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    <channel>
        <title>Ars Technica</title>
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        <link>https://arstechnica.com</link>
        <description>Serving the Technologist since 1998. News, reviews, and analysis.</description>
        <lastBuildDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 21:51:26 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<url>https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-ars-logo-512_480-60x60.png</url>
	<title>Ars Technica</title>
	<link>https://arstechnica.com</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
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            <item>
                <title>As Grok flounders, SpaceX bets future on beating Big Tech at AI</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/as-grok-flounders-spacex-bets-future-on-beating-big-tech-at-ai/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/as-grok-flounders-spacex-bets-future-on-beating-big-tech-at-ai/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jeremy Hsu]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 21:51:26 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ai chatbots]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ai data centers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Colossus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grok]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orbital data centers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spacex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spacex ipo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xAI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xAI Grok]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/as-grok-flounders-spacex-bets-future-on-beating-big-tech-at-ai/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[SpaceX IPO filing pitches orbital data centers as Grok lags rival AI services.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Elon Musk’s SpaceX has highlighted AI as the tentpole of the company’s future, projecting a multi-trillion-dollar market opportunity that rivals the total value of all US economic activity. But the company must first win over customers who generally favor AI models from competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic.</p>
<p>SpaceX described its traditional space launch and satellite business as playing a supporting role to its fledgling AI business in financial disclosures that preceded an expected initial public offering of company stock. That stems from SpaceX having <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/spacex-acquires-xai-plans-1-million-satellite-constellation-to-power-it/">formally acquired </a>Musk’s company xAI earlier this year—the SpaceXAI division now oversees the Grok AI models and the associated Grok chatbot previously developed by xAI.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1181412/000162828026036936/spaceexplorationtechnologi.htm">SpaceX S-1 filing</a> claimed that the company has “the largest actionable total addressable market in human history” and highlighted AI as representing most of that opportunity at an estimated $26.5 trillion market—a number that comes close to rivaling <a href="https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/gdp-update">US nominal GDP</a> that stood at nearly $32 trillion in the first quarter of 2026.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/as-grok-flounders-spacex-bets-future-on-beating-big-tech-at-ai/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/as-grok-flounders-spacex-bets-future-on-beating-big-tech-at-ai/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AI-chatbot-icons-on-smartphone-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AI-chatbot-icons-on-smartphone-1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>An iPhone screen shows icons for Claude by Anthropic, ChatGPT by OpenAI, Gemini by Google, and Grok by xAI. </media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>AT&#038;T sues California in attempt to shut off old phone network</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jon Brodkin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 21:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AT&T]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fiber]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wireless]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[AT&#038;T asks a court and the FCC to block California phone requirements.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>AT&amp;T sued California yesterday over the state's refusal to let the carrier stop providing phone service to all potential customers in its wireline network territory. AT&amp;T is also asking the Federal Communications Commission to declare that California cannot enforce its rules and to let AT&amp;T stop providing service to about 199,000 phone customers.</p>
<p>"California requires AT&amp;T to spend $1 billion each year to maintain a century-old telephone network that almost no one uses," AT&amp;T said in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.casd.856308/gov.uscourts.casd.856308.1.0.pdf">lawsuit</a> filed in US District Court for the Southern District of California. "The copper wires that once served every home now serve just three percent of households in AT&amp;T’s California territory, with consumers fleeing every day to modern broadband services that are more affordable, reliable, and energy-efficient."</p>
<p>In June 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/california-rejects-att-request-to-end-carriers-landline-phone-obligation/">rejected AT&amp;T’s request</a> to eliminate the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation that requires it to provide landline telephone service to any potential customer in its service territory. AT&amp;T has said it's received relief from COLR obligations in 20 of the 21 states in its wireline service territory, all except California.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/att-phone-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/att-phone-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Getty Images | SOPA Images </media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>JWST maps the weather on a hot gas giant 700 light-years away</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jacek Krywko]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 19:26:03 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[astronomy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atmospheric science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas giant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planetary science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weather]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[The differences seen here could be throwing off how we study planetary atmospheres.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>WASP-94A b is a hot, tidally locked gas giant orbiting close to one of the stars in a binary system roughly 690 light-years away from Earth. In a new Science study, scientists led by Sagnick Mukherjee, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, used the James Webb Space Telescope to learn what the weather looks like out there.</p>
