President Joe Biden says that Elon Musk’s dealings with countries outside of the United States are “worthy of being looked at.” Speaking to reporters, Biden didn’t elaborate on if some kind of of investigation was underway, but suggested the Tesla and Twitter CEO deserved further scrutiny.

“I think that Elon musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” Biden said. “Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate – I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting it’s worth being looked at, and that’s all I’ll say.”

It’s unclear exactly which of Musk’s relationships Biden was referring to, but he’s not the first official to raise Musk’s ties to other countries as a potential concern. Senator Chris Murphy has said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) should investigate the “national security implications” of Musk’s deal to buy the company. Murphy and others have pointed to major investments from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Other critics have noted that Tesla’s business dealings in China could make it difficult for Musk to make content decisions that affect the country, or that government officials could pressure him to turn over data. The Washington Postreported in June that “some U.S. intelligence analysts and White House officials are among those concerned about the potential for arm-twisting by China if Musk gets hold of Twitter.”

Musk was also widely criticized for tweets suggesting that “the will of the people” should decide whether parts of Ukraine taken over by Russia should become part of Russia. He later threatened to stop paying for Starlink internet for the Ukrainian government, but later walked back the comments.

FTX won’t be rescued by its biggest rival. One day after announcing a proposed deal to buy the cryptocurrency exchange, Binance said it didn’t like what it found in the company’s books. “As a result of corporate due diligence, as well as the latest news reports regarding mishandled customer funds and alleged US agency investigations, we have decided that we will not pursue the potential acquisition of FTX,” Binance tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. “Our hope was to be able to support FTX’s customers to provide liquidity, but the issues are beyond our control or ability to help.”

The abandoned takeover bid caps off a tumultuous week for FTX. On November 2nd, Coinbasepublished a report that revealed that the cryptocurrency exchange was facing a liquidity crisis. In response to the article, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao announced that the company would sell about $529 million worth of FTX’s FTT token, a move that wiped out the value of the cryptocurrency and launched a public spat between the competing exchanges.

Even when the acquisition was first announced, the likelihood of it moving forward seemed uncertain at best, with Zhao stressing at the time that the deal was non-binding. “This is a highly dynamic situation, and we are assessing the situation in real time. Binance has the discretion to pull out from the deal at any time.” he said on Tuesday. By the following morning, The Wall Street Journal and Coinbase came out with separate reports claiming Binance was strongly leaning toward abandoning the rescue.

Less than an hour later, Bloomberg reported that the US Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating FTX to determine if the company had mishandled customer funds. It’s worth noting here that the Department of Justice and SEC are also investigating Binance.

If you use an iPhone and a Windows PC, syncing photos is about to get a lot easier. The feature Microsoft announced last month that adds iCloud Photos to the Windows Photos app begins rolling out today. Microsoft says it will be available to all Windows 11 users by the end of November.

Previously, if iPhone users wanted to transfer images to their Windows PCs, they had to either plug in their iPhone with a USB cable or use the iCloud web app in a browser – a dated and clunky setup, though the site is undergoing some much-needed changes soon. Microsoft’s new feature gives you an integrated view of all your iCloud photos through the Windows 11 Photos app.

To use the new feature, you’ll need to ensure your Windows Photos app is up-to-date. Then, you’ll need to install the iCloud for Windows app from the Windows Store, sign in, and choose to sync your photos.

iCloud Photos integration is part of Microsoft’s broader initiative to make its software the “most open,” removing friction points between rival services. For example, the Windows maker launched Apple Music on Xbox consoles last month, and Apple TV and Music apps are coming to Windows 11 next year. Microsoft’s desktop OS also supports Android apps and Linux instances, and its Phone Link app syncs Android phone messaging and notifications with your desktop.

Elon Musk is trying, once again, to sell his vision of Twitter’s future to the company’s advertisers. Musk, who by all accounts has yet to address Twitter’s remaining staff as a group, joined an hour-long “town hall” to take questions from advertisers and share more about his plans for the platform.

The company’s advertising business has taken a significant hit in recent days as a number of major brands have pulled back from the platform and activists have called for a boycott. Musk said last week that these actions had caused a “massive drop in revenue” for Twitter.

In his talk on Twitter Spaces, Musk tried again to reassure advertisers that their brands would be safe on the platform. He said that ads appearing next to hate speech “isn’t great” and pitched the newly launched Twitter Blue as a way to decrease hate speech on the platform. Under the new Twitter Blue, brands will need to pay for the blue check like all other accounts, Musk said. He added that anyone impersonating a brand would be permanently banned from the service.

