Microsoft is introducing AI token budgets for employees, making the cheaper GPT-5.6 its default internal model and telling engineers to focus on business results rather than maximizing AI usage. 404 Media reports: "As we accelerate our use of GitHub Copilot to deliver on our goals, we all need to be aware of how we consume tokens," Jay Parikh, an executive vice president at Microsoft said in an email to Microsoft employees. GitHub is owned by Microsoft, and GitHub Copilot is an AI coding tool. "Tokenmaxxing is not what we are optimizing for. I want all of us focused on maximizing outcomes that move the needle for our customers and our business." "As such, we are updating our internal guidance and managing token spend with the same discipline we apply to every other critical resource," Parikh said in the email. Parikh's email says that in an effort to "get greater value from our token investment" Microsoft is making OpenAI GPT-5.6, which is cheaper to use than other models, the default model for internal use. His email also links to updated internal Copilot guidelines stating that, as of July 2026, Microsoft divisions will have an "AI token budget target," and that employees can track their individual AI spending. "While there is no target spend value being shared at this time. The data shows that many engineers spend in the range of hundreds of dollars a month to a few thousand dollars in tokens," the guidelines say. They also say that some decisions may place further restrictions as they monitor spend. [...] Parikh's email said Microsoft will keep learning and adjusting its AI policies as models and products evolve, and stressed that he doesn't want to slow down the company's progress towards becoming "AI-first." "We are not optimizing for fewer tokens," he said. "We are optimizing for more impact per token.

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Max Miller says he has ‘nothing to hide’ amid domestic abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Republican Ohio senator Bernie Moreno

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The White House has called an emergency summit of artificial intelligence business leaders on Tuesday to finalize details of a voluntary compliance system for safety breaches, following reports that two major AI tools had breached their digital containment and hacked external computer systems.

Anthropic reported last week that models of its Claude tool successfully hacked into the infrastructure of three separate companies during red-teaming tests by exploiting weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints. Anthropic said an external evaluation partner mistakenly granted the testing agent unfiltered internet access.

The company now operates its autonomous ride-hailing service in more than a dozen cities.

Mount Vernon official is accused of driving getaway car after son allegedly opened fire outside Bronx court

A New York state police department fired its deputy commissioner on Tuesday after she allegedly acted as a getaway driver for her son in what is being investigated as an attempted murder.

The city of Mount Vernon said in an Instagram post that it had terminated Jennifer Lackard, deputy police commissioner for safety, for conduct “unrelated to her duties”.

Mike Lindell is stepping down as CEO of MyPillow to focus on his campaign for governor of Minnesota, the company announced Tuesday.

US secretary of state comments come after treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Washington could reach a deal ‘by tomorrow’

• US and Qatar report progress on Iran ceasefire and reopening Hormuz strait

Iran and Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help end the war in the Middle East, regional officials have said.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told the Associated Press.

Bari Weiss’s latest hire for “60 Minutes,” whose major journalistic output includes smearing genocide victims and putting a target on the backs of reporters in Gaza, shows that the full-blown right-wing tabloidification of the television news program is charging ahead. 

If one held out hope that U.S. media would seek to reverse course after its support for genocide in Gaza over the past 34 months, those hopes were severely misplaced. The mainstream media’s lockstep support for genocide, which I document in my recent book on the subject, has not abated, and in key ways it’s only ramped up, become more explicit, and removed any remaining pretense of editorial independence.

The most obvious example of this is the Ellison family’s $8 billion purchase of Paramount and overtly right-wing revamp of CBS News, which kicked off in earnest last year. A former gold standard of centrist journalism, Weiss’s takeover of CBS News has seen numerous high-profile firings, scandals, and credible allegations of undermining journalistic independence, allegations of Trump toadyism, and a broader editorial push to the right.

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Scott Pelley Shows How Legacy Media Got It Wrong — Before Bari Weiss Made It Worse

This campaign has been, in large part, aimed at sucking up to Trump to push through the much bigger prize of a $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery takeover. But there’s another element at play: The Ellison family’s documented support for Israel and its broader ideological aims. As I noted last December, Weiss was put in place by David Ellison precisely because of her years of strident, pro-Israel coverage and willingness to push the boundaries of racism and cynicism to pursue this cause. So far, Weiss’s attempt to turn the prestigious “60 Minutes” brand into another New York Post has been met with major internal resistance from high-profile reporters, producers, and news management. 

