After a chaotic week following the Justice Department’s mid-trial settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster, the antitrust trial picked back up surprisingly smoothly on Monday — this time, with dozens of states leading the case.
Technology
The Live Nation trial restarts with a ‘velvet hammer’
This isn’t the outcome the states originally wanted. Out of concerns about being able to effectively take over the case and fear that the jury would be prejudiced by the shakeup, they requested a mistrial, which would have restarted the court battle at an unknown future date. But an irritated Judge Arun Subramanian seemed likely to deny the request, and once the states figured out how to retain the DOJ’s expert witness and were able to quickly hire up, they withdrew their mistrial motion. After the new faces were introduced, the trial restarted from roughly where it left off more than a week ago, with testimony that included how Live Nation deployed its “velvet hammer” against rivals.
Subramanian welcomed the jurors back from their “spring break” and asked if they had read or encountered any news about the case when they were out, which is forbidden by the jury instructions. They either shook their heads or remained silent. He reminded the jurors that the US had resolved its claims, as had a handful of states, but the rest were proceeding to trial. Jurors shouldn’t make any inferences from the fact those parties are no longer in the case, he said.
With the DOJ out of the picture, the lawyers who questioned early witnesses were gone, replaced by a new team co-led by Jonathan Hatch, an attorney from the New York AG’s office, and Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn, who represented college athletes in the landmark Supreme Court antitrust case against the NCAA over compensation.
The states’ attorneys picked up questioning of Jay Marciano, the COO of AEG, a competitor to Live Nation on multiple fronts. While Hatch refreshed jurors on parts of Marciano’s prior testimony, it was otherwise a fairly standard examination. Marciano testified about ticketing models he prefers in Europe, where multiple ticketing services often work at a venue, unlike the norm in the US where venues tend to accept exclusive ticketing contracts, often from Ticketmaster.
On cross examination, Marciano spoke to an incident the jury heard about early in the trial: a call between the Barclays Center’s then-CEO and Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who responded to an attempt to abandon Ticketmaster by saying it would be harder for the arena to get concerts with the new UBS Arena nearby. While Barclays interpreted this as a threat to protect Ticketmaster, Marciano affirmed that it’s common as a concert promoter to play venues against each other to get more favorable terms, and that the UBS Arena likely would attract artists away from Barclays as the new venue in town.
Live Nation’s president of US concerts, Robert Roux, addressed a separate allegation: that Live Nation uses its broad control over US amphitheaters to maintain its monopoly power, leaving no other real options for artists looking to play large outdoor venues. Through Live Nation’s own business presentations, plaintiff attorney Josh Hafenbrack demonstrated that the company made big strides to gain power over four of the top five amphitheaters in the US by ticket sales between 2016 and now. A 2018 presentation showed a largely highlighted list of the top 100 amps worldwide, with the green highlights representing the 62 Live Nation owned, operated, or exclusively booked venues at the time. Since then, Roux confirmed, the company has added several more on that list.
Live Nation denies it acted anticompetitively, and argues the states ignore other kinds of venues that compete for the same shows. But Roux wrote in a 2015 email that many non-superstar artists come in wanting to play amphitheaters — many of which, evidence shown in court has suggested, are controlled or exclusively booked by Live Nation. He also wrote that in those cases, there was “room for tighter negotiations and deals.”
“Either we are together or we are competitors”
Other emails described how Live Nation thinks about its competition when contemplating otherwise lucrative deals. In a 2018 email exchange, Rapino questioned why Live Nation should give shows to a promoter in the South it considered acquiring, Red Mountain Entertainment, before it actually owned it. Roux wrote at the time that the message to Red Mountain should be, “Either we are together or we are competitors.” He described the approach as a “velvet hammer.” On the witness stand, Roux said the message wasn’t meant to “antagonize” the promoter, but to be firm and send a clear message. In a separate exchange that mentioned Red Mountain, Roux wrote that Live Nation shouldn’t get “complacent” and “let small guys encroach from the edges.” Roux said the comment was a general one, and not specific to the promoter. Live Nation acquired Red Mountain in 2018.
In 2020, Rapino advised Roux against letting Radio Disney and concert promoter Superfly into a Live Nation venue, even after they offered a contract that would yield at least $400,000 in profit for Live Nation for renting out the amp. One executive had raised a concern about allowing a third-party promoter into the amp, even though the “money is great.”
Finally, Roux testified that Live Nation’s profits per fan have multiplied in recent years, with profitability in large amps, a key market in the case, growing more than other venue categories between 2019 and 2024. Before certain costs were factored in, the company made $386 million in profit from large amps in 2024, nearly triple the amount it made in that segment in 2019.
Besides the delay in the case while the states’ team sorted out its next moves absent the DOJ, there wasn’t a noticeable change in the flow of trial and how the new litigators operated, compared to the first week of trial. The case is still expected to run several more weeks, though both sides said they’ve worked to trim their witness lists to help make up for lost time. Toward the end of this week, one of the trial’s most high-profile witnesses is expected to take the stand: Live Nation’s CEO.