<p>Tidal locking means that you no longer have day- and night-side temperature differences sweeping across the planet. “We wanted to understand the atmospheres of such planets,” Mukherjee says. “Are they static or dynamic? Do they have winds? Do they have clouds?” His team found that, on WASP-94A b, it’s cloudy in the morning, but the skies are clear in the evening. The fact that we didn’t know this already means we might have gotten the chemistry of this and many other exoplanets surprisingly wrong.</p>
<h2>Averaged atmospheres</h2>
<p>WASP-94A b has a mass slightly below half of Jupiter but has a diameter that’s over 70 percent wider. “This means the planet has low density, and its atmosphere extends further out into space, which makes it easier to observe,” Mukherjee explains. When astronomers study atmospheres like this, they usually rely on transmission spectroscopy. By analyzing the spectrum of light filtering through the planet’s atmosphere as it crosses in front of its star, they can figure out its chemical composition.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/image-1-500x500.jpeg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>NASA, ESA, and L. Hustak (STScI)</media:credit></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>Zillow loses thousands of listings in fight over “hidden” homes</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/zillow-loses-access-to-thousands-of-home-listings-amid-bitter-legal-feud/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/zillow-loses-access-to-thousands-of-home-listings-amid-bitter-legal-feud/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 18:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicago]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[us housing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zillow]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/zillow-loses-access-to-thousands-of-home-listings-amid-bitter-legal-feud/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Zillow asked for a preliminary injunction as real estate industry fight heats up.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>On Wednesday, Zillow abruptly lost access to thousands of property listings in the Chicago area after filing a lawsuit accusing a private listing network owner of colluding with the nation's largest brokerage to harm consumers by hiding homes.</p>
<p><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/05/20/zillow-trulia-mred-listings-pln-chicago-vanished">According to the Chicago Sun-Times</a>, hopeful Chicagoland home buyers browsing Zillow and Trulia suddenly saw significantly fewer listings. On Zillow, a nearly 5,000-home market dropped to about 1,700.</p>
<p>Thorough home buyers diligently checking every possible resource can still turn to other platforms, like Redfin and Realtor.com, which currently host between 5,000 and 8,000 listings, the Sun-Times noted.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/zillow-loses-access-to-thousands-of-home-listings-amid-bitter-legal-feud/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/zillow-loses-access-to-thousands-of-home-listings-amid-bitter-legal-feud/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>58</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-1488901494-1152x648-1779385982.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-1488901494-500x500-1779385946.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>bagira22 | iStock / Getty Images Plus</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Stunning aerial footage still best thing about Top Gun at 40</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 16:42:43 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[film]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[film anniversaries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paramount Pictures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tom Cruise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Top Gun]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Tony Scott's 1986 blockbuster and the 2022 sequel are the best recruitment tools the US Navy could hope for.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<div class="ars-video"><div class="relative" allow="fullscreen" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Klc__shdj88?start=0&amp;wmode=transparent"></div></div>
<p>When the action film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun"><em>Top Gun</em></a> hit the big screen in 1986, critical reviews were mixed, but audiences were thrilled. The film racked up $358 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film of that year. Its success spawned a few video games and a critically acclaimed blockbuster 2022 sequel, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/top-gun-maverick-spoiler-free-review-a-worthy-return-to-the-danger-zone/"><em>Top Gun: Maverick</em></a>, and the eye-popping flight sequences definitely boosted enlistment numbers for the US Navy. Those scenes are still the best thing about <em>Top Gun, </em>40 years later.</p>
<p><strong>(Spoilers below because it's been 40 years.)</strong></p>
<p>The film was inspired by a 1983 article in California magazine detailing the lives of fighter pilots at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego (aka "Fightertown USA") and featuring plenty of aerial photography alongside the text. Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson tapped Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. to write the screenplay, with Epps sitting in on declassified classes at the academy and even taking a flight aboard an F-14.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>92</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/topgun-LIST-500x500-1778530431.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Paramount Pictures</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Uh-oh, the International Space Station is leaking again</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/uh-oh-the-international-space-station-is-leaking-again/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/uh-oh-the-international-space-station-is-leaking-again/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Eric Berger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 16:07:17 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[international space station]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leaks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roscosmos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/uh-oh-the-international-space-station-is-leaking-again/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["This further confirms the wisdom of the current policy of retiring the ISS in 2030."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>NASA confirmed Thursday that the Russian segment of the International Space Station has begun leaking atmosphere into space again. It's an old problem that NASA recently hoped was resolved.</p>
