• Depthfirst, an applied AI lab specializing in software security, closed an $80 million Series B funding round led by Meritech Capital.
• The funding will support the company's development of AI-driven tools to enhance software security and vulnerability detection.
• This investment reflects growing venture capital interest in AI applications addressing critical cybersecurity challenges in enterprise software development.
• Shield AI, a U.S.-based developer of autonomous pilot platforms, secured $1.5 billion in Series G funding as part of a $2.25 billion capital package on April 4, 2026.
• The round values the company at $12.7 billion, a 140% increase in one year, with its Hivemind platform selected by the U.S. military for defense applications.
• This funding underscores surging investor confidence in AI-driven defense tech amid rising geopolitical tensions.
• New Star Wars series 'Echoes of Mandalore' launched on Disney+ April 5, starring Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff, drawing 25 million global views in premiere day.
• Five-episode season explores Mandalorian civil war post-'The Mandalorian' Season 3, with $150 million budget evident in practical effects.
• Boosts Disney+ subscribers by 2% overnight, reinforcing franchise's streaming dominance amid cord-cutting trends.
• No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated No. 1 Texas Longhorns 7-4 on April 4, 2026, securing their first series victory over a top-ranked team since 2016.
• Jena Young hit a crucial three-run home run, powering Alabama past Texas in a key SEC matchup.
• The win strengthens Alabama's position in college softball rankings and highlights their momentum heading into conference play.
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic features interviews with cast members and will air on 5 AprilHBO has more Harry Potter magic up its sleeve – today, the company announced a standalone, behind-the-scenes special to accompany its upcoming TV adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic will offer “an in-depth look at the making of the first season”, including plenty of production footage and details on the lengthy, UK-wide casting process for Harry, Ron and Hermione, played by Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton. Continue reading...
• US defense AI startup Shield AI raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding, valuing it at $12.7 billion post-money, a 140% increase from prior rounds.
• The investment supports scaling autonomous drones via Hivemind AI pilot software, following a US Air Force contract and acquisition of simulation firm Aechelon.
• With projected $540 million revenue this year, Shield AI leads in military AI, enhancing US drone capabilities against global threats.
• Depthfirst raised $80 million in a Series B funding round to bolster its AI-driven cybersecurity capabilities.
• The startup plans to expand its AI research team, train additional security models, and scale enterprise adoption across the US.
• This funding underscores growing investor confidence in AI tools addressing complex cybersecurity threats amid rising attacks.
• Amazon MGM Studios halted production on the new 'Tomb Raider' streaming series after Sophie Turner sustained an injury.
• The studio stated, 'As a precaution, production has briefly paused to allow her time to recover. We look forward to resuming production as soon as possible.'
• ABC News sought comment from Turner's representative amid the production stoppage.
Dern will play Miami Herald reporter Julie K Brown in first scripted take on the Epstein story, based on Brown’s bookLaura Dern is taking on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, in a new limited series executive produced by Adam McKay based on journalist Julie K Brown’s work busting open the story.Dern will play Brown, the Miami Herald investigative reporter on the late, disgraced financier’s tail when no one else was, for the first scripted take on the Epstein case. The screenplay will be based on Brown’s 2021 book Perversion of Injustice: The Jeffrey Epstein story. Sharon Hoffman, a writer on the 2020 limited series Mrs America, will write the project and serve as co-showrunner with Eileen Myers (The Night Agent, Masters of Sex). McKay, the writer-director of Don’t Look Up and executive producer on the HBO juggernaut Succession, among other credits, will serve as executive producer alongside Dern and Brown. Continue reading...
• The New York Yankees, led by 2025 AL MVP Aaron Judge, face the Seattle Mariners and star catcher Cal Raleigh in a heavyweight American League matchup this week.
• Judge and Raleigh competed for the 2025 MVP award before Judge won his third career MVP, and both players were teammates on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic that saw the U.S. lose to Venezuela in the finals.
• Judge has started strong in 2026, homering in each of his last two games as the Yankees seek to establish early division dominance.
• Dawnn Lewis and Glynn Turman, veterans of the original 'A Different World' sitcom, have joined the ensemble cast of its upcoming sequel series announced on March 26.