He also said that he hopes to make Twitter ads a lot more relevant, and wants to integrate ads into recommended tweets. The goal, he said, was to “drive sales in the short term and protect the demand in the long term.”

Notably, he struck a much different tone than in recent tweets when he threatened “a thermonuclear name and shame” for advertisers boycotting the platform. “I understand if people kind of want to give it a minute and see how things are evolving,” he said. “We've been more rigorous about clamping down on bad content and bots and trolls, not less. So my observation of Twitter over the past few weeks is that the content is actually improving, not getting worse.” He added that brands and advertisers should be more active on the platform and that if they see something they don’t like they should “reply to one of my tweets and I’ll do my best to respond.”

Musk also talked more about his philosophy on content moderation, though he didn’t share any concrete changes to Twitter’s policies or how its moderation council might function. "We have to be, I think, tolerant of views we don't agree with, but those views don't need to be amplified," he said.

He also stated that he has plans to make Community Notes, the crowd-sourced fact checking feature that used to be known as Birdwatch, a more central part of the platform. “This is really gonna help in improving the accuracy of what's said in the system.” He also suggested that Community Notes would have an impact on the visibility of content on Twitter. “It's analogous to the way sort of Page Rank works in Google, where the the prominence of a webpage is proportionate to how much weight other prominent web pages give that web page. I think it’s a game changer.”

Kia has unveiled pricing for the 2023 EV6, and it's decidedly more expensive than before — although you might not mind depending on what you were looking for. The new electric crossover starts at $49,795 when you include the $1,295 destination fee, or $7,100 more than the entry 2022 model. You do get more in the bargain, though. The automaker has dropped the cut-down Light trim with 232 miles of range and now starts with the Wind RWD variant, which delivers a claimed 310 miles. That could put the EV6 out of reach for some buyers, but is also an acknowledgment that Light ultimately existed to upsell customers to pricier versions.

Wind now costs $1,000 more than it did last year. You may not have much need to spend extra, at least, when that configuration includes a power liftgate, vehicle-to-device power ports, Meridian audio and ventilated leather seats. You also have the option of a tech package previously limited to the Wind AWD with blind spot and surround views, parking collision avoidance and a remote start parking aid.

Other trims mainly provide added performance and intelligence. The $52,400 Wind AWD adds its namesake 320HP dual motor system with 282 miles of range. Spend $52,700 on the GT-Line RWD ($57,400 for AWD) and you'll get extras like navigation-based smart cruise control, more advanced highway driving assists and lane following help. And it's now clear just how much you'll pay for the range-topping EV6 GT — the performance-oriented car starts at $61,400 with a 576HP motor system, electronically-guided suspension, a limited-slip rear differential, higher-end brakes and 21-inch wheels mated to Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. Kia claims the GT can reach 60MPH in 3.4 seconds, so this is your pick if you want to shame sports cars at the local drag strip (and don't mind the reduced 206-mile range).

You still have the Ioniq 5 if you want Hyundai's latest EV tech in a (slightly) more affordable package. The Niro EV is an option, too. However, it's evident the automaker is repositioning the EV6 as a more premium machine.

Sony has revealed another selection of games that will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers on the Extra and Premium tiers. The headliner for many folks is one of the most beloved games of all time, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (a game from Microsoft-owned Bethesda Softworks, fact fans). The special edition of the classic 2011 RPG includes updated visuals and other features.

Subscribers will soon be able to play three of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy-branded games at no extra cost: Rainbow Six Siege (both the PS4 and PS5 versions), The Division 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Several Kingdom Hearts games are on the way as well. You'll get access to Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX (a remastered collection of four games), Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue,Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory and the most recent mainline entry in the series, Kingdom Hearts III.

On top of that, you'll be able to check out Oddworld: Soulstorm – Enhanced Edition (which features a new game mode) and space shooter Chorus. PS4 and PS5 versions of both games will be available. Also on the docket are classic indie walking sim What Remains of Edith Finch, puzzle title The Gardens Between, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain and Onee Chanbara Origin.

There are some worthy PS3 titles coming to the Premium lineup this month, in the form of five more Ratchet & Clank games. You'll get access to Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. 

These games will be available on November 15th. It's a pretty solid batch of additions to PS Plus Extra and Premium. Perhaps these titles will help Sony gain back some of the PS Plus subscribers Sony has lost in recent months.