And despite Ellison’s buzzy op-ed for The New York Times today, where he pushes back on “speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions” and pledges “independence” for the newsroom, Weiss’s latest hire makes clear that her ideological coup of the once-vaulted “60 Minutes” brand is right on schedule. 

The hiring of Tanya Lukyanova, a video journalist for The Free Press, as an associate producer for “60 Minutes,” was announced Friday. Lukyanova has previously done video and research work for the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and Semafor. She rose the ranks of journalism doing critical — if boilerplate — reporting on Russia, but over the past year, under Weiss’s direction, she has veered into outright right-wing tabloidism. This climaxed with her contribution to two of the most shameful supposedly journalistic contributions since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began in late 2023: an article she produced herself in September 2025 helping justifying Israel’s unprecedented attacks on journalists in Gaza, and an article she co-bylined in August 2025 downplaying mass starvation in Gaza.  

The September 2025 article, “Gazan Journalists Say Al Jazeera Works Hand in Glove with Hamas,” relies almost entirely on alleged Gazan sources procured by the Center for Peace Communications. This is a pro-Israel front group that poses as a “peace organization” and has peddled similar dubious narratives elsewhere, almost aways designed to create the narrative that Gaza is little more than 2 million Palestinians being held captive by Hamas, who desperately want Israel to bomb their way to liberation. The group’s board of directors includes major pro-Israel funders, as well as Dennis Ross, a long-time pro-Israel pundit and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, itself a spin-off from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The CPC is run by Joseph Braude, who in 2004 pleaded guilty in federal court for illegally smuggling artifacts out of Iraq, namely 4,000-year-old marble and alabaster stone seals he knew to be stolen. 

At no point in the story was the shady past of the “Center for Peace Communications,” or its overt Zionist advocacy and funding, mentioned by Lukyanova, who presents them merely as a good-faith humanitarian organization. The shameful guilt-by-vague-association piece proceeds to imply, over and over again, that any connection to Hamas, no matter how remote, makes journalists a fair target for Israeli killing — without once reckoning with the numerous active and former members of the Israeli military who make up the ranks of Israeli and U.S. media.

It relies heavily on New York Post reporting because the New York Post is exactly what Weiss wants CBS News to look like in the near future: lurid incitement mixed with shoddy sourcing and anti-Palestinian racism. Lukyanova dutifully lends this shoddy racist incitement the veneer of respectability. 

Israel has killed more than 240 media workers in Gaza since October 2023, including several prominent Al Jazeera journalists such as Mohammed Samir Wishah, Hossam Shabat, Mahmoud Wadi, and Anas al-Sharif. In airstrikes in late 2023 and early 2024, Israel killed the wife, 7-year-old daughter, 15- and 27-year-old sons, and two nephews of longtime Al Jazeera reporter and Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh, effectively wiping out his whole family while failing to kill al-Dahdouh himself after he was injured in a separate attack.

Related

Palestinian Rights Groups That Document Israeli Abuses Labeled “Terrorists” by Israel

The Costs of War project at Brown University deemed Israel’s war on Gaza the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded. Lukyanova’s anonymously sourced “exposé” accusing Al Jazeera reporters of being “affiliated with Hamas” came just two weeks after +972 Magazine revealed a secret Israeli military propaganda campaign to tie critical reporters to the designated “terrorist organization,” using what it calls a “Legitimization Cell.”

Lukyanova’s other major contribution, published along with Olivia Reingold, was “They Became Symbols for Gazan Starvation. But All 12 Suffer from Other Health Problems.” The article led to widespread backlash and criticism for its callousness, bizarre logical leaps, and the implication that starving children was No Big Deal if those being killed by Israel’s deliberate campaign of hunger as a weapon of collective punishment happen to have preexisting conditions.

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Bari Weiss’s Free Press Wants You to Know Some Kids Being Starved by Israel Were Already Sick

As Natasha Lennard noted for The Intercept at the time, Anne Frank wasn’t directly killed by the Nazis but died of typhus as a result of the Nazis creating the condition for such a disease to spread in their concentration camps to claim its intended victims. Drop Site News followed up on the 12 “Gazans” whose brutal suffering Reingold and Lukyanova decided to well, actually and found “their underlying health conditions did not drive the deterioration of their health. Instead, it was the lack of access to food and medicine that drove their acute medical crises. Such is the hallmark of a famine. The first to fall victim are generally those who had underlying conditions to begin with.” 

