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Trump and Musk spoke as the president signed a new executive order calling on the heads of federal agencies to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force."

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The Trump administration is reviewing contracts across the federal housing agency. Some employees worry about potentially "devastating" cuts, though union leaders also hope some good may come of it.

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Here are the top internet providers in Joliet, according to CNET's experts.

The Trump administration orders the consumer watchdog to stop its work. Is the FDIC next?

The public broadcaster says it is closing its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) office to comply with a recent executive order from President Donald Trump.

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Wet by Aurora Real de Asua in September, 2024. The New Harmony Project has received multiple NEA grants over the years.

 
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The NEA will no longer fund arts programs that promote DEI or "gender ideology." The federal agency has cancelled grants that have funded programs for underserved communities for more than 20 years.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for today's Strands puzzle, No. 346, for Feb. 12.

Powell was also asked about the high cost of home ownership and President Trump's trade policies, but as usual, the Fed chair tried to steer clear of politics.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 142 for Feb. 12.

President Trump has made clear his desire for the U.S. to take Greenland saying the territory is vital to U.S. economic security. Greenland is an autonomous territory of U.S. ally Denmark. And as we hear, Danes have had a variety of reactions to Trumps words.

The "cease work" order at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau won’t just affect lawsuits and enforcement actions. It will stall regulation that could govern tech companies like Apple and Google.

A coalition of news organizations said in a court filing that video exhibits from a Jan. 6 riot case had "disappeared" from a government platform that provided access to evidence used in court.

Reactions to the changes in USAID run the gamut. Some leading voices — like Mexico's president — are in favor. Others fear that lives will be lost as health care programs are cut.

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed the complaint on behalf of US federal workers, arguing that DOGE’s data access is illegal and should be cut off.

Google is among the first companies to change the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on its maps. Other sources for online maps have not yet followed Donald Trump's executive order.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 612 for Feb. 12.

• Apple set to launch a new digitized system for easy collaboration with partners
• Apple partners will be trained to become trusted advisors
• Apple partners hail new program as a game-changer

Apple is setting its sights on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises looking to invest in technology such as the best business Macs as its next major revenue stream.

Reprots from CRN suggest Apple is set to launch a revamped partner program designed to strengthen its presence in the business world with a renewed focus on selling more devices through its channel.

The strategic move comes as the company seeks to capitalize on its growing install base of devices, which reached a record high of 2.3 billion products worldwide in late 2024.

A new era for Apple’s partner ecosystem?

Set to launch in Fall 2025, the partner program introduces new ways for resellers and service providers to collaborate with Apple, which claims this program is tailored to meet the needs of enterprise, SMB, and education sectors, offering four distinct partner categories.

The Apple Business Partner category targets resellers with a product-heavy model, while the Apple Premium Business Partner category is designed for partners with a strong services-led approach.

Additionally, the Apple Premium Education Partner category focuses on delivering the best laptops for students in K-12 and higher education institutions, while the Apple Consultants Network now features Apple Technical Partner and Apple Premium Technical Partner designations, focusing purely on customer support and advisory services.

Apple is hoping this segmentation will ensure that businesses and educational organizations can find the solutions tailored to their unique needs across the range of Mac desktops and laptops.

To support its partners, the company has introduced the Apple Professional Academy, an online training platform offering self-paced videos, skills training, and technical resources.

The initiative aims to equip partners with the tools they need to become trusted advisors on the Apple platform. The company has also rolled out a partner discovery tool, enabling customers to easily find solution providers based on their capabilities, reviews, and contact information.

One of Apple’s long-standing partners, TD Synnex, which made about $7 billion from collaborating with Apple in 2024, is particularly excited about the new program.

“As a longtime Apple partner, we’re excited about the new Apple Partner Network,” TD Synnex's President of North America Reyna Thompson said in a statement.

“We believe this program, supported by our creative financing, deployment support, and trade-in services, will empower partners to drive growth and enhance capabilities to deliver exceptional value.”

Apple also plans to grow its partners via a new digitized partner gateway which will enable collaborators to directly engage with Apple, access business planning tools, and leverage sales and marketing resources.

Apple’s PC lineup, including its Macs, continues to be a significant revenue driver, generating $8.9 billion in sales last quarter, a 16% year-over-year increase.

The company’s installed base of Macs has also reached an all-time high, with double-digit growth in upgrades and new customers. In the U.S., customer satisfaction with Macs stands at an impressive 94%.

“This incredible performance was broad-based with double-digit growth in every geographic segment,” said Kevan Parekh, Apple’s Senior Vice President and CFO.

“With our latest advances in Apple silicon, and our fastest Neural Engine ever customers are able to take advantage of the full capabilities of AI and Mac,” he added.

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The pages that are set to be revived include information for patients about HIV testing and HIV prevention medication, guidance on contraceptives and data on adolescent and youth mental health.

(Image credit: Jessica McGowan)

• Google I/O 2025 is set for May 20 - May 21
• I/O generally covers a lot of ground, but we expect big updates on Gemini
• I/O 2024 brought us Gemini, Project Astra, a Sora competitor, and more

Well, Google’s continuing its trend of setting event dates months in advance. And if you’ve been keen to learn more about Project Astra, maybe a future Pixel device, or just more and more about Gemini, Google I/O 2025 is set for May 20 and May 21. Where? Well, of course, it’s in Mountainview, California at the Shoreline Amphitheater.

We can expect the main keynote to happen on day one – May 20, 2025 – and one of the best parts of Google’s annual developer conference is that you never really know what you might see. Last year we were treated to hours on Google Gemini, AI, a little bit about the Android platform, and a tease at the end for Project Astra. We even went hands-on with that and later in 2024 we got Google Gemini Live.

(Image credit: Google)

The good thing is that Google will livestream the keynote, and smaller developer fireside chats, and – the best part – TechRadar will be on the ground to provide you with the latest as it happens. It also just so happens that Google’s event is in the middle of Microsoft's Build Conference, which is set for May 19 to May 22 in Seattle, Washington.

Since this invite just hit our inbox, and this story is developing, here’s a short list of what we could see make its debut at I/O 2025.

• The next version of Google Gemini
• An update on Project Astra
• The debut of Android 16
• A look at future Pixel devices
• Potentially a next-generation drop of Veo, Google’s generative video creator
• New features for Google Photos and all of G-Suite

And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg as Google generally treats I/O’s keynote as a chance to show off the latest tech, and sometimes tech that really is there just to get a crowd reaction. One thing for sure, though, is that AI will be the center of attention and will get a lot of airtime during the keynote.

We saw Google usher in the Gemini era last year, and it’s likely that the company is teeing up even more updates for its main AI suite. It’s also been releasing a steady stream of updates for Gemini since, with 2.0 and a few subsequent models like Gemini 2.0 Flash dropping earlier this month. It’s likely that Google needs to keep up with steep competition from the likes of OpenAI, Microsoft, and even newcomer DeepSeek.

Sure enough before May 20 rolls around – and the main Google I/O keynote – Google will roll out even more updates for Gemini, Android, and its various other products. Who knows, we might even see the Google Pixel 9a debut before then.

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President Trump has signed an executive order decrying the "irrational campaign against plastic straws" and directing federal agencies to stop buying paper straws.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)