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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has unsealed a 14-count indictment against 17 Iranian nationals who are accused of conducting a cyber theft campaign on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The indictment alleges that the group targeted at least 144 U.S. universities, 178 foreign universities, and 42 U.S. private companies, stealing over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said: “These charges reveal the broader network allegedly behind a sweeping, state-sponsored campaign to steal research and intellectual property.” The charges include conspiracy to commit computer instructions and wire fraud. Maximum sentences range from five to 20 years. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $10m for information on five of the defendants.

 

The Hill

The Information reports that Anthropic has been preparing to give CEO Dario Amodei and other co-founders a class of stock with extra ​voting power to ensure they have greater say over the direction of their company and to insulate them from external shareholder pressure. Bloomberg notes that the share structure has become common in the tech industry: Meta Platforms’ Mark Zuckerberg and Snap’s Evan Spiegel also hold super voting rights. Anthropic is also planning to maintain its existing body of non-shareholder trustees with a special class of ​stock to elect a majority of members to its ​board of directors. The company is preparing for a potential ​initial public offering later this year, which is expected ​to be ⁠one of the biggest market debuts in history.

 

Crypto Briefing

Bloomberg

Reuters

The Information

The Justice Department is set to deploy 1,000 monitors to oversee voting during the upcoming midterm elections. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ's civil rights division, said the monitors will ensure elections are conducted fairly. The announcement coincides with President Donald Trump's claims of potential Democratic "cheating" to regain congressional control.

 

Bloomberg Law

Meta is facing a federal bellwether trial brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, which allege that the owner of Instagram and Facebook designed addictive products that harmed children, misrepresented their safety, and violated federal child privacy and state consumer protection laws. If successful, the states intend to seek close to $200bn in damages and changes to Meta’s platforms, including restrictions on infinite scrolling, autoplay, “like” buttons, beauty filters and engagement-driven algorithms for younger users. The case represents a significant legal threat following earlier losses for Meta, including nearly $1bn of damages awarded in a New Mexico case this month. Meta, which spent more than $2bn on legal expenses related to social media addiction trials and other litigation in its latest quarter, rejects the allegations and argues that it has introduced safeguards for teenagers and is being unfairly singled out for challenges affecting the wider internet industry. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg among the planned witnesses.

 

CNBC

NPR

New York Times

Politico

Disney’s ABC has sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), alleging that the agency is illegally targeting its broadcast licenses and programming in retaliation for speech critical of the Trump administration. ABC is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt the FCC’s early license renewal process for its eight local stations, arguing that investigations into Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, as well as “The View’s” exemption from political equal-time rules, are attempts to interfere with the network’s editorial decisions. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has maintained that the license review concerns Disney’s DEI initiatives rather than its speech, and that the agency’s equal-time inquiry is focused on enforcing existing law. Broadcast license revocations are historically rare, and ABC argues that allowing the FCC proceedings to continue poses an immediate threat to its First Amendment rights.

 

ABC News

Wall Street Journal

The Mexican banking affiliates of six international banks - Bank of America, Banco Santander, BBVA, Citigroup, Deutsche ​Bank and HSBC - have agreed to pay $86.4m ‌to settle an antitrust lawsuit by investors who accused them of conspiring from January 1, 2006 ‌to ⁠April 19, 2017 to fix prices and allocations of Mexican government bonds, including by suppressing prices of bonds they buy and increasing prices ​of bonds they ​sell. The ⁠banks denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

 

PYMNTS.com

Reuters

Most U.S. public companies would continue providing investors with quarterly financial updates even if the SEC allows them to make formal regulatory filings only twice a year, according to a KPMG survey of 156 finance executives. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they would issue quarterly earnings releases while switching to semiannual regulatory filings, while another 39% would retain their existing quarterly 10-Q filings and earnings releases. Just 3% would move entirely to semiannual reporting, while 7% would provide selected interim financial data. Although supporters argue that less frequent filings could reduce costs and administrative work, many companies question the potential savings, with more than half of those surveyed bound by financing agreements requiring quarterly information and 94% planning to maintain quarterly internal governance and oversight. Some executives also warned that less frequent reporting could reduce transparency, weaken financial discipline, and make companies less attractive to investors.

 

Wall Street Journal

Germany's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has closed an investigation after Apple agreed to change how app developers use personal data for targeted advertising. The FCO found Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework gave its own apps more favorable consent prompts than third-party developers, potentially breaching competition rules.  Apple has four months from the date the decision was made to implement the changes; the new rules will be in effect for seven years. "While we believe the current ATT prompt provides a clear, ​easy-to-understand and effective way to keep users in control of their data – ‌an ⁠opinion shared by the German data protection authorities – we have agreed to make changes to the text and formatting of the prompt at the FCO's request," Apple said.

 

IT News

Reuters

Silicon Republic

Canada has launched the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Alliance to address workforce shortages in the manufacturing sector. Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu announced the initiative in Guelph, Ont., saying that many workers lack the necessary skills for current manufacturing demands. The alliance will unite manufacturers, unions, educators, and underrepresented groups to identify workforce gaps and develop training solutions. Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), said the future of advanced manufacturing ultimately comes down to people: "Advanced manufacturing may involve artificial intelligence, robotics, leading-edge technology, engineering and production processes, and supply chain resilience . . . [but] at the heart of it, it's all about people," he said.

 

CBC News

The Globe and Mail

Young people are increasingly struggling to find stable employment as the global jobs outlook worsens. The International Labour Organization's report, "Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026: Back to the Future," reveals that the unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 reached 12.4% in 2025, leaving 67m young people without jobs. The report noted that youth unemployment rose in eight of the world's 11 sub-regions from 2023 to 2025, reversing some of the recovery that followed the pandemic.

 

Yahoo News Australia

Tesla is preparing for a public launch of Cybercab, ​the company's ​purpose-built autonomous vehicle without pedals or a ​steering wheel, starting with a rollout in Austin, Texas, ‌as soon as this month, The Information has reported. Reuters says Cybercab is critical to Tesla's robotaxi ⁠ambitions: the company plans to ​eventually deploy the vehicle for its autonomous ride-hailing ​service.

 

Elektrek

Reuters

The Information

In 2025, 350 aid workers were killed globally, with Gaza and Sudan being the most dangerous locations, according to the United Nations. This figure is a slight decrease from 2024's toll of 377. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted that 186 fatalities occurred in Gaza, while 71 were reported in Sudan. "More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable," Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said. "But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues . . . And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences," he said.

 

France 24