<p>For more than half a decade, engineers from Roscosmos and NASA have been tracking the leak rate from a small Russian module attached to the space station that leads to a docking port. The source of these leaks, microscopic structural cracks, have been difficult to find and address.</p>
<p>In January, NASA said that after multiple inspections and sealant applications, the pressure inside this segment, known as the PrK module, had reached a "stable configuration." The PrK module is essentially a transfer tunnel attached to the Zvezda Service Module on the Russian segment of the space station.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/uh-oh-the-international-space-station-is-leaking-again/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/uh-oh-the-international-space-station-is-leaking-again/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>62</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/International_Space_Station_after_undocking_of_STS-132-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/International_Space_Station_after_undocking_of_STS-132-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>NASA</media:credit><media:text>The International Space Station.</media:text></media:content>
            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>US government takes $2 billion equity stake in nine quantum computing firms</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/us-government-takes-2-billion-equity-stake-in-nine-quantum-computing-firms/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/us-government-takes-2-billion-equity-stake-in-nine-quantum-computing-firms/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Joe Miller and Michael Peel, Financial Times]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 13:48:38 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[D-Wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GlobalFoundries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ibm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quantum computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syndication]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/us-government-takes-2-billion-equity-stake-in-nine-quantum-computing-firms/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Beneficiaries include startup backed by firm with links to the Trump family.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>The US government will take equity stakes worth a total of $2 billion in a slew of quantum computing companies, including a startup backed by a firm with links to the Trump family and one taken public by a Pentagon official.</p>
<p>The announcement by the commerce department that it had signed letters of intent with nine companies—including GlobalFoundries and IBM—sent shares in quantum specialists soaring on Thursday.</p>
<p>Both IBM, which is set to get $1 billion, and GlobalFoundries, which will receive $375 million, were up more than 6 percent in pre-market trading. D-Wave Quantum, an awardee that was taken public in 2022 by Emil Michael—now a top Pentagon official—was up more than 20 percent.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/us-government-takes-2-billion-equity-stake-in-nine-quantum-computing-firms/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/us-government-takes-2-billion-equity-stake-in-nine-quantum-computing-firms/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>80</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>IBM</media:credit><media:text>An image of an IBM quantum computer showing five qubits.</media:text></media:content>
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                <title>Plug-in hybrids get plugged in more than you might think</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/plug-in-hybrids-get-plugged-in-more-than-you-might-think/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/plug-in-hybrids-get-plugged-in-more-than-you-might-think/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jonathan M. Gitlin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 13:34:53 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PHEV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plug-in hybrid]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/plug-in-hybrids-get-plugged-in-more-than-you-might-think/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Toyota is the latest automaker to report PHEV charging stats, and they're encouraging.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Plug-in hybrid powertrains were developed to be the best of both worlds: a combustion engine and fuel tank that can handle those longer journeys exactly the same as a non-hybrid car, with an electric motor and a battery large enough for most or all of someone's daily driving range. But only if you plug it in. And it is <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a70290432/never-charge-plug-in-hybrid-what-happens/">often taken</a> as a statement of fact that plug-in hybrid owners don't plug in their plug-in hybrids.</p>
<p>Instead, they were seduced into buying a car with far too big a battery, no doubt as a result of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/04/these-10-evs-and-plug-in-hybrids-still-get-the-full-7500-tax-credit/">generous incentives</a>, the theory goes. And if those drivers aren't going to plug in and therefore enjoy at least some entirely electric driving, they should have bought a parallel hybrid instead, which often delivers better efficiency than a PHEV with an empty battery, at a significantly lower price.</p>
<p>But what if that take is wrong? As it turns out, there's some more evidence that PHEV drivers do in fact plug in their plug-ins, and the latest data point is from one of the most prolific PHEV pushers: Toyota.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/plug-in-hybrids-get-plugged-in-more-than-you-might-think/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/plug-in-hybrids-get-plugged-in-more-than-you-might-think/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>242</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GettyImages-1884481559-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Getty Images</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>These clever active beam headlights are finally coming to America</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jonathan M. Gitlin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Audi Q9]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[headlights]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[The 2027 Audi Q9's digital matrix lights satisfy new NHTSA rules on minimizing glare.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<aside class="pullbox sidebar fullwidth">Audi provided flights from Washington, DC, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could test out its headlights, as well as some other things you can read about in the coming weeks. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.</aside>
