General Motors told reporters on Tuesday that it has indefinitely suspended production of its self-driving Cruise Origin robotaxi, reports The New York Times. The company will refocus on using the Chevy Bolt EV, which Cruise has already been using. A modified version will go into production next year.

The Origin created “regulatory uncertainty” owing to its design, GM CEO Mary Barra said in her letter to shareholders today. It was to be purpose-built for self-driving, with no steering wheel or pedals, no clear front or rear, and no driver; but estimates put each vehicle’s cost in the hundreds of thousands. The company said in September of last year that it was “just days away” from regulators approving the Origin for mass production.

Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Then, a month later, Cruise’s robotaxis were banned in California after multiple incidents, including one where a driverless Cruise car hit and dragged a San Francisco pedestrian. Since then, GM, which has lost several billions on the company already, has had to keep Cruise afloat while it reorients.

Meanwhile, Cruise has been testing its Chevy Bolt EV robotaxis in Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix, using human safety drivers. The company resumed testing earlier this year with manually driven vehicles and no passengers.

The data is in, and it shows a significant rise in air pollution where e-retailers build their warehouses, and the neighborhoods hit the hardest have more people of color living in them.

Warehouses have mushroomed across the US with the rise of e-commerce — creeping closer to Americans’ homes and becoming more common than office buildings. They’re there to store, sort, and send off packages that wind up at our doorsteps seemingly out of thin air. In reality, that flurry of activity sends fleets of trucks and delivery vehicles through communities, affecting neighborhoods closest to warehouses the most.

The first nationwide study of its kind linked truck traffic from warehouses to an increase in an air pollutant called nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is a key ingredient in smog and, on its own, can aggravate respiratory diseases, including asthma. Neighborhoods downwind of warehouses, less than 5 miles (roughly 7 kilometers) away, experienced a nearly 20 percent increase in NO2 pollution compared to neighborhoods upwind of warehouses.

“I would argue that it’s a very meaningful, impactful amount [of NO2 pollution],” says lead study author Gaige Kerr, an assistant research professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. The spike in pollution is essentially equivalent to wiping out several years’ worth of efforts to improve air quality under the Clean Air Act, according to Kerr. (Kerr also serves as a consultant for the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, the Department of Justice, and the California Air Resources Board.)

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, encompasses the locations of nearly 150,000 large warehouses across the contiguous US gathered from a commercial database. They found a 117 percent increase in the total number of new warehouses built between 2010 and 2021. And compared to older warehouses, newly constructed facilities are bigger — with far more loading docks and parking spaces to accommodate more vehicles around the clock. Clusters of warehouses also became more common — crowding out residents in some towns, The Verge has previously reported. Truck traffic and NO2 pollution increased with the number of loading docks and parking spaces.

Communities of color are particularly vulnerable to air pollution from warehouse traffic, the researchers found. The proportion of Asian and Hispanic residents was close to 290 percent and 240 percent higher, respectively, in areas with the most warehouses compared to the median nationwide. Notably, just 10 counties in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio were home to 20 percent of all the warehouses.

A big breakthrough in satellite remote sensing enabled a closer look at nitrogen dioxide for this study. There aren’t enough ground sensors for NO2 in the US to capture differences in pollution levels from block to block. But the study authors were able to gather data on nitrogen dioxide in 2021 from a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite instrument that takes daily readings as it orbits around the planet.

That gives scientists and health advocates an unprecedented look at tailpipe pollution surrounding warehouses. But it might still lead to an underestimate of the problem, the study notes. The satellite takes readings once a day in the afternoon, local time. But warehouse traffic tends to peak in the morning. The researchers are hopeful that a new satellite instrument from NASA, launched last year to monitor air pollution, could provide even more precise data. Unlike the ESA satellite, NASA’s instrument will stay in geostationary orbit to take hourly readings over North America. (NASA funded the study published today.)

Neighborhood activists have fought for years to stop warehouses from being built too close to homes and have called on e-retailers to switch to electric vehicles to alleviate pollution. They’ve also pushed some local regulators to consider regulating emissions near warehouses more similarly to factories or other industrial facilities with smokestacks. Warehouses have been a blind spot for many regulators in the past because the buildings themselves don’t create pollution — they attract pollution from trucks, trains, and cargo planes. But a growing body of research like this study is helping to make the potential environmental and health costs of e-commerce more clear.

Reddit is ramping up its crackdown on web crawlers. Over the past few weeks, Reddit has started blocking search engines from surfacing recent posts and comments unless the search engine pays up, according to a report from 404 Media.

Right now, Google is the only mainstream search engine that shows recent results when you search for posts on Reddit using the “site:reddit.com” trick, 404 Media reports. This leaves out Bing, DuckDuckGo, and other alternatives — and that’s likely because Google has struck a $60 million deal that lets the company train its AI models on content from Reddit.

It’s a bold move for a massive website like Reddit to block some of the most popular search engines, but it’s not all that surprising. Over the past year, Reddit has become more protective of its data as it looks to open up another source of revenue and appease new investors. After making its API more expensive for some third-party developers, Reddit reportedly threatened to cut off Google if it didn’t stop using the platform’s data to train AI for free.