Following a false start over the weekend, the new Twitter Blue has arrived. Priced at $8 per month in the US, the service grants subscribers access to instant account verification and an accompanying blue checkmark that shows up on their profile page and alongside their tweets. As of the writing of this article, the subscription isn't available on Android. It's also unclear when Twitter Blue will arrive outside of the markets where the service was already available before today.    

The other perks Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk announced would be part of the package, including the ability to see half as many ads and post longer videos, also aren't available yet, with the subscription prompt listing those as "coming soon." Notably, the signup form lists the $8 monthly price as a "limited-time offer."       

Developing...

It’s a great day to be a Switch fan. If you missed Nintendo’s latest Indie World Showcase, the company announced on Wednesday that Rogue Legacy 2 and A Little to the Left would be available to download later today. Both indies came out earlier this year to critical acclaim and are well worth your time if you enjoy smaller experiences. The former is the sequel to 2013’s Rogue Legacy and improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, with a new art style and tighter gameplay. Meanwhile, A Little to the Left is a cozy and relaxing game for those who enjoy tidying up.

Looking to the weeks and months ahead, there are a handful of other notable indie games heading to the platform. At the start of next month, roguelike deck builder Incscryption arrives. It was one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2021. If a card game that’s infused with horror elements sounds appealing to you, I would try to go into Incscryption knowing as little as possible. December will also see the release of Sports Story. The follow-up to the Golf Story was first announced in 2020 and was supposed to arrive on Nintendo Switch that same year. To say fans of the original have been patiently waiting ever since would be an understatement.

In 2023, Switch owners can also look forward to Desta: The Memories Between, the next game from Monument Valley creator Ustwo arriving. Nintendo shared a new look at the turn-based dodgeball game. Between those games and a handful of others, Nintendo Switch fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future.

Spotify is giving its Apple Watch users some love, adding UI and playback upgrades that more closely align with the familiar experience from larger screens. In an update that starts rolling out today, watchOS users will see a beefed-up Your Library view with more in-depth music controls and the ability to download playlists without going back to your iPhone.

Before today's update, Spotify's Apple Watch features were rudimentary. For starters, the app displayed the Your Library view as a text-only list of titles. The new update provides a more attractive UI, including artwork thumbnails. In the watchOS app's old version, once you tapped on an album or playlist, it would immediately launch playback without letting you choose any options beforehand. The new update adds a screen with two prominent buttons for downloading and shuffling your music.

Spotify initially added offline playback in an update from May of last year, but that version still required you to use your iPhone to choose offline music, and you could only download individual songs to your wearable. Downloading entire playlists and albums without pulling out a phone will be a welcome addition for Apple Watch owners. The new update also lets you swipe to like a song from the list view, a gesture already familiar to users of the Spotify iOS app.

Spotify

Today's update also improves Apple Watch podcast playback, letting you view your listening progress and pick up right where you left off. The previous version would always restart podcasts from the beginning.

In addition to the Apple Watch app upgrades, Spotify also highlighted new tap-to-listen controls for Meta's Ray-Ban Stories and music curation for the overhead boarding music on Delta airlines. The company also announced support for the “Ambient Experience” that displays playlist or podcast artwork on Fire TV Omni QLED Series TVs when you aren’t watching anything. Owners of the $800 and up television can scroll through their music using either the TV's remote control or Spotify Connect devices.

So much for a smooth rollout of Twitter's "official" verification badges. Elon Musk claims he "just killed" the deployment hours after it began. The gray checkmarks have vanished from those accounts that only just got them, including Engadget's and The New York Times. With that said, this isn't necessarily a complete about-face. Twitter VP Esther Crawford clarified that you'll still see the marks, but that the social media giant is handing them out to "government and commercial entities" at first. The focus just isn't on individuals, the executive said.

In justifying the move, Musk reiterated his view that tying the original checkmark to a Twitter Blue subscription will democratize the service. The blue check is the "great leveler," he said. Crawford, meanwhile, stressed that there were no more "sacred cows" and that Musk was willing to try things that might fail. The company is willing to reverse course if feature changes don't pan out, to put it differently.

The statements add to the confusion beyond the "official" label launch. While they indicate that Twitter will concentrate on a narrower group of accounts, it's now uncertain just when celebrities and other public figures might get (or rather, reclaim) verification. This also creates uncertainty around Twitter's feature updates — Musk may axe or limit an update even while it's reaching customers.

It will take some time before it's clear just who gets what checkmarks, and what vetting will be necessary to get the "official" tag. For now, the only safe assumption is that Twitter will tie its original tick to an $8 per month Blue subscription.