I'm on v 12.26. When I click on the download button in the DO "News and Updates" window, the window has a perpetual "working" windows icon and the text "The update is being downloaded" shows but nothing happens.
If the problem is persistent, it usually means a firewall or antivirus is blocking the download in some way. (Unless you're accessing the web via a proxy, which the automatic update downloader doesn't currently support.)
The installers on our downloads page (also linked in the blog and forum posts announcing new updates) are the same ones the update checker downloads, if you need a workaround. Just click on those and then run them to update in the same way.