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Trump admin secures record $265 billion TSMC investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, adding 4 new facilities for total of 12

16 July 2026 at 17:00

TSMC

In a major boost to American domestic manufacturing, the Trump Administration today announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is committing an additional $100 billion in investments for advanced semiconductor facilities in the United States. This brings TSMC’s total planned investment to $265 billion — one of the largest foreign direct investments in American history.

The announcement, made jointly by the White House and the Department of Commerce, highlights the success of strategic trade and investment partnerships, particularly the historic U.S.-Taiwan deal signed in January 2026. As a direct result, TSMC will build four additional advanced semiconductor manufacturing and packaging facilities, bringing its U.S. footprint to 12 leading-edge facilities, primarily in Arizona.

Building on Momentum

This latest expansion builds on previous commitments. TSMC’s original plans started at around $65 billion, which were later increased. The new infusion underscores sustained momentum under the current administration’s focus on reshoring critical supply chains.

In a statement, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized the job-creating impact, “President Trump’s leadership is driving companies to invest in American manufacturing. TSMC’s announcement of an additional $100 billion investment following our historic deal on trade and investment with Taiwan will create tens of thousands of American jobs and bring advanced semiconductor manufacturing back to America.”

TSMC Chairman and CEO Dr. C.C. Wei echoed the sentiment, crediting collaboration with the administration and strong U.S. customer demand, “We appreciate the strong collaboration and support of the Trump Administration, Secretary Lutnick and our leading U.S. customers… This is to support the strong multi-year demand from our leading U.S. customers, and we believe this investment will further foster the development of the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem, strengthen the supply chain, and support significant job creation in the United States.”

Economic and Strategic Impact

The investments are expected to generate significant construction and high-tech jobs, along with billions in indirect economic output. Beyond direct facilities, the broader U.S.-Taiwan trade and investment framework is catalyzing an additional $500 billion in Taiwanese investments — $250 billion in direct semiconductor and related enterprises, plus another $250 billion to strengthen the full supply chain in the U.S.

This move addresses long-standing concerns about reliance on overseas production for advanced chips, especially those critical for AI, defense, automotive, and consumer electronics. By expanding domestic capacity with a world-leading foundry like TSMC, the U.S. strengthens its position in the global semiconductor race while creating high-paying opportunities for American workers.

The Trump Administration’s approach, which combines diplomatic deals, incentives for onshoring, and a focus on national security, continues to yield concrete results in rebuilding America’s industrial base.
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MacDailyNews Take: With 12 state-of-the-art facilities on track, America is poised to capture a much larger share of advanced chip production. This not only bolsters economic competitiveness, but also enhances supply chain resilience against geopolitical risks.


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The post Trump admin secures record $265 billion TSMC investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, adding 4 new facilities for total of 12 appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple Maps is getting ads, but don’t expect help when your toilet explodes

16 July 2026 at 15:00

Apple Maps

Apple is preparing to introduce advertising to its Maps app in the United States and Canada this summer, but the company has drawn some distinctly Apple-style lines in the sand about who gets to advertise there.

In a new Advertising Services policy update, Apple explicitly prohibits several ad categories from appearing in search results and Suggested Places within Maps. The banned list includes home services such as plumbing, electrical work, locksmithing, HVAC repairs, pest control, roofing, and general contracting. Also off-limits: bail bond services and cryptocurrency ATMs.

Medical service ads will be considered on a case-by-case basis, which is Apple’s polite way of saying “we’ll let you know if your ad passes our vibe check.”

The restrictions set Apple Maps apart from Google Maps, where home services represent one of the biggest local advertising categories. While Google happily serves up sponsored results for roofers and plumbers, Apple appears intent on keeping its Maps experience focused on businesses users can actually use Maps to visit without needing a hard hat or a getaway driver.

Apple’s broader advertising rules remain in force as well — no ads for weapons, controlled substances, political campaigns, or anything that competes with (or knocks off) Apple products. (Sorry, Samsung. Not sorry.) The company also continues its long-standing bans on deceptive claims, discriminatory content, and anything it deems offensive or controversial.

Ads in Maps will carry a clear “Ad” label, and Apple emphasizes that user location data and ad interactions will not be tied to Apple IDs or shared with third parties.The move comes months after Apple first announced plans for Maps monetization as part of its Apple Business platform. While many users have already expressed dread at the arrival of ads in what was previously a relatively clean navigation experience, the selective restrictions have sparked a mix of reactions — ranging from relief that emergency “my basement is flooding” searches won’t be interrupted by sponsored plumbing offers, to mild confusion about why perfectly legal (if occasionally sketchy) services are getting the boot.
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MacDailyNews Take: In typical Apple fashion, the company is threading the needle between revenue generation and maintaining its reputation for curation. The result? A Maps app that will happily tell you where to get the best latte, but won’t lift a finger to help you when your kitchen sink stages a rebellion.