<p>MUNICH—Headlight technology in the US is about to get smarter. When <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/take-a-look-inside-audis-new-big-three-row-q9-suv/">Audi's Q9 SUV</a> goes on sale here later this year, it will feature the automaker's latest adaptive beam headlights, which manage the nifty trick of providing better, brighter illumination while minimizing glare for both the driver and other road users. Such technology is old hat to our European readers, but it's finally debuting on our roads after years of lobbying and intensive, lengthy testing to satisfy the new federal regulations. And after trying out the headlights during a recent trip to Europe, I can say, "It's about time."</p>
<p>Despite America's reputation as an innovation powerhouse, we have lagged behind Europe and Japan in automotive lighting technology for decades, thanks to 1960s-era regulations that allowed only low- and high-beam headlights, nothing else. For years, OEMs like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volvo lobbied the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow them to bring more modern technology to these shores to no avail.</p>
<p>At first, it was <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/06/laserbeam-headlights-not-in-the-us/">laser high beams</a>, which could project their beams much farther down the road than conventional halogen or xenon lights. Lasers are cool, but adaptive driving beam technology is even cooler. Each headlight is actually a multipixel LED, and by turning some of those pixels off, the headlight beam can be shaped to mask the light to selectively dim oncoming vehicles instead of switching to low beams.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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<media:credit>Audi</media:credit><media:text>Advanced headlights can now project a light carpet in front of your car.</media:text></media:content>
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                <title>Famously secret about its finances, SpaceX opens its books for the first time</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Eric Berger]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 23:02:49 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[filing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spacex]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["We believe we have identified the largest TAM in human history."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>After nearly a quarter of a century operating as a private company, with its financial accounts a closely guarded secret, SpaceX on Wednesday afternoon released a detailed accounting of its business in a nearly 400-page <a href="https://t.co/8hDI4J7lF5">S-1 filing</a> with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>
<p>SpaceX, founded in 2002 and still led by Elon Musk, submitted the filing in anticipation of an initial public offering of its stock as soon as June 12.</p>
<p>The document revealed no major surprises about the company's space operations, but there was a trove of details about its sprawling operations, which now encompass launch, spaceflight, space-based Internet, and, thanks to its recent acquisition of Musk's xAI, social media and AI.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>321</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>SpaceX</media:credit><media:text>SpaceX's Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster stand ready for liftoff.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Trump admin didn&#039;t want Ebola-exposed Americans, sent them to Berlin, Prague</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Beth Mole]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 21:58:01 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CDC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ebola]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restrictions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trump administration]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Officials denied refusing entry, but dodged questions on why Americans didn't return.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>An American infected with Ebola is being treated in Berlin, while another exposed to the deadly virus is being sent to Prague after the White House reportedly resisted allowing citizens to return to the US for care and monitoring.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/20/white-house-resisted-letting-doctor-with-ebola-return-us/">According to The Washington Post</a>, five people close to the Ebola response said that, over the weekend, the Trump administration resisted allowing the return of Peter Stafford, a 39-year-old surgeon working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid a raging Ebola outbreak. The resistance allegedly delayed Stafford's evacuation and care, risking his health, as experts note that early treatment is critical for Ebola, which can turn deadly in days.</p>
<p>On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Stafford had developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive for Ebola late Sunday. In a press briefing on Wednesday, Satish Pillai, the CDC's incident response manager for the Ebola outbreak, said Stafford had arrived in Germany and is in stable condition. His wife, Rebekah Stafford—also a doctor who was exposed to the virus in DRC but is asymptomatic—along with the couple's four children, have been flown to Germany as well.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>141</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>Getty | Str/Xinhua</media:credit><media:text>A medical worker is seen at an Ebola isolation and observation site for suspected cases and close contacts in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC, on May 19, 2026. </media:text></media:content>
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                <title>NASA&#039;s Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Stephen Clark]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 21:26:57 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[asteroids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jet propulsion laboratory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psyche]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["As a bonus, it captured Mars images from a rare perspective."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Not quite halfway through a six-year sojourn through the Solar System, a NASA spacecraft used a close encounter with Mars last week as a dress rehearsal for its arrival at the Solar System's largest metal asteroid in 2029.</p>
<p>The Psyche mission <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/nasa-is-about-to-launch-a-mission-of-pure-discovery-to-a-metal-asteroid/">launched more than two-and-a-half years ago</a>, in October 2023, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to kick off a journey of some 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion km) to reach its unexplored namesake, the asteroid Psyche. The robotic research mission got an initial lift from a powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It uses plasma engines to gradually build up the impulse needed to reach its destination in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.</p>