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Meta might be the next company to make an always-on AI wearable. The company is working on prototype “super sensing” always-aware smart glasses that could continuously record audio and snap photos “every few seconds,” according to the Financial Times. The wearer could then ask Meta AI about the captured audio and images.
However, the images and audio might not be directly available to the user. Here’s how the FT describes one way the glasses could use the data:
In one proposed system, raw footage and audio would not be stored by Meta or made available to the user, several people said. Instead, the metadata from that audio and images would be extracted and uploaded to the server for Meta’s AI to query, which proponents argue would have fewer privacy implications.
But currently, Meta is planning for the LED recording indicator to remain off in “super sensing” mode, the FT reports. In a July 2025 whitepaper, the company said that it would reserve the LED indicator for “active capture” scenarios where the user is saving photos or videos, and leave it off during “AI Feature” use — such as scanning a menu — to avoid users becoming too used to the indicator. (If the indicator was on during the “super sensing” mode, it might also be harder to know when the glasses are actually recording video.)
Meta is also discussing if it would use the captured data for training its AI models. It may also bring the “super sensing” features to glasses it has already released, the FT says.
“While we don’t comment on internal prototypes, we’re committed to getting our glasses right because they need to be loved by both people wearing them and those around them,” Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold says in a statement to The Verge. Arnold also notes that “Our approach has been to develop new technologies that will help people throughout their day, with privacy built in from the ground up.”
Meta hasn’t been shy about some type of always-aware glasses being a possibility. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call, said that he was “really excited to see the glasses evolve from being able to answer questions to being able to be a personal agent that’s with you all day long, helping you remember things and achieve your goals.” In a March blog post about new Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the company wrote that “with ongoing software updates, Meta AI on glasses will transition from something you have to prompt with a question each time, to a more continuous, in-the-moment assistant that can help throughout the day.”
Even though they haven’t been officially announced yet, Samsung is giving you a chance to save some cash when you preorder what we’re expecting to be the brand’s updated Galaxy Z Fold phones. The next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on July 22nd, 2026, and features the tagline “A new shape unfolds.” In addition to seeing updated versions of the existing Flip and Fold form factors, we anticipate the debut of a new, wider foldable phone. If you register your interest ahead of time and end up preordering one of the new phones shortly after they’re announced, Samsung will give you a $30 store credit at checkout.
There are some caveats to this offer. You have to use the credit when you preorder the phone. No saving it for later. Also, the credit can’t be applied to the cost of the phone either, so you’ll have to put it towards the cost of accessories or extra services. Samsung specifically calls out that select Galaxy rings, earbuds, watches, and tablets are eligible, or you can use it to help pay for Samsung Care Plus.
There are no downsides to registering your interest, so if you think you might be interested in buying one of the upcoming phones, it’s worth filling out the form. As long as you use the same email during checkout, the credit will be automatically applied.
Anthropic’s new AI model raises alarms over safety, cybersecurity concerns
Matt Shumer, co-founder and CEO of OthersideAI, details Anthropic’s new AI model, Mythos, on ‘The Sunday Briefing’. The model’s “emergent capabilities” to find software vulnerabilities autonomously raised alarms, prompting Anthropic to restrict public access. Shumer explains the proactive move of granting major companies and the US government early access to Mythos for cyber defense, anticipating future threats to critical infrastructure and national security.
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A security update rarely feels dramatic. You see the alert, promise yourself you will install it later and then go right back to whatever you were doing. This time, Apple is giving you a stronger reason to pay attention.
Apple released iOS 26.5.2, iPadOS 26.5.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 on June 29, 2026. The updates include security fixes for vulnerabilities tied to the kernel, WebKit and WebRTC. Apple says these fixes were first made available through the iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6 and macOS Tahoe 26.6 betas before being pushed out early to everyone.
That is the part that should make you pause. Apple usually rolls many security fixes into larger software updates. This time, the company moved faster.
AI IS NOW POWERING CYBERATTACKS, MICROSOFT WARNS
Apple pushed out security fixes early because AI can help hackers study software flaws faster. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Why Apple released this AI security update early
Apple reportedly accelerated the updates because artificial intelligence can help speed the creation of malicious hacking tools. Once a fix appears in a beta, attackers may be able to study it, reverse-engineer the weakness and move faster than before.
Apple said there was no evidence that the newly patched vulnerabilities had been exploited. Still, the company wanted to shrink the time between when fixes were first visible and when they reached your devices.
That is a major shift. It suggests Apple sees AI as a force that changes the timing of security. A flaw that once gave defenders more breathing room may now become a race.
What Apple fixed in iOS 26.5.2
Apple’s iOS 26.5.2 and iPadOS 26.5.2 notes list fixes for iPhone 11 and later, along with several supported iPad models. The security content includes kernel vulnerabilities that could let an app crash the system, corrupt kernel memory or leak sensitive kernel state.