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Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post Apple Maps is getting ads, but don’t expect help when your toilet explodes appeared first on MacDailyNews.

How to Install iOS 27 Public Beta on iPhone

16 July 2026 at 00:05

Now that the public beta for iOS 27 is available, even more iPhone and iPad users are going to be interested in experiencing the new operating systems while they’re under active development. And there’s good reason for this, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are both shaping up to be notable improvements to the operating systems, ... Read More

The post How to Install iOS 27 Public Beta on iPhone appeared first on OS X Daily.

Mac Keyboard Setup Assistant Keeps Popping Up? Here’s the Fix

9 July 2026 at 22:00

Some Mac users may encounter an unusual situation where a “Keyboard Setup Assistant” application opens at random on their Mac, even if they already connected and setup a keyboard to use with their computer. The Keyboard Setup Assistant might pop up completely randomly, when the computer is woken from sleep, when the computer is freshly ... Read More

The post Mac Keyboard Setup Assistant Keeps Popping Up? Here’s the Fix appeared first on OS X Daily.

Fix @unknown Terminal Prompt in MacOS

5 July 2026 at 17:02

Some Mac Terminal app users may find that their zsh prompt and Mac host name at the command line randomly sets itself to “@unknown”, or some variation of that. Opening the Terminal, you might find your prompt is something like “@unknown92844982″, @unknown184Afb84.home”, @UNKNOWN, or some variation of “@unknown” with a bunch of alphanumeric characters on ... Read More

The post Fix @unknown Terminal Prompt in MacOS appeared first on OS X Daily.

How to give 1 to 5 stars to your photos on iPhone, iPad, Mac

7 July 2026 at 17:30

Star rating in iPhone Photos app on iOS 27

Learn how to rate your photos and videos from 1 to 5 stars (★★★★★) for better organization and easier searching in iOS 27 and macOS 27.

Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, July 19 (game #1637)

19 July 2026 at 00:00
Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, July 18 (game #1636).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1637) — hint #1 — Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1637) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1637) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1637) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1637) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• A

• T

• B

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1637) — the answers

Quordle answers for game 1637 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1637, are…

  • SPURT
  • ACRID
  • THRUM
  • BLEEP

After crashing out yesterday, time to start rebuilding with my first win.

SPURT aside this was a fairly easy game, with a successful crop of letters from my three start words.

Trickier times lie ahead.

Daily Sequence today (game #1637) — the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 1637 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1637, are…

  • CLUED
  • WRING
  • BRACE
  • TRAIT

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #1636, Saturday, 18 July: KNAVE, TIGHT, BLEAT, CHAOS
  • Quordle #1635, Friday, 17 July: CUMIN, PALER, GRASS, INBOX
  • Quordle #1634, Thursday, 16 July: IGLOO, PLAIT, YEAST, AROMA
  • Quordle #1633, Wednesday, 15 July: PROXY, BRICK, BROTH, SURGE
  • Quordle #1632, Tuesday, 14 July: EBONY, AVOID, RODEO, CUTIE
  • Quordle #1631, Monday, 13 July: VOICE, BISON, BURNT, BUILT
  • Quordle #1630, Sunday, 12 July: STAIN, BINGO, LARVA, DICEY
  • Quordle #1629, Saturday, 11 July: WORTH, PRONG, DINGO, DRUID
  • Quordle #1628, Friday, 10 July: GREET, STEAK, DUSKY, HAUTE
  • Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
  • Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
  • Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
  • Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
  • Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
  • Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
  • Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
  • Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
  • Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK
  • Quordle #1618, Tuesday, 30 June: HALVE, DRYER, THERE, MINTY
  • Quordle #1617, Monday, 29 June: SLURP, CRACK, CRANK, PHONY

NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 19 (game #868)

19 July 2026 at 00:00
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, July 18 (game #867).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #868) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Big talk

NYT Strands today (game #868) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • SAIL
  • NAIL
  • HAIL
  • THEME
  • MOVE
  • COST

NYT Strands today (game #868) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #868) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 8th row

• Last side: right, 8th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #868) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 868 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #868, are…

  • GIANT
  • MAMMOTH
  • COLOSSUS
  • BEHEMOTH
  • LEVIATHAN
  • SPANGRAM: SUPERSIZEIT
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

The letter Z helped me get the spangram — eventually, as I got “size” first, then “supersize” before finally SUPERSIZEIT.

Even though I understood the theme immediately and had an idea of the words we were searching for, I really struggled to put them together .

Although rarely used, LEVIATHAN is an incredible word (it features in the Bible, describing a fire-breathing sea serpent).

I was thinking that it really should be the name of a horror or at least a wrestler when a Google search told me that both already exist; the 1989 horror flick made less cultural impact than Dave Batista, who used the nickname Leviathan before becoming The Animal. Every day’s a school day with Strands.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, July 18, game #867)

  • SWEET
  • OATY
  • NUTTY
  • CRUNCHY
  • SALTY
  • WHOLESOME
  • SPANGRAM: BOWLOFGRANOLA

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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