Image: Laura Normand / The Verge President-elect Donald Trump made two nominations Wednesday that will shape significant parts of his administration’s tech enforcement, if confirmed by the Senate. Former Republican Securities and Exchange Commissioner Paul Atkins is Trump’s pick to lead the agency, replacing Biden-appointed chair and crypto foil Gary Gensler. The selection of Atkins, who co-chairs the Token Alliance at the Digital Chamber, a group dedicated to the use of digital assets, suggests a sharp divergence from Biden-era crypto policy. In his announcement, Trump says Atkins “recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.” Trump also selected Gail Slater to lead the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, which is currently litigating two anti-monopoly suits against Google, and a third against Apple, as well as reportedly probing AI-chipmaker Nvidia. Slater has previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission, in Trump’s National Economic Counsel, and most recently as Vice President-elect JD Vance’s economic policy advisor in his Senate office. She’s also worked at Fox, Roku, and the now-defunct Internet Association, whose member included several Big Tech companies. Trump is borrowing a favorite term of Marc Andreessen’s in with his reference to “Little Tech” In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump writes that, “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump is borrowing a favorite term of Marc Andreessen’s in with his reference to “Little Tech.” Andreessen — a venture capitalist and crypto supporter who publicly backed Trump in the election — has pushed for the recognition of a contrast between policies that benefit startups versus the largest tech players. Slater has historically worked across the aisle, having served as an attorney advisor to former Democratic FTC Commissioner Julie Brill (who now works as Microsoft’s chief privacy officer). Her history working for Vance — who has publicly praised Biden’s FTC Chair Lina Khan for her aggressive approach toward tech — suggests Big Tech is likely to remain a key target of antitrust scrutiny in the years to come.

While I haven't bought the Apple Vision Pro, I'm still a fan of what Apple is doing here because I think the spatial computer debuted key technologies that will lead to the actual head-worn wearable I want: A pair of AR Apple Glasses that might eventually replace the iPhone. Rumors say that we have a long wait ahead of us before true Apple Glasses become a reality. Apple needs tons of progress with the tech involved before it can create the product it wants. Meta recently showcased the bulky Orion concept of AR glasses that cost $10,000 to make. That's another clear hint that Apple Glasses will take a while to get here. We need a pair of AR glasses that look much more like regular glasses before consumers will actually adopt them. Other rumors say that Apple is studying the possibility of developing smart glasses that look like Meta's Ray-Ban. Those aren't AR glasses, however. Intead, they just have a camera and Meta AI support. Samsung is expected to unveil a similar gadget in the coming months. Apple will never confirm work on future products, though it might tease that's where we're heading. That's what Tim Cook did in a recent interview when asked whether Apple Glasses are coming after the Vision Pro. Continue reading... The post This is the closest we’ve come to Tim Cook confirming Apple Glasses appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Early Black Friday deals: $154 AirPods Pro 2, $250 iPad 10, $150 Lenovo Chromebook, $10 LifeStraw, more Best Black Friday deals 2024: Ultimate roundup Cyber Monday blowout: Free AirPods 4, $374 PlayStation 5, Apple sale, $297 Nectar mattress, $60 Keurig, more Cyber Monday iPad deals start at $199 in 2024

The Ladies Professional Golf Association updated its gender policy on Wednesday, and players assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty will not be eligible to compete.

High-end donors for Donald Trump's second inauguration reportedly will receive perks, including separate dinners with the president-elect and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, as well as tickets to other exclusive events.

Israel said on Wednesday it had retrieved the body of Itay Svirsky, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and then killed in Hamas captivity, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court of the United States is bringing its many decades of collective legal experience to bear as it carefully considers whether a guy slicing body parts off of children with a giant knife is bad.

NEW YORK, NY — In addition to exploring the use of a "golden at-bat" in which teams could send their best hitter to the plate regardless of who was due up in the lineup, Major League Baseball is considering other ways to increase excitement during games, including allowing each team to call in one tactical air strike on their opponent's outfield per game.

Asteroid C0WEPC5 entered Earth's atmosphere at 1:15 a.m. local time on Dec. 4 over northeastern Siberia.

Geology news, features and articles

Radioisotopes in the bones of an 18-month-old boy who lived almost 13,000 years ago indicate that his mother ate mostly mammoths.