What happens next ?
It ’ s all an experiment .
Here ’ s what else was going on this week .
Children May Carry Coronavirus at High Levels , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had confirmed cases of COVID-19 had nearly 100 times the amount of virus in their noses and throats compared to adults with COVID-19 .
Older kids had at least as much virus as adults .
“ One takeaway from this is that we can ’ t assume that just because kids aren ’ t getting sick , or very sick , that they don ’ t have the virus , ” Taylor Heald-Sargent , lead author of the study , told The New York Times .
( Apoorva Mandavilli / The New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and staff at Georgia sleep-away camp On Friday , the CDC released a report of an outbreak at a sleep-away camp in June .
Nearly 600 people ( staff and campers ) were at the camp , and researchers had test results for 344 of the people there .
260 of the tests came back positive , many of them from children .
“ This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and , contrary to early reports , might play an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report says .
( Chelsea Janes/The Washington Post ) Covid-19 infections leave an impact on the heart , raising concerns about lasting damage Two studies from Germany found troubling evidence that COVID-19 damages the heart .
( Elizabeth Cooney / STAT ) The odd , growing list of Covid-19 symptoms , explained This is still a relatively new virus , so researchers are still learning a lot about what kinds of symptoms the disease causes .
( Umair Irfan and Brian Resnick / Vox ) Monkey Business : Experimental vaccines from both Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect monkeys from catching the coronavirus , according to research published this week .
That doesn ’ t mean that the vaccines will have the same effect in humans , but it is welcome news .
“ This week has been good — now we have two vaccines that work in monkeys , ” virologist Angela Rasmussen told The New York Times .
“ It ’ s nice to be upbeat for a change.
” ( Carl Zimmer , Denise Grady / The New York Times ) — Devi Sridhar , professor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Edinburgh .
Sridhar explains Scotland ’ s ambitious “ zero COVID ” policy in a fascinating interview conducted by Veronika Hackenbroch at Der Spiegel .
“ Despite having less than 5 % of the global population , nearly a quarter of the 662,000 deaths reported during the pandemic worldwide have occurred in the United States , ” NPR reported on Wednesday , when coronavirus deaths in the US topped 150,000 .
The numbers are still rising .
To the more than 17,613,859 people worldwide who have tested positive , may your road to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and friends of the 679,986 people who have died worldwide — 153,320 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten .

