In order to place boots on the Moon’s surface, Nasa requires a lander. The American space organization has enlisted two private firms to construct them: SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, whose lunar variant of the Starship rocket will reach a height of 35 meters, and Blue Origin, established by Jeff Bezos, whose Blue Moon Mark 2 vehicle is smaller yet equally ambitious.
“Fidesz’s governance needs to end, they’ve taken so much and the nation is suffering,” claims Eva, who thinks 90% of the market’s patrons still support them. “Tisza backers only focus on Orbán’s negative aspects,” Andrea counters. “If you observe the city, they’ve renovated six schools and constructed new facilities at the hospital.” While that might be accurate, Eva contends that many public tenders in Hungary are plagued by corruption.
A suspect was taken into custody after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at the residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and subsequently threatening to set fire to the artificial intelligence firm’s headquarters in San Francisco on Friday, according to authorities.
An OpenAI representative verified the incident in an official statement and remarked, “Fortunately, no injuries occurred.”
The San Francisco Police Department reported on X that officers responded to a blaze at Altman’s North Beach home after an individual threw an “explosive incendiary device” at around 4 a.m. The device ignited a fire on an outer gate and the suspect fled the scene on foot.
Approximately an hour later, officers were alerted to a man making arson threats at the AI company’s office, identifying him as the same suspect involved in the incident at Altman’s residence, per the report. The 20-year-old male suspect was apprehended, with charges pending.
“We are very grateful for the prompt response from SFPD and the city’s assistance in ensuring the safety of our employees,” OpenAI stated. “The suspect is in custody, and we are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.”
In a recent blog entry, Altman spoke about the attack and included a family photo, admitting he “underestimated the influence of words and narratives.” He described the past few years as “extremely intense, chaotic, and high-pressure,” urging for a de-escalation in “the rhetoric and tactics” within the AI sector.
“Much of the criticism aimed at our industry arises from genuine worries regarding the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This concern is entirely valid, and we welcome constructive criticism and healthy debate,” Altman expressed. “I resonate with the sentiments against technology and acknowledge that it isn’t always beneficial for everyone. However, I firmly believe that technological advancements can lead to an extraordinarily positive future for all families.”
This episode occurs during a notably contentious period for Altman and OpenAI.
In February, the organization faced backlash for finalizing an agreement with the Department of Defense after the Pentagon cut ties with AI competitor Anthropic. Activists utilized chalk to leave messages at both companies’ offices, including calls for OpenAI employees to protest the agreement.
OpenAI and Anthropic are competing for dominance in the large language model market. Their combined valuation exceeds $1 trillion in the private sector, and both companies are aiming for potential IPOs this year, despite losing billions of dollars.
In a forthcoming trial expected to begin later this month, Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and Altman, asserting that the CEO “carefully manipulated” him into contributing $38 million on the condition that OpenAI would stay a nonprofit entity. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015, is seeking to have Altman removed from his CEO position as part of the legal action.
–CNBC’s Ashley Capoot contributed to this report
WATCH: Elon Musk seeks removal of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman through litigation
A group of Californians filed suit this week against Sutter Health and MemorialCare, alleging an AI transcription tool recorded them without permission, in breach of state and federal law.
The proposed class-action complaint, submitted Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, says that within the last six months the plaintiffs obtained medical treatment at various Sutter and MemorialCare facilities.
During those visits, clinicians employed Abridge AI. According to the complaint, this system “collected and processed their private physician–patient conversations. Plaintiffs did not receive clear notice that their medical discussions would be recorded by an artificial intelligence platform, transmitted beyond the clinical environment, or handled by third-party systems.”
The complaint further alleges those recordings “contained personally identifiable medical information, including, but not limited to, medical histories, symptoms, diagnoses, medications, treatment discussions, and other sensitive health disclosures made during confidential medical consultations.”
In recent years, Abridge’s software and AI tools have been rapidly rolled out across major health care providers nationwide, including Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, and many others.