<p>A flyby of Mars last Friday gave the spacecraft its most significant boost since launch. Navigators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California set up the spacecraft for a course taking it 2,864 miles (4,609 km) from the Martian surface, well above the planet's tenuous atmosphere. Psyche used Martian gravity like a slingshot to gain enough speed to reshape its orbit around the Sun, putting the probe on a path to intercept its asteroid target.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1-PIA26771_Mars-crescent-pYdenxFS-1152x648-1779310114.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1-PIA26771_Mars-crescent-pYdenxFS-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU</media:credit><media:text>This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) by NASA’s Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. The image has been processed into a natural-color view using red, green, and blue data from the multispectral imager instrument.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Masters of the Universe final trailer brings the &#039;80s nostalgia</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/masters-of-the-universe-final-trailer-brings-the-80s-nostalgia/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/masters-of-the-universe-final-trailer-brings-the-80s-nostalgia/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 20:29:39 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazon mgm studios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masters of the Universe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailers]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/masters-of-the-universe-final-trailer-brings-the-80s-nostalgia/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA["You are he who will restore peace to Eternia."]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<div class="ars-video"><div class="relative" allow="fullscreen" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rJSmz-zhDxE?start=0&amp;wmode=transparent"></div></div>
<p>No doubt buoyed by all the positive advance reviews <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/masters-of-the-universe-first-reactions-1236599231/">on social media</a>, Amazon MGM Studios has released one last trailer for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Universe_(2026_film)"><em>Masters of the Universe</em></a>, and it comes in strong with the 1980s nostalgia, chock-full of Easter eggs to delight Ars readers of a certain age.</p>
<p>Directed by Travis Knight (<em>Bumblebee</em>,<em> Kubo and the Two Strings</em>), the film is a reboot of sorts of the <em>He-Man and the Masters of the Universe</em> series, its spinoff, <em>She-Ra: Princess of Powers, </em>and the many, many other offshoots of this hugely <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Universe">popular Mattel franchise</a>. Per the official premise:</p>
<blockquote><p>In <em>Masters of the Universe</em>, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.</p></blockquote>
<p>In addition to Galitzine, Mendes, Elba, and Leto, the cast includes Alison Brie as Professor Evelyn Powers (aka Evil-Lyn); Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull; Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm/Fisto; James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as King Randor and Queen Marlena; Sasheer Zamata as Suzie, Adam/He-Man’s BFF on Earth; Kristen Wiig as Roboto; James Wilkinson as Mekaneck; Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man; Kojo Attah as the bounty hunter Tri-Klops; Sam C. Wilson as cyborg/weapons expert Kronis/Trap-Jaw; Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man; Robert Towers as Karg; and Christian Vunipola as Adam's roommate on Earth, Hussein.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/masters-of-the-universe-final-trailer-brings-the-80s-nostalgia/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/masters-of-the-universe-final-trailer-brings-the-80s-nostalgia/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>58</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/heman1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
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<media:credit>Amazon MGM Studios</media:credit></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Leaving the V8 in the past: The all-electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/leaving-the-v8-in-the-past-the-all-electric-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/leaving-the-v8-in-the-past-the-all-electric-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Michael Teo Van Runkle]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 19:53:34 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[axial flux motor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/leaving-the-v8-in-the-past-the-all-electric-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[The 0–60 time is impressive, the miles/kWh number even more so.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>At a star-studded event that closed downtown Los Angeles' Sixth Street Viaduct last night, Mercedes and AMG unveiled the next generation of performance electric vehicles. The new four-door GT Coupe arrives in the midst of a pivotal period, the result of an almost experimental process that seems to take two steps forward and one step back quite regularly. In many ways, the all-electric AMG leaves previous plans in the past by effectively bringing the record-setting <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/06/mercedes-shows-off-new-electric-amg-concept-that-can-charge-at-850-kw/">Concept AMG GT XX</a> to series production, with many firsts for Mercedes supporting the abandonment of internal combustion power, including new axial motors from YASA and F1-derived battery cells.</p>
<p>Fittingly, then, Mercedes brought out its F1 team’s personnel, as George Russell presented the new car while Toto Wolff and Kimi Antonelli watched from the makeshift grandstands. Hollywood celebs ran the gamut, from Brad Pitt—who drove one GT onto the bridge—to Jacob Elordi and Kevin Hart, while Blink 182 played a surprisingly sarcastic mini set. All of the above may mean less to potential GT buyers than performance metrics and pricing when the 2027 model year comes along, but it only serves to prove just how big a deal Mercedes-AMG believes this will be.</p>
<figure>
      <img decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-1024x683.jpg" class="ars-gallery-image" alt="A yellow Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe on track" loading="lazy" aria-labelledby="caption-2155478" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-640x427.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-980x654.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_032-1440x960.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
      <figcaption>
        <div class="caption font-impact dusk:text-gray-300 mb-4 mt-2 inline-flex flex-row items-stretch gap-1 text-base leading-tight text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-300">
    <div class="caption-icon bg-[left_top_5px] w-[10px] shrink-0"></div>
    <div class="caption-content">
      The new AMG GT 4-Door brings to production a lot of technology we saw in the GT XX concept a few years ago.

