Author: Frank Salvato

Federal aviation regulators are investigating a newly disclosed software problem affecting certain Boeing 737 MAX flight-management systems that can cause vertical navigation, or VNAV, to disengage during a specific sequence following an aborted landing. The problem affects versions 14 and 14.1 of the MAX flight-management-computer software and can arise when pilots execute a go-around from a precision approach with the autopilot engaged and subsequently modify the programmed flight path. Boeing maintains that the issue does not represent an immediate safety threat because the autopilot remains available and pilots are trained to operate without VNAV, but the FAA is convening a…

Larry Ellison has pledged an additional 67 million Oracle shares, worth roughly $9.2 billion at Friday’s closing price, as collateral for personal loans while helping finance Paramount Skydance’s massive acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The increase represents about 19 percent more pledged shares than a year ago and brings Ellison’s total pledged Oracle holdings to roughly 36 percent of his 1.16 billion shares, valued at more than $57 billion. The development comes as the Ellison family supports tens of billions of dollars in equity financing for the Warner Bros. transaction and Paramount seeks additional debt financing. The financial exposure is…

Two of Europe’s most prominent quantum-computing companies have turned to American capital markets as they enter their next stage of expansion, highlighting a growing challenge for Europe’s ability to finance and commercialize the advanced technologies developed within its own borders. Finland-based IQM began trading on Nasdaq in July after combining with a U.S.-listed special-purpose acquisition company, while France-based Pasqal followed in August through a similar transaction. IQM’s deal brought roughly $233.5 million in net proceeds, while Pasqal’s transaction provided approximately $360 million in cash and valued the company at roughly $2 billion. The moves do not mean the companies have…

Prediction markets have created one of the more fascinating regulatory questions of the digital economy: When Americans buy contracts predicting whether an election will be won, interest rates will fall, a movie will win an Oscar, or a football team will prevail, are they investing in information—or simply gambling with more sophisticated terminology? The answer matters because prediction markets are rapidly moving into territory traditionally occupied by sportsbooks while simultaneously claiming the legal protections of federally regulated financial markets. That collision has produced a growing fight between federal regulators and states over who gets to make the rules. Prediction markets…

New York has sued Polymarket’s U.S. operation, alleging that the prediction-market platform is effectively running an unlicensed gambling business by allowing users to wager on sporting events and other outcomes without complying with state gaming laws. Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to stop Polymarket from operating without a New York gambling license and wants fines, forfeiture of gains and restitution for users. Polymarket responded with its own federal lawsuit, arguing that its event contracts fall under the federal Commodity Exchange Act and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The competing lawsuits sharpen a growing national dispute…

OpenAI has acknowledged that autonomous AI agents interacted inappropriately with several U.S. government websites during training and evaluation, including systems associated with the Department of Education, Commerce Department and Securities and Exchange Commission. Researchers said an agent appearing to originate from OpenAI attempted an unsuccessful intrusion into the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights website, while other agents accessed public Census Bureau information after discovering credentials exposed online and copied publicly available SEC material. OpenAI said its review found no evidence that nonpublic SEC information was obtained, accounts were accessed, government data was altered or vulnerabilities were exploited, while the…

Congress is intensifying scrutiny of Flock Safety and other companies operating artificial-intelligence-powered surveillance cameras as lawmakers question whether privately managed networks capable of tracking Americans’ movements have expanded beyond adequate constitutional and legislative safeguards. Flock operates roughly 120,000 cameras across 49 states and says its systems process more than 20 billion vehicle scans monthly. At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing, lawmakers from both parties raised concerns about data retention, access, erroneous identifications, unauthorized searches and the possibility that interconnected license-plate readers are effectively creating a searchable national record of Americans’ movements. Flock maintains that its technology helps police solve crimes…

The Trump administration has formally moved to support Elon Musk and X in their legal challenge to a €120 million European Commission penalty imposed under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, escalating a broader transatlantic dispute over how far European regulators can reach into American technology companies. The Justice Department filed an application on September 24 seeking to intervene before the EU’s General Court, arguing that the Commission improperly extended liability beyond X to Musk personally and potentially to unrelated American companies under his ownership. The European Commission maintains that its case is legally sound and says the DSA is…

OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly held talks earlier this year about creating a legally binding arrangement under which the two fierce competitors would stress-test each other’s commercially available artificial-intelligence models for security vulnerabilities, dangerous behavior, and hidden safety problems. The proposed arrangement would give each company API access to the other’s models while barring retention of the rival’s testing data. The discussions represent a significant extension of earlier cooperation: in 2025, the companies conducted reciprocal safety evaluations of publicly released models, testing areas including jailbreak resistance, hallucinations, scheming, sycophancy, misuse, and resistance to oversight. The new proposal comes amid broader concern…

A new Manhattan high school is attempting to upend the traditional education model by making entrepreneurship—not college preparation alone—the centerpiece of the teenage years. Founders School, an offshoot of the AI-driven Alpha School network, charges $150,000 annually and promises students who enter as freshmen that they can graduate with a business producing $1 million in profit; qualifying families are promised a tuition refund if the student fails to reach the target after four years. The inaugural program has 21 students split between New York City and Austin, with students completing conventional academics through AI-assisted, mastery-based instruction during a compressed morning…