This is consistent with much of Lukyanova’s non-Gaza output. While ​​plenty of her journalistic output is conventional in nature, she has published several articles promoting schlocky regime-change narratives aimed at various U.S. enemies, namely Iran and Venezuela. Lukyanova has shown a willingness — and apparent eagerness — to use her influential platform to promote war, starvation as a weapon of war, attacks on reporters, and related ideological orthodoxies of U.S. and Israel aggression.

And this shameless propagandist, who has repeatedly shown a willingness to be callous in the face of widespread famine and launder pro-Israel talking points about Israel-critical reporters being secret terrorists, will now be an associate producer at the most respected news program in all of the American media.

“60 Minutes” has always been a flawed institution, but hiring people willing to wade into the lowest gutter of incitement reporting — putting targets on the backs of disabled, starving kids and journalists documenting a genocide — is a major escalation in Weiss’s battle to turn “60 Minutes” into a billionaires’ ideological plaything. 

This is who gets ahead in U.S.-based journalism: not who is most humane, or accurate, or fair, or speaks truth to power, but those who serve the needs of power — whether it be the U.S. and Israeli governments or billionaire media owners.

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The Architects of the Iraq War: Where Are They Now?

Just as The Atlantic’s now-editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was rewarded for his lies attempting to tie Saddam Hussien to 9/11 in the run-up to the Iraq War with becoming the head of the most influential liberal magazine in the country; just as Joe Scarborough was rewarded for cheering on the Iraq War with a three-hour morning block on the most influential liberal cable news show; just as Iraq War cheerleaders from Ezra Klein to Anne Applebaum to Bret Stephens to David Remnick have all enjoyed prestigious positions in today’s elite liberal media — those who lied about, covered up, or otherwise downplayed the genocide in Gaza will continue to rise to the top. This dynamic is only becoming more shameless and acute now that pro-Israel multibillionaires are buying up old legacy media and turning them into their personal tabloid outlets.  

The post Bari Weiss’s “60 Minutes” Hires Producer Who Downplayed Gaza Starvation, Justified Killing Journalists appeared first on The Intercept.

The company will release its second quarter earnings on Tuesday, giving investors a look at its potential profit

For the first time since SpaceX went public, the world will get a first-hand look into the trillion-dollar corporation’s financials. The Elon Musk-run business will report its second quarter earnings on Tuesday, while nervous investors look to gain more insight into the rocket ship company’s potential for profit.

SpaceX had a blockbuster initial public offering in June with the largest-ever stock market debut in history. The IPO transformed SpaceX into a $2tn company and briefly crowned Musk the world’s first trillionaire. But since then, the company’s stock has plummeted by 24%, erasing nearly $500bn in market cap.

The deadly encounter between an ICE officer and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on July 13 in Biddeford, Maine, is the latest in a growing string of clashes between civilians and ICE agents.

You can play the Gears of War: E-Day beta, Ball x Pit and more this month.

The Lindsay Clancy murder trial resumed for a sixth day Tuesday with more testimony from prosecution witnesses and a focus on prescription pills.

• Larry Berg officially introduced to media and MLS staff

• Berg to take over for Don Garber on 1 January 2027

MLS will have a new commissioner starting in 2027, but don’t expect the league to adopt the promotion and relegation system seen in league systems throughout the world anytime soon.

Larry Berg, a co-owner of MLS club Los Angeles FC and the league’s incoming boss, said in his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he doesn’t think that the long-mooted idea of bringing “pro/rel” to the North American league is “appropriate”.

The White House calls California’s suits ‘frivolous’ amid court battles.

Water levels on the Danube River have dropped so low that dozens of World War II German battleships – and even the remains of an ancient woolly mammoth — are emerging into view.

Incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate who owns an auto repair shop, hopes to retain congressional seat

The two-term Democratic congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is heading into one of the country’s most closely watched contests on Tuesday after national recognition for flipping a Republican seat in 2022.

Representing Washington state’s third district, Gluesenkamp Perez finds herself squeezed between Democrat and progressive Brent Hennrich and Republican state senator John Braun on her right. There are six other candidates on a single crowded ballot and the top two finishers will advance to the November general election regardless of party.

Investigators pin blame for Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and ruined thousands of homes, on ‘electrical arcing events’ at out-of-service tower

The deadly 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area was caused by equipment belonging to the utility company Southern California Edison, fire officials said in a report released on Tuesday.

