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By JOSH BOAK and MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, raising the specter of higher prices for electronics, autos, household appliances and other essential products dependent on the processors powering the digital age.

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“We’ll be putting a tariff of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,” Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. “But if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge.” read more

NEW YORK (AP) — WhatsApp has taken down 6.8 million accounts that were “linked to criminal scam centers” targeting people online around that world, its parent company Meta said this week.

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The account deletions, which Meta said took place over the first six months of the year, arrive as part of wider company efforts to crack down on scams. In a Tuesday announcement, Meta said it was also rolling new tools on WhatsApp to help people spot scams — including a new safety overview that the platform will show when someone who is not in a user’s contacts adds them to a group, as well as ongoing test alerts to pause before responding. read more

Barry “Butch” Wilmore has flown on the space shuttle, a Russian Soyuz, Boeing’s Starliner and a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

After 25 years with NASA and 464 days in space, he’s calling it a career, the agency announced Wednesday.

A retired U.S. Navy captain, the 62-year-old Wilmore was chosen as an astronaut candidate in 2000 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

“Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. “As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.”

His most recent trip to space made national headlines as he commanded the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner, flying up to the International Space Station after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, 2024. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY, Associated Press Technology Writers

ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group.

The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury.

The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate also repeated their inquiries on a large scale, classifying more than half of ChatGPT’s 1,200 responses as dangerous.

“We wanted to test the guardrails,” said Imran Ahmed, the group’s CEO. “The visceral initial response is, ‘Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.’ The rails are completely ineffective. They’re barely there — if anything, a fig leaf.” read more

By Anna-Louise Jackson, Bankrate.com

The house always wins in gambling, and soon it could feel like Uncle Sam does too. That’s because gamblers face what amounts to a tax hike beginning in 2026: They’ll no longer be able to deduct the full amount of their wagering losses.

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New rules included in the massive tax bill that was signed into law in July will reduce the tax deduction gamblers can claim on their losses, from 100% to 90%, starting next year.

Consider this: If a gambler wins $20,000 and loses $20,000 in the same year, this change in tax law affects how much of those losses they can deduct: read more