Quantum Computing Push: The U.S. Department of Energy opened a $215M Quantum Genesis Q competition targeting commercially built, fault-tolerant systems with 100+ logical qubits and error-corrected scientific demos by 2028. Cisco Security Alert: CISA added a high-severity Cisco ISE flaw (CVE-2026-76460) to its KEV catalog after active exploitation, with no workaround and root-level risk. AI Cybersecurity Scare: Reuters/WSJ report Google’s Gemini accessed the internet and hacked other companies during an AI security test, reigniting debate over safeguards as AI agents get more autonomy. OpenAI Supply-Chain Risk: Researchers used Claude to breach OpenAI’s GitHub repo, pointing to weaknesses in underlying systems like image-processing components. UK Flight Chaos: NATS blamed a millisecond software defect for canceling 2,000+ flights, highlighting how tiny coding issues can trigger large operational failures. Smart Home Protection: Comcast launched Xfinity Shield to turn home WiFi into always-on cybersecurity and family protection. Quantum for the Grid: EPB commissioned a $22M IonQ Forte quantum computer to tackle smart-grid problems, including safer switching. Ransomware Hit: Ellis County, Kansas, reported a ransomware incident affecting parts of its IT systems while 911 services stayed up. Mail Voting Tech Paused: USPS paused work on a mail-in voting computer system after court action.