Los Angeles county fire officials found that the cause of the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses was a tower that was not in service, according to the report.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 4, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a collaboration to use AI-accelerated innovation to address national science and technology challenges established by the Genesis Mission.

Credit: grandbrothers/Shutterstock

The Genesis Mission is a whole-of-government initiative, led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, that aims to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade by unlocking AI-enabled scientific discovery and innovation. This MOU formalizes NIST’s commitment to that goal.

NIST and DOE have deep expertise and a shared interest in applying AI innovation to address critical national challenges and opportunities. The MOU will enable the two agencies to coordinate their efforts and leverage their complementary resources within the context of the Genesis Mission in areas including biotechnology, quantum science, and materials design and discovery.

“Our contribution to the Genesis Mission exemplifies NIST’s ongoing commitment to advancing U.S. leadership in critical technologies that are vital to America’s economic and national security,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Arvind Raman. “NIST is using innovative public-private partnerships to apply advanced AI to manufacturing and cybersecurity challenges, with initiatives aimed at rapidly delivering high-impact solutions that can be readily transitioned to the private sector.”

NIST will execute two of its efforts in support of the Genesis Mission through its Centers for AI in Manufacturing and Critical Infrastructure, a public-private partnership with the nonprofit MITRE Corporation that aims to advance the delivery of AI-based technology solutions to U.S. industry. These efforts will target the Genesis Mission’s national science and technology challenges. Additional areas of collaboration are also being discussed.

First, NIST’s AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity aims to accelerate development and adoption of AI-driven autonomous agents for increased U.S. manufacturing productivity. It uses advanced, AI-based “human in the loop” robotics and autonomous systems to produce cost-competitive, high-value, customizable American products. This center has launched a project that will focus on producing drones for civilian and military applications, with the goal of using AI to scale up production capabilities tenfold in two years. This initiative aligns with the Genesis Mission challenge “Reenvisioning Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Productivity.”

Second, NIST’s AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats will accelerate development and adoption of AI-based agents for ultra-high-speed cyberthreat detection and remediation. This initiative focuses on protecting and securing critical infrastructure including power grids, telecommunications networks, water treatment facilities, financial platforms and healthcare systems. This initiative aligns with several of the Genesis Mission challenges aimed at protecting the nation from emerging threats.

Both initiatives are designed as two-year sprints that aim to rapidly produce high-impact results for commercial and industrial deployment while also yielding generalizable strategies that can be replicated across other manufacturing and cybersecurity domains.

Source: NIST

The post NIST Joins DOE’s Genesis Mission to Accelerate AI Innovation appeared first on HPCwire.

DHS said pharmacy instructor Berhanu Kibret overstayed visa and arrested him at Dallas-Fort Worth airport

An instructor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore who only just received a “teacher of the year” award has been arrested by federal immigration agents under the command of the Trump administration.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained Berhanu Kibret, an instructor at the university’s pharmacy school, at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas, according to multiple news reports. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed Kibret’s arrest, citing an expired visa – but it stopped short of providing a location.

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Aug. 4, 2026 — Liqid, a global leader in software-defined memory and GPU pooling infrastructure, today announced its role as a strategic technology partner in Abaco, the memory-centric computing system designed by Micron, a subcontractor to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Liqid is providing the scale-up memory pool that allows PNNL to expose hundreds of terabytes of coherent active memory to data-intensive AI for Science workloads.

Solving the Memory Wall for Scientific AI

For decades, memory architectures have limited applications such as computational chemistry, molecular biology, and AI-driven simulation by restricting access to the large memory capacity they require. The Abaco system pioneers CXL-enabled memory pooling and sharing, shattering the capacity limits of individual servers to support massive-scale AI workloads.

Liqid delivers the industry’s first and only fully disaggregated, software-defined memory pooling solution. In a Liqid rack-scale configuration, up to 160TB of DRAM can be dedicated to a single host or dynamically allocated and shared across as many as 16 server nodes. Real-time allocation of terabytes of memory enables zero stranded capacity and massive performance scaling when needed.