The individual reportedly issued threats outside the offices of OpenAI later on Friday morning.
The individual reportedly issued threats outside the offices of OpenAI later on Friday morning.
Authorities in San Francisco have detained a 20-year-old man suspected of launching a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s residence in Russian Hill early Friday morning, The San Francisco Standard reveals. The occurrence was recorded by surveillance cameras shortly before 7 AM ET. Later in the same morning, someone resembling the suspect was observed threatening individuals outside OpenAI’s Mission Bay offices, leading to his arrest around 9 AM ET.
OpenAI representative Jamie Radice verified the event in a statement to The Verge, stating, “Fortunately, no injuries occurred. We sincerely thank the SFPD for their swift response and the city’s support in ensuring the safety of our employees. The suspect is in custody, and we are facilitating law enforcement’s investigation.”
The San Francisco police department published a post on X on Friday regarding what seems to be the same event, indicating that the suspect was “threatening to set the building ablaze” outside a business in “the 1400 block of 3rd street.” OpenAI’s headquarters are situated at 1455 3rd Street. According to the post, the inquiry is continuing and “charges are still forthcoming at this time.” The SFPD did not immediately provide a response to a request for commentary.
Following a rapid re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to land in the Pacific Ocean close to San Diego.
Following a rapid re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to land in the Pacific Ocean close to San Diego.
The Orion capsule, with Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard, is anticipated to return to Earth following a nine-day mission that set a record for the greatest distance humans have achieved from our planet.
After performing a high-speed re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to touch down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at around 5:07 PM PT / 8:07 PM ET. Navy recovery teams will take the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations before they are flown back to land.
Re-entry is without a doubt the most perilous phase of space travel, particularly for Artemis II due to the Orion capsule’s heat shield. The vital layer that safeguards astronauts from extreme heat has a recognized design flaw, having experienced unexpected damage during the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.
The splashdown will be streamed live on NASA’s official YouTube channel. All leading news networks, Netflix, and various others will air the landing starting at 6:30 PM ET.
Two distinct arms seem to begin from roughly the same spot at the crust-mantle boundary. One arm angles northeastward toward the Yellowstone caldera, while the other extends toward the Snake River Plain. The split between them produces the volcano-free zone lying between those two features.
The researchers concluded that, regardless of other factors supplying molten material, the routes to the surface were likely controlled by stresses in the crust. Those stresses depend on both the crust’s existing structures (mapped largely via seismic data) and broader processes occurring in the underlying mantle. Consequently, the model incorporated basic geological details, established physical processes, and some historical context about how that section of crust developed.
This brings the Farallon plate back into the picture. Its remnants, pushed beneath the North American plate, continue to sink and move through the mantle. The researchers infer that this motion drives a general eastward flow of material through the viscous mantle. Just east of Yellowstone, however, that flow encounters the older margin of the North American plate, where the crust is thicker and denser than the portion of the continent laid down by the Farallon plate.
That thicker crust forces the mantle flow to bend downward. The change in flow generates a range of stresses in the crust, most notably compression between the older and newer sections of the North American plate and a downward drag on the older block. Local stresses are further increased because the material that erupted to form the Snake River Plain is denser than much of the surrounding rock, producing strain on nearby rocks as it attempts to sink.
Welcome to Open Tab, your weekly summary of news, gossip, and stories that have been open in my browser for the week. Last week we discussed the surprising array of hot sauces included in the Artemis II mission.
Among the various sensational disclosures in this week’s New Yorker piece on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (specifically: frequent deception) was a detail I can’t shake off. “Altman broke from his ‘war room’ at six o’clock every evening to enjoy a round of Negronis,” Ronan Farrow noted. Negronis…every night? Someone should introduce this man to a variety of cocktails. Also noteworthy: Danny Meyer’s upcoming book, What Could Possibly Go Right?, releases in late September. What should we anticipate? Insights on business, hospitality, the grind culture, and more. How will this differ from his previous works? Great question.