The update also fixes multiple WebKit issues. WebKit powers Safari and web content inside many apps. Some of these flaws involved malicious web content that could lead to crashes, memory corruption, data leaks or sandbox escapes.
Apple also fixed WebRTC issues that could be triggered by malicious web content and lead to Safari or process crashes.
For Mac, Apple lists macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 as the current release. If your Mac runs macOS Sonoma or macOS Sequoia, Apple also lists Safari 26.5.2 as a June 29, 2026, security release.
A woman uses a smartphone outside an Apple Store on June 20, 2026, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
Why AI hacking tools change the security race
AI can help legitimate researchers find bugs faster. That is good when the work leads to stronger software and responsible disclosure. However, the same general capability can also help bad actors move faster. A criminal does not need to understand every line of code if an AI tool can help summarize a patch, compare software changes or suggest where a weakness may be hiding.
That is why Apple’s move is important. It shows that big tech companies may need to release security fixes sooner and more often, even when those updates do not include flashy new features. The wider AI world adds pressure here. Frontier AI companies have released or tested systems with stronger coding and cybersecurity capabilities. Some models are available only through limited previews, approved access or extra safeguards because of their potential cyber use.
Similar efforts are also emerging outside the United States. Several international AI labs and security companies now promote models designed to find vulnerabilities, analyze code and assist cyber defense. The takeaway for you isn’t that AI is automatically bad. The real point is speed. Security teams, attackers and AI tools are now moving on a shorter clock.
How to update your iPhone or iPad
Before you update, plug in your device and connect to Wi-Fi. You may also want to back up your iPhone or iPad first.
Then do this: Open Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install.
After the update finishes, go back to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates. Make sure automatic updates are turned on. Apple also lets your device automatically install system file updates that improve security without changing the full software version. If you do not see the update right away, check again later. Apple releases updates in stages, and your device also needs enough battery and storage.
How to update your Mac
On a Mac, start with a backup. Then click the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update . Choose Update Now if macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 appears.
Next, check your background update settings. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update . Click the More Info button next to Automatic Updates and make sure Install system data files and security updates is turned on.
If your Mac runs Sonoma or Sequoia, look for Safari 26.5.2 in Software Update as well. That Safari update may be the protection your Mac needs if you are not on Tahoe.
BEWARE OF HACKERS SHOWING UP PRETENDING TO BE IT
What this Apple security update means to you
You may see more security updates that feel sudden or small. That can be annoying, especially when you are busy or your device needs to restart.
Still, these updates are becoming more important. Apple is reacting to a world where AI can help shorten the time between a public fix and a possible attack.
So, when your iPhone, iPad or Mac asks you to update, do not treat it like background noise. The update may be closing a door someone else is already trying to find.
Updating your iPhone, iPad and Mac helps close security holes before attackers get more time to exploit them. (Katharina Kausche/picture alliance via Getty Images)
How to stay safe after the Apple security update
Installing the Apple AI security update is the best first move. After that, tighten a few habits that make attacks harder.
1) Keep your apps updated
Your operating system is only part of the security picture. Outdated apps can still create risk, especially if they handle messages, web links, photos, files or account logins. Open the App Store and install available updates regularly.
2) Watch out for suspicious links
Be careful with links in texts, emails and social media messages. WebKit and browser flaws are a reminder that malicious web content can be part of an attack. When in doubt, open the official app or website yourself instead of tapping a link.
3) Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication
Use strong, unique passwords for every account and store them in a password manager. Then turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. If one password gets exposed, you do not want it opening the door to your email, bank or Apple account.
4) Use strong antivirus protection
Use strong antivirus protection on your Mac and other connected devices. It can help catch malicious files, phishing attempts and suspicious activity before they do damage. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
5) Back up your data regularly
Back up your iPhone, iPad and Mac before problems hit. A recent backup can help you recover faster if an update fails, your device gets stolen or malware locks you out of important files. CyberGuy’s guide to backing up your devices walks you through ways to protect your files using cloud storage, an external drive or both.
6) Use a personal data removal service
Use a personal data removal service to reduce how much of your personal information is floating around online. Data brokers and people-search sites can expose your name, address, phone number and relatives. Scammers can use those details to make phishing messages feel more believable. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Apple’s early security release shows how fast the cyber threat landscape is changing. The company says there is no evidence these newly patched flaws were exploited, but it still moved the fixes out before the wider 26.6 release. That tells me the old habit of waiting weeks to update is getting riskier. AI can help defenders, but it can also help criminals study weaknesses faster. My advice is direct: update your Apple devices now, turn on automatic security updates and stop putting off patches that protect the phone and computer you use every day.
Do you think AI will make your devices safer because companies can find flaws faster, or more vulnerable because hackers can move faster too? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
Automatic updates, strong passwords and a personal data removal service can make you a harder target after the update. (Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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