What happens when China drops open-weight AI models that rival Silicon Valley's best? This episode unpacks how a new wave of international AI releases is shaking up business, policy, and the future of innovation.

• Linus Torvalds to critics of AI coding in Linux: "Fork it. Or just walk away."
• Claude on X: "Beginning July 20, Claude Fable 5 will be included in all Max and Team Premium plans, at 50% of limits. Pro and Team Standard users will continue to have access to Fable via usage credits, and will receive a one-time $100 credit. Demand for Fable has been challenging to"
• China's Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi Model, Threatening America's Lead
• Alibaba's Qwen Unveils Preview of Flagship AI Model
• Social media limits are coming for teens across Europe
• The White House is now deciding who gets access to frontier AI models, not the labs
• Microsoft chief turns hostile on frontier AI labs, warns companies to guard their IP
• Meta Is Flooding the Market With Smartglasses. Privacy Advocates Are Up in Arms.
• Federal employees can download TikTok on government devices, DOJ says
• Amazon Web Services customers receive bills for up to $1.5tn after global glitch
• MLB cracks down on using AI via dugout iPads to help shape in-game decisions
• White House Teleprompter Operator Bet on Trump Speeches, Kalshi Says
• New York school district is testing lifelike robot teachers

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Harper Reed and Alex Wilhelm

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AI is stirring up heated debate in the Linux world, but Linus Torvalds' pragmatic stance may surprise you. Hear why the kernel isn't slamming the door on artificial intelligence and what it means for open source development. Also, Elon Musk claims X will go fully open source, but will this shift redefine trust and innovation on social platforms, or is it just more empty hype?

Host: Jonathan Bennett

Co-Hosts: Ken McDonald and Rob Campbell

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In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Denise's question about whether her smart TV is tracking what she watches and how to stop it.

Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

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This week we're jumping into the space headlines for the past few weeks. It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena--something we've long advocated--and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this--the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract. An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides--big ones--on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest!

Headlines:

• SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Launch Aborted Due to Engine Issue
• Meteorite Crashes Into New Jersey, Preserved Sample Fuels Origins of Life Research
• Discovery of Atmosphere Around Habitable-Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b
• NASA Moon Tree Planted After Artemis 1 Mission
• Reflect Orbital to Launch Mirrors in Space, Sparking Astronomer Backlash
• Landslides Found on Pluto Could Bury Entire Cities
• Rare Sugar Found in Interstellar Cloud Hints at Building Blocks of Life
• SpaceX's Growing Military Launch Contracts and Pentagon Ties
• Space Development Agency's Expanding Satellite Constellation for Space Force
• Starship's Dual Focus: NASA Moon Landings vs. Mars and Satellite Deployment
• Artemis 3 Updates: New Renderings, Docking Plans, and Starlink HD Laser Payloads
• Defense Innovation Unit's Push for Space-Based Power Beaming Technology
• Pulse Space and Laser-Based Satellite Power and Communication
• New Satellite Concept to Detect Nuclear Devices in Orbit Amid Global Security Concerns

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins the show this week! Is Google's AI Search failing kids? OpenAI could be releasing its first device: a proactive AI-smart speaker. OnePlus is exiting the US & European market. And Microsoft's Comic Chat is now open source.

• Common Sense Media finds Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode miss warning signs like suicidal ideation and validate disordered eating, especially concerning.
• Bloomberg reports that OpenAI is building a screen-free, proactive smart speaker for the home.
• Katie Collins from CNET joins the show to talk about OnePlus's withdrawal from the US & European market.
• And Microsoft releases the code for its iconic mid-90s comic-strip IRC client (birthplace of Comic Sans) on GitHub.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Katie Collins

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Windows 11 widgets finally get a streamlined redesign that ditches the frustrating news feeds and random notifications, making them genuinely useful for the first time. Find out how the new setup quietly transforms your desktop experience.

Host: Paul Thurrott

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Ready to install the iOS 27 public beta? Skip common mistakes and learn Mikah's straightforward method for filing some reports that may actually get results.

• Back up devices and expectations for public beta testers
• Step-by-step guide to enrolling in Apple's public beta program
• Understanding your role and responsibilities as a beta tester
• The importance of submitting clear, actionable feedback to Apple
• How to use the Feedback app and provide diagnostic data
• Attaching screenshots and recordings to feedback for clarity
• When to refile persistent bugs and avoid reporting third-party app issues

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Richard Charscan, President of AcousticSmart, talks about his approach to designing the ultimate home theaters, including some of the most awesome and outrageous rooms Scott Wilkinson has ever seen. His coffee-table book, Home Theaterology (https://hometheaterology.net), showcases some of his best home theaters, and we take a peek into some of them on the show.

