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The billionaire Wall Street CEO fielded questions about tariffs, China's AI progress, broadband access, allegiance to Trump and the revival of American mining and semiconductor production.

(Image credit: Rod Lamkey)

The red Tesla was mistaken for a previously undiscovered asteroid before astronomers spotted the error.

• The Patriot Transporter 2TB external portable SSD retails for under $90 at Amazon
• It has read/write speeds of up to 1GB/s, twice that of comparably priced internal SATA SSDs
• It is still more expensive than 2TB portable hard disk drives but the price gap is at its lowest ever

The 2.5-inch USB-C Patriot Transporter 2TB external portable SSD has garnered attention for its competitive pricing as well as read and write speeds of up to 1GB/s.

At $87.99 on Amazon US right now, the Transporter is still more expensive than an average 2TB portable hard disk drive, but the price difference has narrowed considerably.

In comparison with more expensive internal SATA SSDs, the Transporter SSD has a much higher read and write speeds than popular options like the Crucial MX500 2TB (560 MB/s read, 510 MB/s write), Samsung 870 EVO 2TB (560 MB/s read, 530 MB/s write), and Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 2TB (545 MB/s read, 425 MB/s write).

I couldn't fault the Patriot Transporter. It is affordable, compact and delivers the sort of performance I'd expect from rivals twice the price. A must-buy at this price.View Deal

A budget-friendly portable SSD alternative

The Transporter also offers faster read and write speeds compared to traditional 2TB HDDs like the WD My Passport, Seagate Backup Plus, and Toshiba Canvio Basics, which cost between $60 and $70 and deliver significantly slower speeds.

The higher speed offered by SSDs may appeal to users with demanding workloads, but the fact remains HDDs remain a more affordable option for general mass storage needs.

SSDs are intrinsically far more robust as well thanks to the use of solid-state memory. They can withstand drops and get chucked around without suffering from catastrophic failure. You can't do that with an external hard disk drive.

What's more, a USB-C portable SSD can usually be plugged into a smartphone or tablet equipped with the same port and act as an external storage device, something no portable HDD can achieve.

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• Firms are risking “digital chaos" if they don't get their AI deployments right

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 129 for Jan. 30

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 30 Strands puzzle, No. 333.

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For many, the Lunar New Year is a time to reflect on people they have lost. But it's also a time to set intentions and welcome the new energy of the future.

(Image credit: Greg Baker/AFP)

The move to revoke the extension of temporary protected status would make hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans eligible for deportation.

(Image credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Steve Witkoff helped negotiate the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. His visit to Gaza on Wednesday was the first by a senior U.S. official in more than a decade.

(Image credit: Hasan Eslayeh)

• Travel site Daytrip has fallen victim to a data leak
• The leak reportedly originated through a third party vendor
• Up to 470,000 customers could be at risk

Travel company Daytrip has had 470,000 user records and 762,000 travel orders compromised online.

The dataset, discovered by Cybernews researchers, was stored on an ‘unsecured MongoDB database managed by Daytrip’s subcontractor’ - the data included personally identifiable information (PII).

The leaked information could put users at risk, especially concerning identity theft and social engineering attacks, so anyone who’s used the service should be vigilant with their information. The Daytrip database has since been closed, and the company claims it has since discontinued its work with the vendor, here’s what we know so far.

Real world risk

As an online ride-hailing service which operates in 130 countries across the globe, Daytrip unsurprisingly held the address information of many customers, which was discovered in the dataset, alongside the full names, emails, phone numbers, partial payment details, billing information, and passenger addresses.

Although there’s no evidence the dataset was found by cybercriminals, criminals often have ‘automated tools that scour the web for unprotected instances only to immediately download them’, researchers confirmed - so this presents a real world risk for those exposed.

This incident proves the need for strong third-party and vendor oversight, especially given just how reliant and inter-connected modern businesses are - another reminder after the notorious CrowdStrike outage, which outlined just how crucial knowing your vendor can be.

“The compromised database was apparently under the control of a Daytrip subcontractor, emphasizing the importance of strict vendor management and consistent security practices across all data handlers in the supply chain,” the Cybernews researchers said.

Researchers stress the importance of an incident plan for companies, as it can help maintain and rebuild customer and business partner trust after a leak, as well as mitigate reputational damage.

Data breaches can be harmful for firms, but transparency and proactive strategies beyond just the legal minimum can protect the organization, whereas concealed or downplayed breaches can annihilate trust all round.

Protecting your information

If you think this, or any other breach, might put you in danger - there are a few things you can do to protect yourself and mitigate any risks.

