‘AI is going to be a massive issue for the presidential election’

‘AI is going to be a massive issue for the presidential election’

Politico reports: The intensifying late-summer backlash against data centers is inspiring panic among some corners of the tech sector — amid fears that the industry is mishandling a political crisis that will stretch into 2028 and beyond. Those worries have deepened in recent weeks as politicians across the political spectrum embraced various curbs on data center construction, with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, potential Democratic White House hopeful Josh Shapiro and Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers being among the…

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In effort to promote AI, EPA moves to cut out public input on data centers

In effort to promote AI, EPA moves to cut out public input on data centers

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration is moving to make it harder for communities to weigh in on proposed data centers, even as a backlash against the behemoth projects grows across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate a federal requirement that states publicize and solicit public input on applications for air pollution permits for a range of industrial facilities, including new data centers and the power plants needed to run them. The move could prevent…

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Canada has one important edge in the North American trade war: unity

Canada has one important edge in the North American trade war: unity

Politico reports: President Donald Trump is threatening Canada with economic destruction amid an escalating trade war. He’s not factoring in one key U.S. disadvantage. Americans are not nearly as gung-ho for a tariff stand-off as their northern neighbors, who have been seething for months over Trump’s rhetoric against their country. “The U.S.A. will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada,” Trump wrote in a second Truth Social post. “Someone should get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or,…

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Judge issues setback to Trump administration plans to restrict mail-in ballots

Judge issues setback to Trump administration plans to restrict mail-in ballots

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday issued a setback to the Trump administration’s plans to issue sweeping new restrictions on mail-in balloting for November’s crucial midterm elections. The ruling is not the final word in a complex and rapidly escalating legal fight over the president’s executive order that would bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending mail-in ballots to voters not on lists of citizens created by federal agencies. A separate case challenging the order…

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The Qataris gave Trump a $400 million airplane. He crippled their country in return

The Qataris gave Trump a $400 million airplane. He crippled their country in return

Shane Harris writes: Donald Trump really wanted the plane. The Qataris had flown the $400 million Boeing 747 to West Palm Beach just after he returned to the White House so he could run his hands over the soft leather chairs and inspect the sycamore- and wacapou-wood veneers. A sales brochure had described the en-suite master bathroom, with its mother-of-pearl inlays, as “almost a piece of art.” The plane was a flying palace fit for a Persian Gulf monarch, or…

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Engineering lawlessness: Under Israel’s watch, Palestinian gangs are sowing chaos in the West Bank

Engineering lawlessness: Under Israel’s watch, Palestinian gangs are sowing chaos in the West Bank

Sami Sawalmeh reports: When I arrived in the central West Bank town of Qarawat Bani Hassan for a reporting trip on July 31, residents were dealing with the immediate aftermath of an explosion outside a local businessman’s property. An extortion ring operating from Jaljulia, a Palestinian town inside Israel, had detonated the device after demanding money from him, according to prominent figures from the town who preferred not to be named. (A video from the blast site, seen by +972,…

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World’s oceans hit highest temperature on record as El Niño grows

World’s oceans hit highest temperature on record as El Niño grows

BBC News reports: The world’s oceans are hotter than ever recorded, new data suggests, as they suffer from human-caused climate change and the growing El Niño weather phenomenon. The average surface temperature of the planet’s seas outside the polar regions hit 21.1C (70F) on Saturday, according to figures from the European Copernicus climate change service. That edges past the 21.09C recorded in March 2024, and is far above average for the time of year. Warmer oceans can have wide-reaching consequences,…

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Russian drone with Nvidia chips signals dawn of lethal AI

Russian drone with Nvidia chips signals dawn of lethal AI

The New York Times reports: The young woman ran for her life, but it was too late. A small Russian drone resembling a model airplane swooped down from the sky last month in the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. As it tried to navigate toward a gas station, it crashed into a wall and exploded in a hail of shrapnel, killing Tetiana Bubynets, 19, a university student, and two others. They were among the thousands of Ukrainian civilians who…

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Trump says communities that oppose data centers are ‘making a mistake’

Trump says communities that oppose data centers are ‘making a mistake’

Axios reports: President Trump defended the expansion of data centers in an interview with his former fixer, Michael Cohen, that aired in full on Sunday. Why it matters: Trump’s support comes as data centers face growing backlash in both red and blue states. What he’s saying: Trump told Cohen during their interview that the U.S. was leading China in AI “by a lot” and that data centers were not taking power from the grid. “They’re making their own power plants. They’re building the most beautiful, you’ve never seen power plants…

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Carney will not allow Canada to be turned into a North American Belarus

Carney will not allow Canada to be turned into a North American Belarus

Toronto Star‘s Allan Woods writes: Trump has yet to publicly comment on the breakdown in trade talks, but U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that Canada was offered “the best treatment of any major exporter to our market.” Without going into detail, he said Canadian negotiators made “new demands and walkbacks of other commitments” that had “upended the careful balance reached in the past days.” Doing a deal under the conditions Carney described would clearly have undermined Canada’s pivot…

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Canada should be ready to cut electricity, critical minerals as trade woes worsen, says Ontario’s premier

Canada should be ready to cut electricity, critical minerals as trade woes worsen, says Ontario’s premier

The Associated Press reports: Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that Ronald Reagan would be “throwing up” over President Donald Trump’s trade policies and threatened to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the United States as Trump escalated the trade fight. Ford, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, said Trump has underestimated Canadians’ willingness to endure economic pain rather than give in to U.S. pressure. “He underestimates Canada. We’re all in,” Ford said. “Up here, we’re at…

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How Trump is trying to crush California’s environmental policies

How Trump is trying to crush California’s environmental policies

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has taken a series of extraordinary steps to attack California’s position as a national leader in environmental protection, enlisting at least a half-dozen federal agencies to undermine the state’s efforts to pivot away from fossil fuels. The stakes are high. Because of its market muscle as the world’s fourth largest economy, California’s environmental regulations have influenced the manufacturers of automobiles and other consumer goods. And its green policies have spread to some…

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Washington Post ordered to reinstate opinion writer fired over Charlie Kirk posts

Washington Post ordered to reinstate opinion writer fired over Charlie Kirk posts

The Guardian reports: An independent arbitrator has ordered the Washington Post to rehire the high-profile opinion columnist Karen Attiah, abruptly fired by the news organization last September over comments she made on social media about Charlie Kirk, the then recently slain conservative activist. On Monday, an arbitrator ruled that the Post had violated her rights as a union-protected employee and ordered the newspaper to reinstate her and compensate her for lost wages. “This decision confirms what we’ve said from the…

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Aging brains maintain robust language networks despite cognitive decline

Aging brains maintain robust language networks despite cognitive decline

Neuroscience News reports: As human beings age, many cognitive functions naturally decline. Brain scans have consistently shown age-related deterioration in neural networks responsible for executive functions, working memory, and problem-solving. But when it comes to language, the aging brain tells a completely different, highly resilient story. Barring neurological conditions such as stroke or dementia, most older adults retain excellent language skills. In fact, many individuals experience linguistic improvement as they accumulate a richer vocabulary throughout their lives. A newly published…

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