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free account today. Welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Thursday, August 17th. I'm Zoe Thomas

for the Wall Street Journal. Researchers have gotten one step closer to developing devices

that say out loud what people are thinking. This scientific breakthrough was made possible

through advanced computer models and pink Floyd. Our science reporter, Daniela Hernandez,

will join us to explain. Plus, does it feel like the summer heat is slowing you and your phone

battery down? Well, you're not alone. We'll tell you why later in the show.

But first, Intel is scrapping its more than five billion dollar plan to buy Israeli chipmaker

tower semiconductor. The announcement came after Chinese regulators failed to approve the deal

within the company's timeline. Our Asia Corporate Reporter Dan Strump says the deal may have been

affected by the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. In that time, since Intel first

approached Tower about this deal, tensions between the U.S. and China have really deepened.

The Biden administration has passed a number of restrictions on China's semiconductor industry.

China hasn't had a lot of options to respond. Just given how dependent China is on American

technology and on American chip technology. But one area which Beijing has shown some willingness

to retaliate has been in either sort of slow walking or just outright failing to approve

acquisitions involving U.S. companies. And in many cases, it's not even an acquisition

of a Chinese company at all. But just given the sort of footprint of a lot of these companies,

these are acquisitions that require a large number of jurisdictions to sign off on, including China.

Intel plans to pay a more than $350 million termination fee. China's state administration

...