• The classic 1980s NBC show, a spin-off from 'The Cosby Show,' follows students at the fictional Hillman College.
• This revival taps into nostalgia for 90s Black sitcoms amid growing demand for diverse streaming content on platforms like Peacock or Netflix.
• Edmonton-born startup Smart Access raised $12 million in Series A funding from Bay Area investors Lobby Capital, Aspenwood Ventures, and Coelius Capital to expand its digital workforce management platform.
• The company, co-founded by Tim Regnier and John White, helps large distribution operations optimize training, safety programs, and adherence to standard operating procedures across their workforce.
• Smart Access, which relocated its operating base to San Francisco while maintaining Edmonton roots since its 2015 founding, plans to scale deployments across North America using the new capital.
I Swear’s Kirk Jones set to direct film based on the 1970s cult animation about a ‘very ordinary man’ who accessed different worlds via a magical fancy dress shopA live-action film based on the cult British kids’ cartoon Mr Benn is to go into production with I Swear director Kirk Jones at the helm.Mr Benn first appeared on TV on the BBC in 1971, in a series created by David McKee, who died in 2022. The series followed the adventures of “a very ordinary man who could do extraordinary things” when he visited a magical fancy dress shop, which acted as a portal to different worlds. Only 13 episodes were made before the series ended in March 1972, though a one-off episode was broadcast in 2005 on the kids’ channel Nick Jr. Continue reading...
• The Treasury Department's FSOC and AITO launched the AI Innovation Series, a public-private initiative with four roundtables convening financial institutions, tech firms, and regulators on high-value AI use cases.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, 'Leadership in AI adoption is a crucial component of economic security,' shifting regulation from constraint to enabling productivity-enhancing tech.
• Deputy Assistant Secretary Christina Skinner emphasized AI's role in fraud detection, credit allocation, and operational resilience for financial stability.
Witnesses describe coordinated raids in which homes and vehicles were set on fire and several Palestinians injured Middle East crisis live – latest updatesIsraeli settlers have carried out a series of attacks across the occupied West Bank, setting homes and vehicles on fire and wounding several Palestinians in what witnesses described as coordinated raids on communities.The violence, reported across at least half a dozen locations overnight from Saturday into Sunday, comes amid a wider surge in tensions in the territory. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited local sources as saying settlers had entered al-Fandaqumiya and the nearby town of Seilat al-Dahr, south of Jenin, late on Saturday. Continue reading...
New work will be choreographed and directed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, artistic director of Rambert, with Davies and Pet Shop Boys serving as executive producersIt’s a Sin, the award-winning TV series about friendship during the 1980s Aids crisis, is to be adapted for the stage as a dance show. The new production is being developed by Rambert who had a hit in 2022 with its prequel to the TV series Peaky Blinders.The creator of It’s a Sin, Russell T Davies, is executive producer on the new work which will be choreographed and directed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, Rambert’s artistic director. “Storytelling sits at the heart of Rambert’s mission,” said Pouffer on Thursday. “Collaborating with Russell – one of the most powerful storytellers of our time – is incredibly exciting. Together we’re exploring how dance and choreography can carry urgent, emotional narratives in a visceral way.” Continue reading...
Rulings in cases alleging antisemitism on US campuses say common pro-Palestinian speech is constitutionally protectedFew debates from the last few years have been more contentious than whether criticism of Israel and Zionism is antisemitic, threatens Jewish people or violates their civil rights. Allegations of antisemitism have cost people jobs, provided pretexts for censorship and fueled an unprecedented crackdown on protest over Israel and shows of support for Palestinian rights, especially at universities.Pro-Israel groups have filed hundreds of lawsuits or legal actions in an effort to silence some of this speech, with the vast majority filed since 2023 in response to the protest movement surrounding Israel’s recent war in Gaza. The most important rulings to have come out of these cases, experts say, have found that speech and slogans at the heart of the controversies are protected by the first amendment. Continue reading...
• The US Army selected the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade (OHG) to replace the Mk3A2 series, in service since 1968, for room and trench clearing.
• This upgrade addresses needs in enclosed spaces amid evolving special operations requirements.
• The decision enhances US military capabilities in close-quarters combat scenarios.