The Verge reached out to Reddit with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Last month, to enforce its policy against scraping, Reddit updated the site’s robots.txt file, which tells web crawlers whether they can access a site. “It’s a signal to those who don’t have an agreement with us that they shouldn’t be accessing Reddit data,” Ben Lee, Reddit’s chief legal officer, told my colleague Alex Heath in Command Line.

With AI chatbots filling the internet with questionable content, finding things written by a fellow human has never been more important. I, like many others, have started appending “Reddit” to many of my searches just to get human answers, and it’s pretty frustrating to know that I’ll now only be able to do that on Google (or search engines that rely on it) — especially when I do many of my searches on Bing.

The push to childproof the internet is reaching a tipping point.

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) was first introduced in 2023; over a year later, with the August recess looming, the Senate is poised to vote on the bill. With 70 cosponsors, the bill appears likely to pass.

Proponents of the bill believe that the law is necessary to safeguard children from harm that could result from the platforms’ relentless quest for user attention. Critics argue that KOSA not only erodes internet freedoms but could also prevent minors — particularly LGBTQ minors — from accessing potentially lifesaving information.

Indeed, lead cosponsor Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has publicly justified KOSA on the basis that “we should be protecting minor children from the transgender in this culture.”

The current text of KOSA creates a duty of care for platforms, requiring them to take reasonable steps to mitigate a specific list of harms to minors. Those include things like cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and eating disorders.

On top of that, it would mandate certain kinds of parental tools, require the highest level of privacy settings to be on for kids by default, and let young users have a say in whether they get personalized recommendations, like through algorithmic feeds.

Regardless of what happens in the Senate, the House of Representatives is adjourning for the August recess ahead of schedule, and is set to return in mid-September. It’s difficult to pass legislation in September in an election year, so the ultimate fate of KOSA is very much up in the air.

Here’s all the news about KOSA:

On Monday, it initially seemed like the beginning of the end for Intel’s desktop CPU instability woes — the company confirmed a patch is coming in mid-August that should address the “root cause” of exposure to elevated voltage. But if your 13th or 14th Gen Intel Core processor is already crashing, that patch apparently won’t fix it.

Citing unnamed sources, Tom’s Hardware reports that any degradation of the processor is irreversible, and an Intel spokesperson did not deny that when we asked. Intel is “confident” the patch will keep it from happening in the first place. (As another preventative measure, you should update your motherboard BIOS ASAP.) But if your defective CPU has been damaged, your best option is to replace it instead of tweaking BIOS settings to try and alleviate the problems.

And, Intel confirms, too-high voltages aren’t the only reason some of these chips are failing. Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford confirms it’s a primary cause, but the company is still investigating. Intel community manager Lex Hoyos also revealed some instability reports can be traced back to an oxidization manufacturing issue that was fixed at an unspecified date last year.

This raises lots of questions. Will Intel recall these chips? Extend their warranty? Replace them no questions asked? Pause sales like AMD just did with its Ryzen 9000? Identify faulty batches with the manufacturing defect?

We asked Intel these questions, and I’m not sure you’re going to like the answers.

Intel has not halted sales or clawed back any inventory. It will not do a recall, period. The company is not currently commenting on whether or how it might extend its warranty. It would not share estimates with The Verge of how many chips are likely to be irreversibly impacted, and it did not explain why it’s continuing to sell these chips ahead of any fix.

Intel’s not yet telling us how warranty replacements will work beyond trying customer support again if you’ve previously been rejected. It did not explain how it will contact customers with these chips to warn them about the issue.

But Intel does tell us it’s “confident” that you don’t need to worry about invisible degradation. If you’re not currently experiencing issues, the patch “will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in service.” (If you don’t know if you’re experiencing issues, Intel currently suggests the Robeytech test.)

And, perhaps for the first time, Intel has confirmed just how broad this issue could possibly be. The elevated voltages could potentially affect any 13th or 14th Gen desktop processor that consumes 65W or more power, not just the highest i9-series chips that initially seemed to be experiencing the issue.

Here are the questions we asked Intel and the answers we’ve received by email from Intel’s Hannaford:

How many chips does Intel estimate are likely to be irreversibly impacted by these issues?

Intel Core 13th and 14th Generation desktop processors with 65W or higher base power – including K/KF/KS and 65W non-K variants – could be affected by the elevated voltages issue. However, this does not mean that all processors listed are (or will be) impacted by the elevated voltages issue.

Intel continues validation to ensure that scenarios of instability reported to Intel regarding its Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors are addressed.

For customers who are or have been experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors, Intel continues advising them to reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance. Additionally, if customers have experienced these instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors but had RMA [return merchandise authorization] requests rejected we ask that they reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance and remediation.

Will Intel issue a recall?

No.

Will Intel proactively warn buyers of these chips about the warning signs or that this update is required? If so, how will it warn them?

Intel targets to release a production microcode update to OEM/ODM customers by mid-August or sooner and will share additional details on the microcode patch at that time.