This breach in particular is a tricky one, as researchers pointed out, “the leak carries a perfect blend of data for identity theft and financial fraud”, so if you use the service, we recommend being very careful.

The primary risk with this sort of breach is identity theft, so check out our list of the best identity theft protections for software specifically designed to monitor and protect your accounts and details. A lot of these will offer identity theft insurance covering up to $1 million per adult, so it’s worth at least taking a look.

If you use a service that has been the victim of a breach, we would definitely recommend changing your password, and we always suggest using unique passwords for all your important sites.

We’ve written a more detailed guide on our tips for securing the best password, but the short version is; keep passwords long, complicated, and memorable. If that sounds like a hassle, then we’ve listed the best password managers, as well as all the best password generators to simplify the process.

Victims are also at risk of social engineering attacks, or phishing scams, in which attackers will design personal and specific scams with the information obtained in order to steal more information from you, or gain access to your accounts.

If you’re not sure what exactly a phishing attack is, we’ve put together an explainer - but the key to avoiding falling victim is staying suspicious of all unexpected communications and double checking every sender - even if you think you know them.

Never give out your passwords or give anyone access to your accounts, and be on the lookout for unverified email addresses or phone numbers, and remember - it’s extremely unlikely that your bank, your phone provider, or any other large company would be calling you to get access to your accounts - so be very wary.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an investigation into retired general Mark Milley — who often clashed with President Trump — and determine whether he should be reduced in rank.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

Sharaa was already de facto head of Syria's government ever since a coalition of rebel fighters swept through most of Syria and ousted Assad's regime.

(Image credit: Ali Haj Suleiman)

It's the first time New York students will have the day off for the Lunar New Year since a new state law was signed in 2023. In 2024, the holiday fell on a Saturday.

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)

The bill is named for a Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan man without legal status who had a criminal record.

(Image credit: Pedro Ugarte)

• Netflix adds Download Season to iPhone and iPad apps
• The update comes after Android users got it
• It follows a significant price increase

During the dark days, the ones where my home broadband network went offline, we struggled to stream Netflix content on our iPads and iPhones. If only we'd had this recent update: the ability to download entire seasons.

Granted, that might not have worked so well with the almost useless 5G connection on my iPhone, but if I'd already had the ability to download entire seasons of Squid Game and Man on the Inside, we might've already had all those shows resident on our iPhones and iPads. In that case, who needs a connection?

The ability to download an entire series on one of the best streaming services is not entirely new. Android users have had it for a while. Netflix on my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra had this ability from the moment I installed the streaming service.

How to get it

(Image credit: Future)

The new download capability wasn't there today when I checked my iPhone 16 Pro Max. But I found a quick way to add it. I deleted the app from my phone and reinstalled it. Presto! Netflix Downloads management center moved to a new location under My Netflix, and shows where downloads are available now include a Download Season option next to the Share icon.

In the case of multi-season shows, the label says "Download Season 1" or whatever season you're in. In the case of a limited series or one with just a single season under its belt like A Man on the Inside, it'll say something like "Download 8 Episodes."

Over WiFi, it took about a minute to download 8 episodes of A Man on the Inside. To double-check the utility of this feature, I put my phone in airplane mode and was pleased to see that I could play any of the episodes.

I could also go into the Download Management section and delete the episodes individually or the entire season with one click.

(Image credit: Future)

Being able to watch Netflix streamers offline is a big deal. I know that in my house, when we had no connectivity and were only watching what we could stream live at the moment – which wasn't much and why we switched to DVDs (the old-school way of having instant access to entire seasons of your favorite shows) – we would've considered this feature a binge lifesaver.

There's no technical reason I can see that prevented Netflix from bringing this to the best iPhones and best iPads at the same time as Android phones and I hope they don't make a habit of covering only one platform at a time.

Giving us this content portability is the least Netflix can do after again raising prices on all levels of service.

As I prepare to go on a little vacation, I plan to take advantage of this feature and download a few seasons of some select shows to watch on the beach or when I just want to chill in my hotel room.

Such perfect timing. Thanks, Netflix.

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In a move straight out of the Twitter and Tesla playbook, Elon Musk is apparently camping out just steps away from the White House.

Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to halt all communication with the World Health Organization.

(Image credit: Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Unions and attorneys who represent federal employees are telling workers not to take the offer from the Trump administration to resign from their jobs by Feb. 6 and still be paid through September.

(Image credit: Mark Wilson)

The Fed held interest rates steady as it continues to combat inflation. President Trump wants to see lower rates, but some of his policies could fuel more price hikes.

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)