Host: Scott Wilkinson

Guest: Richard Charschan

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If you're the person who packs weeks early and triple-checks every detail, this episode is your tactical guide to using iPhone apps for travel planning, collaboration, and on-the-ground navigation.

• Vacation planning tips and why offline maps are essential
• Downloading and managing offline Apple Maps for travel
• Using shared Apple Notes and Reminders for trip organization
• Comparing Notes, Reminders, and Freeform for vacation planning
• Top travel apps: TripIt, Tripsy, and Wanderlog privacy considerations
• Flight tracking and airport anxiety reduced with Flighty
• Data choices abroad: eSIM setup and Citymapper for urban navigation
• Feedback: Autoplay settings in Apple Podcasts
• Shortcuts Corner: Automating photo sharing, saving, and cleanup workflow

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

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With open weight models fast approaching the power and utility of closed AI giants, enterprises face tough choices about privacy, sovereignty, and who they can trust. Explore why the next tech revolution might depend on which models stay truly open—and who gets to keep using them.

• Mozilla's inaugural 'State of Open Source AI' Report with CTO Raffi Krikorian - https://stateofopensource.ai/
• Apple sues OpenAI, alleging it stole trade Secrets
• Google's Demis Hassabis says it's time for a global AI watchdog — led by the US
• Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days
• White House details 'Gold Eagle' clearinghouse for AI cyber threats
• Introducing GPT-Live
• From Chatbot to Command Center
• OpenAI may have made a fatal misstep in copyright fight with news orgs
• A Green Being (@a_green_being) on X
• What xAI Grok Build CLI actually sends to xAI - a wire-level analysis (grok 0.2.93)
• Musk promises purge after Grok Build caught sending entire repos to the cloud
• PrismML — Announcing Bonsai 27B: The First 27B-Class Model to Run on a Phone
• Fidji Simo steps down from leading OpenAI's AGI work due to illness
• OpenAI has folded safety into research again. Its head of safety is leaving.
• We built a vulnerability vending machine: AI tokens in, zero-days out
• Australia demands AI companies must produce more energy than they consume, stop 'theft' of content
• White House not ruling out action on open-source AI models
• The Hard-Line Activists Ramping Up for the War With AI - WSJ
• Super Dario: One More Week
• How to stop Claude from saying load-bearing | jola.dev
• History of LLMs: Complete Timeline & Evolution (1950-2026)
• No, You Shouldn't Avoid Fruits and Vegetables Due to Cyclospora
• Google creator profiles
• Dust jacket
  

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Paris Martineau

Guest: Raffi Krikorian

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Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday just shattered records with hundreds of bug fixes, and AI is the force behind the surge. Are we witnessing the beginning of a safer Windows, or is this flood of vulnerabilities the new normal? Plus, Tony Redmond's epic book has a new name (was Office 365 for IT Pros) and is now a bundle of four books.

Windows

• Patch Tuesday is here!
• Point in Time Restore, quieter Widgets, Windows Update improvements, Screen tint, and more
• The biggest Patch Tuesday in history, by far: a record 570 fixes for security flaws, and a huge 3X increase from the then-record flaws fixed last month. (Some say the number is 622. Math is hard.) And this is on top of 468 Microsoft Edge/Chromium flaws that were fixed by Google this month too. Yikes.
• Microsoft discusses how it's improving Windows security with AI
• Windows Insider Program: Improved Windows Search is next on the docket, heading out to Experimental this week. Question: When do these things hit stable?
• Microsoft releases Snapdragon X2 versions of its Surface for Business Pro and Laptop models

AI

• Apple sues OpenAI for stealing trade secrets
• Surprised there was no talk of "thermonuclear war"
• OpenAI's response is hilarious, and it is already prepping its first hardware device
• OpenAI just announced the rumored super app, which is a combination of ChatGPT, Work, Codex, and an in-app web browser, which replaces the standalone Atlas web browser. Also, GPT-5.6.
• In keeping with recent history, Anthropic announced its in-app web browser for Claude less than 24 hours later
• Reminder that Microsoft acknowledged that it, too, is working on an AI super app at Build
• Apple releases public betas of its OS 27 releases and, shocker, Siri is really good
• Now Spotify has an AI chatbot so I can tell it how much I hate Spotify

Xbox and gaming

• Obsidian is working on a new Fallout game, duh.
• A quiet time after last week's terribleness

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Microsoft 365 for IT Pros (2027 edition) is here!
• App pick of the week: MusicBee
• RunAs Radio this week: Finding Security Vulnerabilities using AI with Sami Laiho
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Sanctuary Single Malt Whisky Reserve Edition

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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