Intel is investigating options to easily identify affected processors on end user systems. In the interim, as a general best practice Intel recommends that users adhere to Intel Default Settings on their desktop processors, along with ensuring their BIOS is up to date.

Has Intel halted sales and / or performed any channel inventory recalls while it validates the update?

No.

Does Intel anticipate the fix will be effective for chips that have already been in service but are not yet experiencing symptoms (i.e., invisible degradation)? Are those CPUs just living on borrowed time?

Intel is confident that the microcode patch will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in service, though validation continues to ensure that scenarios of instability reported to Intel regarding its Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors are addressed.

Intel is investigating options to easily identify affected or at-risk processors on end user systems.

It is possible the patch will provide some instability improvements to currently impacted processors; however customers experiencing instability on their 13th or 14th Generation desktop processor-based systems should contact Intel customer support for further assistance.

Will Intel extend its warranty on these 13th Gen and 14th Gen parts, and for how long?

[No answer yet.]

Given how difficult this issue was for Intel to pin down, what proof will customers need to share to obtain an RMA? (How lenient will Intel be?)

[No answer yet.]

What will Intel do for 13th Gen buyers after supply of 13th Gen parts runs out? Final shipments were set to end last month, I’m reading.

Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process. This includes working with Intel’s retail and channel customers to ensure end users are taken care of regarding instability symptoms with their Intel Core 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors.

What will Intel do for 14th Gen buyers after supply of 14th Gen parts run out?

Same as above.

Will replacement / RMA’d chips ship with the microcode update preapplied beginning in August? Is Intel still shipping replacement chips ahead of that update?

Intel will be applying to microcode to 13th/14th Gen desktop processors that are not yet shipped once the production patch is released to OEM/ODM partners (targeting mid-August or sooner). For 13th /14th Gen desktop processors already in service, users will need to apply the patch via BIOS update once available.

What, if anything, can customers do to slow or stop degradation ahead of the microcode update?

Intel recommends that users adhere to Intel Default Settings on their desktop processors, along with ensuring their BIOS is up to date. Once the microcode patch is released to Intel partners, we advise users check for the relevant BIOS updates.

Will Intel share specific manufacturing dates and serial number ranges for the oxidized processors so mission-critical businesses can selectively rip and replace?

Intel will continue working with its customers on Via Oxidation-related reports and ensure that they are fully supported in the exchange process.

Why does Intel believe the instability issues do not affect mobile laptop chips?

Intel is continuing its investigation to ensure that reported instability scenarios on Intel Core 13th/14th Gen processors are properly addressed.

This includes ongoing analysis to confirm the primary factors preventing 13th / 14th Gen mobile processor exposure to the same instability issue as the 13th/14th Gen desktop processors.

That’s all we’ve heard from Intel so far, though Hannaford assured us more answers are on the way and that the company is working on remedies.

Again, if your CPU is already damaged, you need to get Intel to replace it, and if Intel won’t do so, please let us know. In the meanwhile, you’ll want to update your BIOS as soon as possible because your processor could potentially be invisibly damaging itself — and if you know your way around a BIOS, you may want to adjust your motherboard to Intel’s default performance profiles, too.

Lastly, here is that Robeytech video that Intel is recommending to Redditors to potentially help them identify if their chip has an issue. Intel says it’s looking into other ways to identify that, too.

SpaceX has completed its investigation into what caused an engine failure during a Falcon 9 launch on July 11th. The company has submitted a “mishap report” to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is ready to return the Falcon 9 rocket to flight as soon as tomorrow.

The company’s investigation team, working with the FAA, was able to determine the July 11th failure was caused by a liquid oxygen leak that developed during the initial burn of the Falcon 9’s second stage engine. It says the leak originated from a crack in a pressure sensor sense line that’s part of the rocket’s oxygen system. A clamp that normally constrains the sense line had come loose, subjecting it to excessive engine vibrations that eventually caused it to fatigue and crack.

The leaking liquid oxygen on the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage caused “excessive cooling of engine components, most importantly those associated with delivery of ignition fluid to the engine,” according to a statement on SpaceX’s website. Instead of a second controlled burn, the engine experienced what SpaceX describes as a “hard start,” damaging it and causing the upper stage to lose altitude control.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 performed as expected during the July 11th launch and landed safely for reuse, but the second stage incident resulted in the Starlink satellites carried by the Falcon 9 being deployed at a lower orbit where “an enormously high-drag environment” caused all 20 of them to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and hopefully burn up.

To allow the Falcon 9 to return to flight as soon as possible, SpaceX engineers will simply remove the sense line and sensor that failed on the second stage’s engine. “The sensor is not used by the flight safety system and can be covered by alternate sensors already present on the engine.” The company has also inspected, cleaned, and replaced some of the sense lines and clamps on its “active booster fleet.” The changes have already been tested by SpaceX at its facility in McGregor, Texas, under FAA oversight.

Now that the investigation is complete, the Falcon 9 rocket is no longer grounded and can return to service. The company’s website says that SpaceX is targeting July 27th at 12:21AM ET for the next Falcon 9 launch carrying 23 Starlink satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with additional launch window opportunities available later in the day, and on July 28th.