In addition this week: A harsh critique of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ restaurant has gone viral, Philz Coffee has removed Pride flags from multiple locations, the predictive significance of pizza restaurant location data, and grocery stores that are hosting raves.
Nicole Rose was not pleased that her martini took 45 minutes to arrive during her recent visit to 1587 Prime, a Kansas City eatery owned by Chiefs teammates Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. “We ordered $15 steak sauces,” she expresses, clearly upset, in a now viral TikTok. “They did not arrive. They were forgotten.” The grievances continue, but I’ll spare you the details: She spent $650 on a standard steak dinner with what seems like subpar service.
Not to play the cynic (famous last words), but what did we expect? Dining at a celebrity’s establishment is essentially like visiting a themed restaurant where the motif revolves around fame. As a representative for the restaurant mentioned to me months ago, Kelce and Mahomes’ actual involvement in the restaurant is quite limited.
This week, The New York Times questioned whether wokeness has left us worse off. It’s a fascinating discussion about how liberal aesthetics function in practice…yada yada yada I am a pretentious gay guy, you understand. It’s certainly not for me to declare whether woke is finished, or if we might be, conversely, “So back.” But one fact is clear: The prominent liberalism of the early 2020s is fading. The latest blow for the woke? The San Francisco-established coffee chain Philz Coffee, which declared this week it will be removing Pride flags from all its shops—eight weeks ahead of Pride Month, no less!!! Is this the unavoidable outcome of the chain’s acquisition by private equity last year? Are we doomed to witness Philz decline like many concepts supported by PE?
According to a statement from the CEO shared with the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported on this story, Philz’s “longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community remains intact.” A kind sentiment, but let’s see some action, Philz!
Yes, you can catch up on the news. Or you might keep an eye on the pizza establishments near the Pentagon. That is the premise behind Pentagon Pizza Report, an account on X that monitors activity at pizza places in close proximity to the Pentagon. Increased activity? Something is definitely going on. But wait, there’s more: Pizza joints might not be the only indicator of global turmoil. Gay bars, it seems, are also a predictor of military and governmental overtime.
Inflation increased in March due to the Iran conflict raising gasoline and other costs for consumers.
The consumer price index, a vital inflation indicator, surged 3.3% in March from the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. That’s up from 2.4% in February.
The release of March data marks the first CPI report since the onset of the Iran conflict on Feb. 28, highlighting the financial consequences for consumers during the initial month of hostilities in the Middle East.
While the U.S. and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire late Tuesday, economists indicated that the inflationary consequences of the conflict will likely take several weeks or months to resolve — and that a drawn-out conflict could elevate consumer prices across categories, including food, airfare, and manufactured goods.
“Inflation is a concern and it’s only going to intensify,” stated Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s. “Clearly, the situation in Iran is causing significant harm.”
“We were tentatively hopeful about inflation at the start of this year,” with pressures such as those from tariffs easing, said Thomas Ryan, a North America economist at Capital Economics.
“Essentially, we’re in a wait-and-see mode right now, just to assess the impact of the energy price shock,” Ryan noted. “If it proves to be lasting, we become increasingly worried about leakage” into other consumer spending areas, he added.
The inflationary spike due to the Iran conflict complicates the Federal Reserve’s task of setting interest rate policy.
During the March meeting, central bank officials indicated they anticipate cutting interest rates once this year, although some mentioned that it may become necessary to increase borrowing costs if the Iran conflict results in sustained inflationary pressures.
Fed officials also expressed the need to stay “nimble” as they assessed the war’s impact on inflation, which persists above the central bank’s 2% target.
“Inflation is significantly above acceptable levels for both consumers and the Federal Reserve — and that situation won’t improve, at least in the coming months,” Zandi mentioned.
The recent surge in energy prices is largely attributed to oil.
Iran has effectively restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for transporting approximately one-fifth of the global oil supply. The blockade appears to remain largely intact even after the ceasefire, according to reports.