              <span class="caption-credit mt-2 text-xs">
          Credit:

          
          Mercedes-AMG

                  </span>
          </div>
  </div>
      </figcaption>
    </figure>
      <figure>
      <img decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-1024x683.jpg" class="ars-gallery-image" alt="A mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe driving away from the camera on track" loading="lazy" aria-labelledby="caption-2155479" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-640x427.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-980x653.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_033-1440x960.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
      <figcaption>
        <div class="caption font-impact dusk:text-gray-300 mb-4 mt-2 inline-flex flex-row items-stretch gap-1 text-base leading-tight text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-300">
    <div class="caption-icon bg-[left_top_5px] w-[10px] shrink-0"></div>
    <div class="caption-content">
      Part sports car, part limo, the GT 63 4-Door is ridiculously quick.

              <span class="caption-credit mt-2 text-xs">
          Credit:

          
          Mercedes-AMG

                  </span>
          </div>
  </div>
      </figcaption>
    </figure>
  
<h2>A new look</h2>
<p>In person, the new GT bears almost no resemblance to any of Benz’s prior EVs. No more <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/06/comfort-and-range-are-king-with-the-mercedes-benz-eqs-580/">bulbous, nautical EQS shapes</a> or <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/04/mercedess-electric-g-wagon-is-more-capable-than-the-gas-version/">minorly smoothed over boxy G-Wagen aesthetic</a>. The new design is more aided by digital renderings and iterative algorithms, especially the jutting front grille, reclined headlights, and Kamm-tail rear end—a bit of Aston Martin fore and aft. From the profile view, the proportions fit somewhere between a Porsche Panamera or Taycan, low-slung and slippery for ideal aerodynamic efficiency.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/leaving-the-v8-in-the-past-the-all-electric-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/leaving-the-v8-in-the-past-the-all-electric-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26C0129_030-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Mercedes-AMG</media:credit><media:text>This is the new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupé, and this time it's entirely electric.
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                    <item>
                <title>&quot;Ryzen 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition&quot; may help you avoid paying for a new PC</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/amd-reportedly-plans-ryzen-5800x3d-re-release-for-upgraders-on-a-budget/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/amd-reportedly-plans-ryzen-5800x3d-re-release-for-upgraders-on-a-budget/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Andrew Cunningham]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 19:19:44 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3d V-cache]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryzen]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/amd-reportedly-plans-ryzen-5800x3d-re-release-for-upgraders-on-a-budget/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[It could be one way to make your old PC play nicely with a high-end GPU.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>It's not an ideal time to be buying a new PC or doing a major upgrade. Price crunches for RAM and storage chips are making all kinds of components more expensive, and the shift to DDR5 in modern Intel and AMD CPUs means that a lot of people would need to pay money to replace their current DDR4 kits if they wanted to step up to a significantly newer, faster CPU and motherboard.</p>
<p>AMD may have something on the horizon for people who are looking to stretch their current PC (and its DDR4 RAM kit) just a little further. Leaks <a href="https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/ryzen-7-5800x3d-am4-10th-anniversary-edition-surfaces-online-for-usd310-return-of-iconic-gaming-cpu-for-budget-builders-seems-imminent">spotted by Tom's Hardware</a> point to the existence of an "AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition," a re-release of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/04/review-ryzen-7-5800x3d-is-an-interesting-tech-demo-thats-hard-to-recommend/">a 4-year-old out-of-circulation CPU</a> that might nevertheless be an upgrade for people with older Ryzen CPUs in Socket AM4 motherboards.</p>
<p>The "X3D" in the chip's name signifies that it comes with 64MB of extra L3 cache stacked on top of the main CPU die, bringing the total amount of L3 cache to 96MB. Workloads that benefit from extra cache—including most games—will perform much better on the 5800X3D than they do on the vanilla Ryzen 7 5800X.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/amd-reportedly-plans-ryzen-5800x3d-re-release-for-upgraders-on-a-budget/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/amd-reportedly-plans-ryzen-5800x3d-re-release-for-upgraders-on-a-budget/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>111</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_0216-1-500x500.jpeg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Andrew Cunningham</media:credit><media:text>AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D may be making a comeback.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Google publishes exploit code threatening millions of Chromium users</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/google-publishes-exploit-code-threatening-millions-of-chromium-users/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/google-publishes-exploit-code-threatening-millions-of-chromium-users/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Dan Goodin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 19:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chromium]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulnerabilities]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/google-publishes-exploit-code-threatening-millions-of-chromium-users/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Google publishes exploit code before patch, reported 42 months earlier, is fixed.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Google on Wednesday published exploit code for an unfixed vulnerability in its Chromium browser codebase that threatens millions of people using Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and virtually all other Chromium-based browsers.</p>
<p>The proof-of-concept code exploits the Browser Fetch programming interface, a standard that allows long videos and other large files to be downloaded in the background. An attacker can use the exploit to create a connection for monitoring some aspects of a user’s browser usage and as a proxy for viewing sites and launching denial-of-service attacks. Depending on the browser, the connections either reopen or remain open even after it or the device running it has rebooted.</p>
<h2>Unfixed for 42 months (and counting)</h2>