Vaccine trials have had a weird week. First, there was the exhilarating kickoff of two massive clinical trials for vaccines created by Moderna and Pfizer. Each company is hoping to recruit 30,000 volunteers to test whether its vaccine is effective and safe. This is normal.
What’s not normal is a bunch of researchers in Boston who have decided to test a DIY coronavirus vaccine on themselves. At least 20 people have mixed together the vaccine and sprayed it up their noses as part of what they’re calling the Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative (Radvac), according to a truly wild MIT Technology Review story from editor Antonio Regalado.
Among the people testing the vaccine is Harvard University geneticist George Church. You may know him from other efforts, including recoding the human genome, Woolly Mammoth Revival, and Genetic Matchmaking. Church was a mentor to Preston Estep, a geneticist who started Radvac in March.
As Regalado notes, this is all happening completely outside of any sort of regulation or oversight.
Predictably, many bioethicists find this approach to vaccine development... problematic, as Regalado reports:
Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University Langone Medical Center, who saw the white paper, pans Radvac as “off-the-charts looney.” In an email, Caplan says he sees “no leeway” for self-experimentation given the importance of quality control with vaccines. Instead, he thinks there is a high “potential for harm” and “ill-founded enthusiasm.” Church disagrees, saying the vaccine’s simple formulation means it’s probably safe. “I think the bigger risk is that it is ineffective,” he says.
But there are also other risks that aren’t directly related to the safety or efficacy of the DIY vaccine on the lab rats self-declared research subjects. There’s been a worrying rise in vaccine mistrust over the past few years, both in the US and around the world. Now, in the middle of a global pandemic, people are still distrustful of vaccines, and it’s getting worse, thanks to rampant misinformation.
“Since the outset of the pandemic, vaccine-related falsehoods have ballooned on [Facebook],” reporter Erin Brodwin wrote in a recent article on STAT, “and recent research suggests some of those inaccurate posts are gaining traction among people who weren’t previously opposed to vaccinations.”
“Since the outset of the pandemic, vaccine-related falsehoods have ballooned”
Radvac isn’t responsible for the current dire state of vaccine attitudes in the US and around the world. But if you’re going to experiment with high-profile drugs in the hopes of changing the world, you should be acutely aware of the world you’re experimenting in.
One of the reasons these falsehoods are able to take hold? People who are already scared of the pandemic are also pretty freaked out by the speed at which these vaccines — whether from big firms or small experiments — are being produced.
“I just feel like there’s a rush to get a vaccine out, so I’m very hesitant,” Joanne Barnes, a retired fourth grade teacher from Fairbanks, Alaska, told The New York Times earlier this month. Barnes, the Times reported, is someone who is “otherwise always scrupulously up-to-date on getting her shots, including those for shingles, flu and pneumonia.”
The trepidation felt by people like Barnes is why vaccine experts and virologists have repeatedly warned against cutting scientific corners in the pursuit of a vaccine. There’s a worry that if those experiments go badly, it could damage people’s willingness to get even a safe, approved vaccine in the future.
“Despite the genuine need for urgency, the old saying holds: measure twice, cut once.”
“A rush into potentially risky vaccines and therapies will betray that trust and discourage work to develop better assessments. Despite the genuine need for urgency, the old saying holds: measure twice, cut once,” Shibo Jiang, a professor of virology at Fudan University in Shanghai, wrote in Nature back in March.
As it is, Radvac is measuring and cutting with their own lives, gambling that they can make progress and stay small enough to pass unnoticed by regulatory groups.
“What the FDA really wants to crack down on is anything big, which makes claims, or makes money. And this is none of those,” Church told Tech Review. “As soon as we do any of those things, they would justifiably crack down. Also, things that get attention. But we haven’t had any so far.”
That’s sure changed. What happens next? It’s all an experiment.
Here’s what else was going on this week.
Research
Children May Carry Coronavirus at High Levels, Study Finds
Kids younger than five who had confirmed cases of COVID-19 had nearly 100 times the amount of virus in their noses and throats compared to adults with COVID-19. Older kids had at least as much virus as adults. “One takeaway from this is that we can’t assume that just because kids aren’t getting sick, or very sick, that they don’t have the virus,” Taylor Heald-Sargent, lead author of the study, told The New York Times. (Apoorva Mandavilli / The New York Times)
Coronavirus infected scores of children and staff at Georgia sleep-away camp
On Friday, the CDC released a report of an outbreak at a sleep-away camp in June. Nearly 600 people (staff and campers) were at the camp, and researchers had test results for 344 of the people there. 260 of the tests came back positive, many of them from children. “This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to early reports, might play an important role in transmission” the CDC report says. (Chelsea Janes/The Washington Post)
Covid-19 infections leave an impact on the heart, raising concerns about lasting damage
Two studies from Germany found troubling evidence that COVID-19 damages the heart. (Elizabeth Cooney / STAT)
The odd, growing list of Covid-19 symptoms, explained
This is still a relatively new virus, so researchers are still learning a lot about what kinds of symptoms the disease causes. (Umair Irfan and Brian Resnick / Vox)
Development
Monkey Business: Experimental vaccines from both Johnson & Johnson and Moderna were able to protect monkeys from catching the coronavirus, according to research published this week. That doesn’t mean that the vaccines will have the same effect in humans, but it is welcome news. “This week has been good — now we have two vaccines that work in monkeys,” virologist Angela Rasmussen told The New York Times. “It’s nice to be upbeat for a change.” (Carl Zimmer, Denise Grady / The New York Times)
Perspectives
I like to compare this with the difficult task of letting milk simmer on the stove. Most of the time it goes wrong, because the milk can boil over at any time and cause a huge mess. It is just as dangerous to let the virus infections simmer at a low level.
— Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. Sridhar explains Scotland’s ambitious “zero COVID” policy in a fascinating interview conducted by Veronika Hackenbroch at Der Spiegel.
More than numbers
“Despite having less than 5% of the global population, nearly a quarter of the 662,000 deaths reported during the pandemic worldwide have occurred in the United States,” NPR reported on Wednesday, when coronavirus deaths in the US topped 150,000. The numbers are still rising.
To the more than 17,613,859 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 679,986 people who have died worldwide — 153,320 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.