Oil prices — as tracked by Brent crude oil, a global pricing standard — surged to $118 per barrel by March’s conclusion, up from around $70 per barrel prior to the onset of conflict. Prices have since trended down, yet remain high at approximately $96 as of Friday.
“There’s optimism now, as we have a two-week ceasefire and we hope it lasts,” stated Joe Seydl, a senior markets economist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “Otherwise, we may be facing the most significant oil supply shock in the post-World War II era.”
Products made from oil — including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel — have also seen sharp increases.
Retail gasoline prices jumped 18.9% over the past year, according to the CPI data.
Consumers were paying an average of $4.12 per gallon as of Monday, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most recent weekly statistics — a rise from around $2.94 prior to the conflict.
This rise above $4 per gallon marks the first occasion the national average price has exceeded that threshold since 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused prices to spike, as demonstrated by EIA data.
Concurrently, rising oil prices are affecting other sectors of household budgeting as well.
For instance, airlines are increasing ticket prices,raising baggage fees, introducing fuel surcharges and reducing flight schedules to mitigate the impact of the Iran conflict — actions that collectively heighten costs for travelers.
Airlines are taking these steps to counteract rising jet fuel expenses, which constitute one of their biggest operational costs.
Airfares increased by 14.9% over the past year, according to CPI figures.
The increase is particularly striking for international travel: For instance, an average round-trip economy fare from the U.S. to Rome rose to $1,165 as of March 30, up from $846 on Feb. 23, according to the latest weekly flight statistics compiled by Kayak, a travel search engine. A round-trip ticket to Hong Kong climbed to $1,403 from $1,042 during the same time frame.
If jet fuel prices continue at their current levels for a full year, airlines would need to raise ticket prices by roughly $50 for each one-way fare, or about 17%, analysts from Deutsche Bank mentioned in a report on Tuesday.
Food prices are another segment that might experience upward pressure due to escalating oil prices, economists noted.
For instance, a rise in diesel costs influences the transportation expenses tied to delivering food to grocery stores. Additionally, fertilizer is a key export through the Strait of Hormuz, posing a threat to increase prices for farmers and consumers.
Food prices have risen by 2.7% over the last year, per CPI figures. Specific categories like beef and coffee have witnessed even steeper price hikes due to unique situations affecting supply.
Americans may also see heightened costs for items purchased through e-commerce platforms. Amazon plans to implement a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge for third-party sellers in the U.S. and Canada starting April 17. Other shipping companies like United Parcel Service and FedEx have also enforced increased fuel surcharges since the beginning of the Iran conflict.
Some inflationary pressures from energy costs may take months to impact supply chains and reach consumers, according to Ryan from Capital Economics. The effect “could be quite widespread,” he stated.
Ultimately, the full inflationary repercussions will hinge on the circumstances of the conflict.
If hostilities cease by late April and the Strait of Hormuz begins to reopen, CPI inflation would probably reduce “fairly rapidly,” according to Ryan. He predicts it will peak around 4% and decline to 3% by the end of 2026.
Conversely, an extended conflict would sustain high inflation and increases the likelihood of broader pass-through to goods and services, he cautioned.
Even if oil tankers resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz, normalcy may take time to restore, economists warn.
For instance, damage from attacks on energy facilities in the Middle East will require time for repairs, they noted.
Seydl, from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, used the term “up like a rocket and down like a feather” to characterize the anticipated price trends, indicating that prices for gasoline and other household budgeting areas tend to rise swiftly following a shock, but decrease slowly.
There’s also likely to be a persistent “risk premium” on oil prices once the conflict concludes, Seydl pointed out. “Investors are aware that this scenario could happen again,” he remarked.
Increased ancillary airline costs, such as baggage fees, may also prove to be long-lasting, particularly if demand stays robust, analysts suggested.
Is it the Department of Defense or the Department of War? The Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America? A vaccine—or a “personalized neoantigen treatment”?