<p>The unfixed vulnerability can be exploited by any website a user visits. In effect, a compromise amounts to a limited backdoor that makes a device part of a limited botnet. The capabilities are limited to the same things a browser can do, such as visit malicious sites, provide anonymous proxy browsing by others, enable proxied DDoS attacks, and monitor user activity. Nonetheless, the exploit could allow an attacker to wrangle thousands, possibly millions, of devices into a network. Once a separate vulnerability becomes available, the attacker could use it to then compromise all those devices.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/google-publishes-exploit-code-threatening-millions-of-chromium-users/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/google-publishes-exploit-code-threatening-millions-of-chromium-users/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>60</slash:comments>
                
                
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<media:credit>Chromium</media:credit></media:content>
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                <title>Trump wants $1B to protect White House ballroom from drones and other threats</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-wants-1b-to-protect-white-house-ballroom-from-drones-and-other-threats/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-wants-1b-to-protect-white-house-ballroom-from-drones-and-other-threats/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jeremy Hsu]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 18:59:52 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI drones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti-drone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[military drones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[President Donald Trump]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trump white house]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[White House]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-wants-1b-to-protect-white-house-ballroom-from-drones-and-other-threats/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[President asks $1B from taxpayers to secure his $400M privately funded ballroom.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>President Donald Trump’s latest pitch for using taxpayer dollars to secure his White House ballroom featured a militarized building—including a rooftop hardened against drone strikes and a “drone port” that could potentially house military drones.</p>
<p>The remarks came on May 19 as Trump gave reporters a personal tour of the ballroom project that has already involved the demolition of the White House mansion’s <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/satellite-shows-whats-really-happening-at-the-east-wing-of-the-white-house/">East Wing</a>. The president spoke of installing a rooftop drone base “for unlimited numbers of drones” operated by the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/pentagon-wants-54b-for-drones-more-than-most-nations-military-budgets/">US military</a> as a “drone port that would protect all of Washington,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-reveals-new-details-bunker-like-ballroom-with-drone-base-2026-05-19/">according to Reuters</a>. He also highlighted a ballroom roof made from “impenetrable steel” that would supposedly be “drone-proof” against potential drone strikes.</p>
<p>To pay for such measures, Trump has been urging <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/18/trump-ballroom-provision-blocked-senate-parliamentarian.html">Republican lawmakers</a> in the US Congress to approve $1 billion in taxpayer funding to provide a wide variety of “<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/reconciliation_-_senate_judiciary_committee_title.pdf">security adjustments and upgrades</a>” for his ballroom project. The taxpayer-backed security enhancements would be separate from the $400 million construction cost for the ballroom project that has been funded by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/ballroom-donors-white-house-trump">private donors</a>, including companies such as Amazon, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/six-things-ill-remember-when-i-think-about-tim-cooks-version-of-apple/">Apple</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/coinbase-says-war-on-crypto-is-over-claims-sec-will-drop-lawsuit/">Coinbase</a>, Comcast, Google, HP Inc., Lockheed Martin, Meta, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Palantir, Ripple, and T-Mobile.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-wants-1b-to-protect-white-house-ballroom-from-drones-and-other-threats/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-wants-1b-to-protect-white-house-ballroom-from-drones-and-other-threats/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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<media:credit>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>US President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside posters of his proposed White House ballroom amid construction at the White House on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.</media:text></media:content>
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                    <item>
                <title>Hulu set to keep existing as standalone streaming service and app (for now)</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/hulu-set-to-keep-existing-as-standalone-streaming-service-and-app-for-now/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/hulu-set-to-keep-existing-as-standalone-streaming-service-and-app-for-now/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 18:48:41 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[acquisitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hulu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mergers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/hulu-set-to-keep-existing-as-standalone-streaming-service-and-app-for-now/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[Disney still has a lot of tech to unite and bundles to push. ]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>Disney currently has no plans to shutter Hulu as a standalone streaming service or app, according to a company representative.</p>
<p>In a report from <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/disney-plus-hulu-unified-app-phase-out-hulu-1236753838/">Variety</a> today, the spokesperson said that Disney, which took total ownership of Hulu <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/disney-closes-hulu-deal-comcast-price-tag-1236423903/">in June 2025</a>, will continue to sell subscriptions to Hulu in the US and that “there are no current plans to sunset the Hulu app.”</p>