theverge--2020-08-02--Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella has talked to Trump about buying TikTok

In a blog post Sunday , Microsoft said it was “ prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States , ” following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and President Trump .
It ’ s the first time the company has confirmed reports it was in talks to acquire the video sharing platform .
“ Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President ’ s concerns .
It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States , including the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads .
It adds that the company expects to move “ quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok ’ s parent company , ByteDance , in a matter of weeks , and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15 , 2020.
” The blog post also says that “ the two companies have provided notice of their intent to explore a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of the TikTok service in the United States , Canada , Australia , and New Zealand and would result in Microsoft owning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s unclear how Microsoft would sever those countries from other areas where TikTok operates , like Europe and Africa .
Microsoft also did not commit to undertaking the purchase entirely on its own , saying that the company “ may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase.
” President Trump had threatened to ban TikTok in the US on Friday .
Trump indicated to reporters that he was ready to sign a document to order the TikTok ban as early as Saturday , either via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility of a ban as early as July 7th , saying it was “ something we ’ re looking at.
” TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance , and critics have called out its privacy practices and potential ties to the Chinese government .
Pompeo also compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE , two Chinese companies that have been designated as threats to US national security .
The blog post describes the discussions as “ preliminary , ” but addresses the privacy concerns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all private data of TikTok ’ s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States .
“ To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States , ” the post continues , “ Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred .
”

In a blog post Sunday, Microsoft said it was “prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and President Trump. It’s the first time the company has confirmed reports it was in talks to acquire the video sharing platform.
“Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” the blog post reads. It adds that the company expects to move “quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020.”
The blog post also says that “the two companies have provided notice of their intent to explore a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of the TikTok service in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok in these markets.”
It’s unclear how Microsoft would sever those countries from other areas where TikTok operates, like Europe and Africa. Microsoft also did not commit to undertaking the purchase entirely on its own, saying that the company “may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase.”
President Trump had threatened to ban TikTok in the US on Friday. Trump indicated to reporters that he was ready to sign a document to order the TikTok ban as early as Saturday, either via an executive order or emergency economic powers.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the possibility of a ban as early as July 7th, saying it was “something we’re looking at.” TikTok is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, and critics have called out its privacy practices and potential ties to the Chinese government. Pompeo also compared TikTok to Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese companies that have been designated as threats to US national security.
The blog post describes the discussions as “preliminary,” but addresses the privacy concerns, saying the company would “ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States.


theverge--2020-08-02--SpaceX capsule swarmed by boaters after successful splashdown

After SpaceX ’ s Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and before NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were out of the capsule , dozens of boats circled the area , creating chaos as recovery crews tried to get to the spacecraft .
One had a banner with a “ Trump ” logo on it .
The spacecraft completed a two-month mission to the International Space Station , and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola , Florida at 2:48PM ET , where recovery boats were waiting nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a potentially dangerous situation because of the possibility of toxic propellant fumes from the spacecraft ’ s thrusters .
Not to mention the boats could have gotten in the way of an emergency recovery operation .
During a press briefing after the splashdown , NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told The Verge ’ s Loren Grush that they were not anticipating all the boats to be there .
“ I will tell you it ’ s a beautiful sunny day , and a lot of boaters were out there and they were certainly intrigued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think all of America was was very anxious to to see the capsule land in the water .
But yeah it ’ s it ’ s it ’ s something that we need to do better next time.
” Steve Stich , manager of NASA ’ s Commercial Crew Program , said that the Coast Guard helped clear the area before the event , and the boats didn ’ t interfere with the actual splashdown itself , adding “ we have some work to do with SpaceX , we will work together to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ splashdown .
”

After SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and before NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were out of the capsule, dozens of boats circled the area, creating confusion as recovery crews tried to get to the spacecraft. One had a banner with a “Trump” logo on it.
The spacecraft completed a two-month mission to the International Space Station, and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 2:48PM ET, where recovery boats were waiting nearby to receive the crew.
It was a potentially dangerous situation because of the possibility of toxic propellant fumes from the spacecraft’s thrusters. Not to mention the boats could have gotten in the way of an emergency recovery operation.
During a press briefing after the splashdown, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told The Verge’s Loren Grush that they were not anticipating all the boats to be there. “I will tell you it’s a beautiful sunny day, and a lot of boaters were out there and they were certainly intrigued,” he said. “I think all of America was was very anxious to to see the capsule land in the water. But yeah it’s it’s it’s something that we need to do better next time.”
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that the Coast Guard helped clear the area before the event, and the boats didn’t interfere with the actual splashdown itself, adding “we have some work to do with SpaceX, we will work together to do a better job for the next splashdown.”
The Coast Guard said in a statement emailed to The Verge that it had patrol boats in the area ahead of the splashdown, but that “numerous boaters ignored the Coast Guard crews’ requests and decided to encroach the area, putting themselves and those involved in the operation in potential danger.”
The agency said in the statement it is conducting a “comprehensive review” of the situation with NASA and SpaceX. According to the statement, the targeted splashdown area was “outside of the navigable waterways of the United States,” which it says in most instances is restricted to 12 nautical miles from shore. And while the Coast Guard has the legal authority to board vessels and enforce laws past the 12-mile rule, the statement reads, “it would have required a massive undertaking of resources to engage each boat that came into the area and suspend their voyage or otherwise escort them out.”


theverge--2020-08-02--Brazil Supreme Court orders Facebook to block accounts of several Bolsonaro allies

Facebook has blocked the accounts of a dozen allies of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil , BBC News reported .
Brazil ’ s Supreme Court ordered the 12 accounts blocked back in May , as they are under investigation for allegedly spreading false news about judges in the country .
A Supreme Court judge said Friday that Facebook had not fully complied with that earlier order .
A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge that the company had complied with the order , which it called “ extreme ” by “ restricting the ability for the target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IP locations in Brazil.
” The Supreme Court fined the company 1.92 million reais ( about $ 368,000 ) for not blocking worldwide access to the accounts in question .
It could have faced additional daily fines about about 100,00 reais ( about $ 19,000 ) .
“ Given the threat of criminal liability to a local employee , at this point we see no other alternative than complying with the decision by blocking the accounts globally , while we appeal to the Supreme Court , ” the spokesperson said .
Brazil ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ block 16 accounts , but it was not clear whether Twitter was fined .
Twitter told The Verge in an email it had complied with the order from the Brazil Supreme Court but was appealing .
The profiles were disabled , according to Al Jazeera .
In March , Twitter deleted several of Bolsonaro ’ s tweets that contained videos of him endorsing hydroxychloroquine and calling for an end to social-distancing efforts .
Facebook removed a similar video of Bolsonaro endorsing hydroxychloroquine .
Both platforms said the videos violated rules against spreading misinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for the coronavirus .

Facebook has blocked the accounts of a dozen allies of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, BBC News reported. Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the 12 accounts blocked back in May, as they are under investigation for allegedly spreading false news about judges in the country. A Supreme Court judge said Friday that Facebook had not fully complied with that earlier order.
A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge that the company had complied with the order, which it called “extreme” by “restricting the ability for the target Pages and Profiles to be seen from IP locations in Brazil.”
The Supreme Court fined the company 1.92 million reais (about $368,000) for not blocking worldwide access to the accounts in question. It could have faced additional daily fines about about 100,00 reais (about $19,000). “Given the threat of criminal liability to a local employee, at this point we see no other alternative than complying with the decision by blocking the accounts globally, while we appeal to the Supreme Court,” the spokesperson said.
Brazil’s Supreme Court had ordered Twitter to block 16 accounts, but it was not clear whether Twitter was fined. Twitter told The Verge in an email it had complied with the order from the Brazil Supreme Court but was appealing. The profiles were disabled, according to Al Jazeera.
In March, Twitter deleted several of Bolsonaro’s tweets that contained videos of him endorsing hydroxychloroquine and calling for an end to social-distancing efforts. Facebook removed a similar video of Bolsonaro endorsing hydroxychloroquine. Both platforms said the videos violated rules against spreading misinformation about coronavirus treatments. Bolsonaro later tested positive for the coronavirus.