That’s the Trump-era language dilemma confronting Moderna, the creator of the covid-19 vaccine whose ambitions for advanced mRNA vaccines targeting flu and emerging pathogens have been thwarted by vaccine skeptics within the federal government. Terminated contracts and unsupportive regulators have brought the Massachusetts-based biotech company to a tipping point. Last year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leading the Department of Health and Human Services, focused on mRNA, withdrawing support for numerous initiatives—including a $776 million allocation to Moderna for a bird flu vaccine. By January, the firm was cautioning it might need to halt late-stage endeavors to create vaccines against infections entirely.
This escalates the stakes for another segment of Moderna’s research. In collaboration with Merck, it has been applying its mRNA technology to eliminate tumors using a highly promising procedure referred to as cancer vacc—
“It’s not a vaccine,” a Merck representative interjected before I could articulate the V-word. “It’s a personalized neoantigen therapy.”
Oh, but it is a vaccine. And here’s the process. Moderna analyzes a patient’s cancer cells to identify the most abnormal, distinctive molecules present on their surface. It then encloses the genetic information for those molecules, known as neoantigens, into an injection. The patient’s immune system is instructed: Destroy any cells exhibiting those undesirable surface markers.
Mechanically, it resembles the covid-19 vaccines. The distinct aspect, of course, is that the patient is being immunized against cancer, not a virus.
And it appears to be a potential breakthrough. This year, Moderna and Merck demonstrated that such injections reduced by half the likelihood that patients with the most lethal form of skin cancer would die from a recurrence post-surgery.
In its formal statements, such as regulatory documentation, Moderna has not referred to the injection as a cancer vaccine since 2023. That was when it partnered with Merck and rebranded the technology as personalized neoantigen therapy or INT. Moderna’s CEO remarked at the time that the name change was to “better capture the intent of the initiative.” (BioNTech, the European vaccine manufacturer also engaged in cancer research, has adjusted its terminology as well, transitioning from “neoantigen vaccine” in 2021 to “mRNA cancer immunotherapies” in its latest report.)
The rationale for framing it as a therapy is that patients already have cancer—therefore, it serves as treatment rather than a preventive strategy. But the ulterior motive is evident: to separate vital innovation from vaccine-related anxieties that have been exacerbated by high-ranking US officials. “Vaccines may be perceived negatively nowadays, but we still have faith in the science and in leveraging our immune system to not only combat infections but hopefully also to defeat … cancers,” Kyle Holen, head of Moderna’s cancer initiative, stated last summer during BIO 2025, a significant biotech event in Boston.
Not everyone appreciates the linguistic games. Consider Ryan Sullivan, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital who has enrolled patients in Moderna’s trials. He is concerned that the shift raises issues regarding whether trial participants are adequately informed. “There is some apprehension that certain patients might refuse to treat their cancer because it is labeled a vaccine,” Sullivan expressed to me. “However, I also believed it was crucial, as many of my peers did, to name it what it truly is.”
But is it worthwhile to fight over terminology? Lillian Siu, an oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, who has contributed to safety evaluations for the new injections, observes US politics from a distance. She considers the name alteration permissible “if it ensures the research can proceed.”
Holen conveyed to me that the physicians expressing dissatisfaction with Moderna were primarily driven by a desire to support vaccines—which are indisputably among the most significant public health advancements ever. They wanted the company to hold firm.
However, that’s not what is occurring. When Moderna’s latest findings were published in February, the main text of the paper made no mention of the term “vaccine.” It only appeared in the footnotes—cited in the titles of earlier papers and patents.
All of this may indicate that Kennedy’s approach is effective. His agencies often seem to spotlight mRNA vaccines as a source of public anxiety, obstruct their dissemination, diminish their value for businesses, and marginalize their advocates.
Nevertheless, Moderna’s approach may also be paying off. At least thus far, the government hasn’t commented much on the company’s cancer vacc— I mean, its personalized neoantigen therapy.
This article initially appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday and access articles like this ahead of others, sign up here.