<p>Disney owned two-thirds of Hulu before closing its acquisition of the streaming service’s remaining third from Comcast last year. Since then, some reports have suggested that the Hulu app <a href="https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/hulu-app-phased-out-disney-plus-fully-integrating-1236480450/">would be phased out</a> in 2026, while others have speculated that Disney would <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-hulu-app-may-not-be-long-for-this-world-2000639568">likely, but not definitely, shutter Hulu</a>. Disney’s statement today means that people should be able to<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/hulus-days-look-numbered-but-theres-reason-for-disney-to-keep-it-around/"> continue watching stuff on Hulu</a> without having to pay for Disney+ for the foreseeable future; although, Disney is free to change its mind at any point.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/hulu-set-to-keep-existing-as-standalone-streaming-service-and-app-for-now/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/hulu-set-to-keep-existing-as-standalone-streaming-service-and-app-for-now/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/fc3d1e70-19cf-4cfa-bb07-bd6439b3df66_1761249301-1152x648-1761844035.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/fc3d1e70-19cf-4cfa-bb07-bd6439b3df66_1761249301-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>The Walt Disney Company</media:credit><media:text>A scene from the Hulu original series &lt;em&gt;Only Murders in the Building&lt;/em&gt;. </media:text></media:content>
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                <title>Chickens without eggs? De-extinction company creates artificial egg.</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/chickens-without-eggs-de-extinction-company-creates-artificial-egg/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/chickens-without-eggs-de-extinction-company-creates-artificial-egg/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[John Timmer]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 18:38:05 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[colossal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[de-extinction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[embryogenesis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[imaging]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/chickens-without-eggs-de-extinction-company-creates-artificial-egg/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[In the process, Colossal may have handed a useful tool to developmental biology.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>On Tuesday, biotech startup Colossal announced its newest development on the road to its announced goal: reversing the extinction of species, in this case, avian species. The development itself is essentially an artificial eggshell, one that allows almost the entire developmental process to occur without the shell. The company transferred the contents of eggs to their specially designed container within a day or two of laying and were able to have normal chicks walk away from it.</p>
<p>Beyond its potential utility for Colossal's intended efforts, the work is personally interesting to me because it may solve a problem I faced in my research days. I'm going to start by describing the research problem that Colossal may have solved, before coming back to what it hopes to use its technology to do—and why the company still has a few key hurdles left to overcome.</p>
<h2>Watching development</h2>
<p>For part of my career, I studied the development of vertebrates using chickens. While they're less closely related to us than something like mice, the basics of their development are largely the same. And, unlike mice, they develop outside of their mother's body. If you're careful, you can chip away a hole in the egg, perform manipulations on the developing embryo, and then seal it back up with some tape. The chicken embryo will keep developing, allowing you to see the impact of what you've done on normal development.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/chickens-without-eggs-de-extinction-company-creates-artificial-egg/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/chickens-without-eggs-de-extinction-company-creates-artificial-egg/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EmbryoDevelopment-1152x648.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EmbryoDevelopment-500x500.jpeg" width="500" height="500" />
<media:credit>Colossal</media:credit><media:text>A chicken embryo develops inside one of the new devices developed by Colossal.</media:text></media:content>
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                <title>Minnesota prohibits prediction markets, promptly gets sued by Trump admin</title>
                <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/</link>
                                    <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/#comments</comments>
                
                <dc:creator>
                    <![CDATA[Jon Brodkin]]>
                </dc:creator>
                <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 18:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
                		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cftc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prediction markets]]></category>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/</guid>

                                    <description>
                        <![CDATA[State law makes it a felony to create, operate, or advertise prediction markets.]]>
                    </description>
                                                                <content:encoded>
                            <![CDATA[<p>The Trump administration yesterday sued Minnesota in an attempt to block the first state law that prohibits prediction markets.</p>
<p>While other states imposed restrictions on prediction markets, Minnesota banned them outright in a <a href="https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/SF/4760/versions/3/">law</a> signed by Gov. Tim Walz on Monday. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission <a href="https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9233-26">announced</a> a <a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/OGC_MinnesotaComplaint051926.pdf">lawsuit</a> against the state, saying that Minnesota's "new legislation represents the most aggressive move by a state to shut down CFTC-regulated markets and undermine the federal regulatory regime set up by Congress more than 50 years ago."</p>
<p>“This Minnesota law turns lawful operators and participants in prediction markets into felons overnight,” CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said. “Minnesota farmers have relied on critical hedging products on weather and crop-related events for decades to mitigate their risks. Governor Walz chose to put special interests first and American farmers and innovators last.”</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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                                    <slash:comments>97</slash:comments>
                
                
                <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/kalshi-death-markets-1152x648-1775509431.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648">
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<media:credit>Getty Images | Bloomberg</media:credit><media:text>An advertisement for prediction market Kalshi at a bus stop in Washington, DC, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.</media:text></media:content>
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