Apple TV’s The Morning Show Invites Grey’s Anatomy Veteran for Season 5

### Jesse Williams Joins the Cast of The Morning Show

In the wake of the recent news that Jeff Daniels will be part of the upcoming fifth season of Apple TV’s celebrated series *The Morning Show*, it has also been announced that Jesse Williams will be included in the cast. Williams, recognized for his role in *Grey’s Anatomy*, will take on the character of Vernon, the new Head of News at UBN, depicted as an audacious provocateur with a talent for engaging audiences.

Williams and Daniels will join an already stellar ensemble cast that features well-known actors such as Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Beharie, Nestor Carbonell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Jon Hamm, and Karen Pittman. Billy Crudup notably earned Apple TV’s inaugural Emmy for his role in the series in 2020 and achieved the same honor again in 2024. The show has secured a total of three Primetime Emmys, including accolades for Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling and Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) in 2024, and has garnered nearly 30 overall Emmy nominations.

The fourth season of *The Morning Show* wrapped up in November, and although Apple has yet to announce a premiere date for the fifth season, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt suggested a possible 2026 launch. She mentioned that the lack of a writers’ strike this year might permit a faster production schedule.

*The Morning Show* is accessible for streaming on Apple TV, which provides a subscription service for $12.99 per month, showcasing a variety of popular shows and films.

The Competition Authority of Brazil Probes Apple Over NFC Limitations on iPhones

Apple has until the month’s end to address a series of technical and legal matters posed by CADE, Brazil’s competition authority, concerning purported anticompetitive practices related to the iPhone’s NFC. Here are the specifics.

## Apple’s NFC regulations still facing scrutiny in Brazil

Last month, Apple claimed that Brazilian banks were attempting to gain an “unfair advantage” in an anticompetitive investigation regarding contactless payments on the iPhone.

This inquiry began last year, following a request from Brazil’s central bank (Banco Central) and the banking association Febraban for CADE to examine whether Apple was unjustly restricting third-party payment providers’ access to the iPhone’s NFC compared to its own offerings.

Since then, Apple has contended that there is “no provision in Brazilian law that forbids [it] from imposing a fee for its services,” while highlighting that it possesses merely 10% of the nation’s smartphone market and that third-party developers have been utilizing the iPhone’s NFC since 2024.

Apple has also asserted that the Brazilian market is well-equipped with payment alternatives, arguing that Apple Pay is not “harmful to consumers, nor does it exclude competitors.” Nevertheless, thus far, these arguments have failed to convince regulators.

This week, as reported by Folha de S. Paulo (via MacMagazine), CADE has intensified its investigation:

> “On Tuesday (17), the agency issued a formal notification to the tech firm, asking for details regarding fees, technical specifications, and agreements made with developers in Brazil. The company has until March 30 to reply.”

As we reported last month, this investigation partially focuses on PIX, a domestic, cost-free, and instantaneous payment system introduced in 2020 that is by far the most popular payment method in the country:

> Last year, Banco Central introduced a contactless protocol for PIX, which Apple (unlike Google) has declined to implement, considering it a non-essential feature for Brazilians, who still predominantly use PIX payments via QR codes instead of the relatively new contactless option.

As noted by Folha de S. Paulo, Apple also appears to be attempting to evade classification as a so-called Payment Transaction Initiator, “a regulatory category overseen by the Central Bank that would impose requirements regarding interoperability and access.”

So far, Apple has not provided any commentary on CADE’s recent request.

How to Find Concealed Partitions on Your Hard Drive That Safeguard Your Computer

An excellent method to utilize old drives, such as portable USB drives, is to convert them into a recovery disk. However, if you don’t possess extra drives, you can always create a partition on an existing one.

What other purposes can hidden partitions serve?

HomeKit Secure Video Services Continuous 24-Hour Disruption

Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video platform has been experiencing considerable performance challenges for more than 24 hours, hindering users’ ability to record and manage security camera footage effectively. The issues started on October 23, 2023, at 6:49 p.m. ET, when Apple acknowledged that some users were facing slow or unavailable services.

Due to this disruption, numerous users have reported a lack of motion alerts from their HomeKit cameras, and in certain instances, recordings are not being saved entirely. Although some users can still view live feeds from their cameras, the absence of alerts and recordings has raised worries about the service’s reliability.

Conversations on platforms such as the HomeKit subreddit showcase a variety of user experiences, with some expressing dissatisfaction over missing recordings and alerts. In spite of the widespread challenges, Apple has not provided comprehensive comments or updates beyond recognizing the issue on its system status page.

Users are advised to keep an eye on developments for updates from Apple and to share their experiences in community forums. The persistent issues emphasize the necessity of dependable security systems for home monitoring, leaving many users to question the future stability of the HomeKit Secure Video service.

For those looking to explore compatible security camera options, resources are available to assist in finding appropriate devices that work with HomeKit. As the scenario evolves, additional updates will be shared concerning the resolution of these performance challenges.

9to5Mac Daily: March 18, 2026 – Key Points on App Store Vibe Coding and Other Enhancements

**9to5Mac Daily: Your Destination for Daily Apple News and Insights**

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Michael Bay’s Role in the Development of an Overlooked Pirate Television Series

Michael Bay is celebrated for his extravagant action sequences and his audience-focused approach to thrilling blockbuster films, but in 2014, he opted to introduce a swashbuckling television series to his repertoire. Though we are accustomed to enjoying action films like Sylvester Stallone’s legendary franchise available on Netflix, delving into a Bay-produced series brings an additional thrill. Starz’s somewhat unexpected hit “Black Sails” was initially envisioned as a sort of prequel to (or at least a series influenced by) the iconic novel “Treasure Island.” However, with a high-profile, dedicated executive producer like Bay steering the ship, it has garnered a substantial fan following. This demonstrates that some of the most unexpected projects can turn out to be successful – much like one of James Cameron’s greatest successes.

“Black Sails” chronicles the journey of an emerging crew led by Captain Flint during the height of piracy in the 18th century. Set on New Providence Island, the series boasts rugged action, extraordinarily high production values, and timeless, treasure-centric narratives. While Michael Bay is outspoken about his influence in Hollywood, he held such lofty ambitions for the budget and quality of “Black Sails” that he himself questioned if it would become a reality.

How Michael Bay proved to be the ideal captain for Black Sails

Michael Bay might be recognized for his astronomical film budgets, directing movies and franchises like “Transformers” and “Bad Boys,” as well as action staples such as “The Rock” and “Armageddon,” but his foray into television did not imply he intended to scale back his vision for the smaller screen. In a conversation with Variety when “Black Sails” was just debuting, he mentioned that prior to Starz giving it the green light, he feared the budget would be too steep for it to get approved.

Bay’s involvement wasn’t necessarily as a day-to-day director as seen in many of his films, but he played a crucial role in staffing the project and shaping the pre-production phase. His influence is evident in the series, particularly in some of its most celebrated battle scenes, such as the Royal Navy confrontation in the Season 3 finale or Captain Flint’s rescue skirmish in Season 2. Like many of his other productions, the grandeur prompts one to consider the cost of the damage from Michael Bay’s films and series in real life.

What’s intriguing about a show with the ambition and scale of “Black Sails” is how much it appears to have flown under the radar. While it doesn’t capture the massive audience of other blockbuster hits like “Game of Thrones” or “Stranger Things,” “Black Sails” holds strong with a Rotten Tomatoes rating above 80 and a passionate fan community. Although the series officially concluded in 2017 with no intentions for continuation, its four fantastic seasons are currently available for streaming on Starz.