What Liqid Contributes to PNNL

• Liqid EX-5410C Memory Platform: CXL 2.0 memory expansion system supporting up to 40TB of DRAM per chassis and scaling to a unified memory pool of more than 160TB for memory-intensive AI, HPC, and database workloads.
• Liqid Matrix Software: The orchestration and management layer that turns pooled memory into a programmable resource. Liqid Matrix delivers the industry’s only unified interface for real-time deployment, management, and orchestration of composable GPU, memory, and storage – and integrates with Kubernetes, Slurm, Ansible, and other tooling already used in scientific computing environments.
• Liqid CXL 2.0 Fabric: A dedicated CXL 2.0 switch and host bus adapters (HBAs) deliver ultra-low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity between hosts and the memory pool.

Memory Sharing and Benchmark Results

Liqid and Micron have also collaborated to enable the industry’s first architecture that supports true memory-sharing capabilities. Micron’s famfs Linux kernel enhancement enables advanced memory sharing across systems with software cache coherence, laying the foundation for future performance gains through larger shared memory pools, reduced data movement, and more efficient access to massive datasets. With famfs, disaggregated memory pools from the Liqid system become exposed to the host operating system as a file system, requiring no application layer changes to harness the latency and bandwidth advantages of pooled memory.

Using the famfs Linux kernel in the Abaco system with Micron high-capacity RDIMMs, Micron lab benchmarks using representative workloads demonstrated performance improvements. Results showed up to 30x faster processing time for graph analytics workloads and up to 7x more tokens per second for certain KV cache workloads, validating the power of CXL memory pooling for AI and scientific computing, with additional optimization and performance gains expected as the platform enables new features.

“PNNL is exactly the kind of environment that proves what composable CXL memory can do at the frontier of science,” said Sumit Puri, Liqid Founder and CTO. “PNNL and Micron have built something singular: a memory-centric system designed for the workloads that could define the next decade of AI for Science. Liqid is honored to extend that platform with the scale, orchestration, and composability that turn pooled memory into a programmable resource. This is what tokens per dollar and tokens per watt look like in a national laboratory environment.”

Why It Matters for AI for Science

PNNL will leverage Abaco to advance AI for Science, with AI-integrated computational chemistry as the first user-facing workload. By extending the lab’s pooled memory with Liqid’s CXL memory fabric, the system can keep larger structures, larger parameter spaces, and heavier intermediate data resident in active memory, directly attacking the memory bottleneck that has historically constrained scientific AI.

PNNL’s testbed is available to DOE-funded researchers from national laboratories and academia through the Advanced Memory to Support Artificial Intelligence for Science (AMAIS) initiative, funded by the DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research program within the DOE Office of Science.

About Liqid

Liqid is the leader in software-defined memory and GPU pooling infrastructure, delivering flexible, high-performance, and efficient on-premises datacenter and edge solutions for next-generation AI inference, KV cache, in-memory databases, VDI, virtualization, and HPC workloads. Liqid solutions are trusted by organizations across financial services, higher education and research, healthcare, telecommunications, media and entertainment, and government and defense.

Liqid enables customers to manage, configure, reconfigure, and scale essential compute, accelerators (GPU, DPU, TPU, FPGA), memory, storage, and networking into physical bare-metal server systems in seconds. Liqid customers can optimize their IT infrastructure and achieve up to 100% memory and GPU utilization for maximum tokens per watt, tokens per dollar, and tokens per second. Learn more at www.liqid.com.

Source: Liqid

The post Liqid Powers PNNL’s Abaco System with CXL Memory Pooling for AI Science appeared first on HPCwire.

• Two-time Pro Bowler expected to get $51m guaranteed

• Average value surpasses that of Eagles’ Saquon Barkley

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson through the 2030 season that makes the fourth-year player the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

Robinson reposted the NFL’s Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!”

David Hearn has ‘number of potential remedies’ after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage, attorney says

An attorney for the former Olympic canoeist who was charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has said that “all options are on table” for legal recourse after prosecutors recently abandoned the case abruptly.

David Hearn “has a number of potential remedies” after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage now attributed to faulty work by a contractor, attorney Steven Levin said in a statement. Levin added that those could include “civil suits, bar referrals for the prosecutors involved, request for sanctions and reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and expenses”, and requests for investigations by various government entities, including Congress.

Trump Media has officially launched its $100,000-per-month data feed giving trading firms machine-readable access to Truth Social posts milliseconds before the public. According to Fortune, five Wall Street firms have already signed up for the service, which "would generate about $500,000 in monthly revenue, or $6 million annually." Critics argue the service could let President Trump, who owns about 41% of the company, profit from early access to market-moving presidential communications. "I'll be blunt," Gian Luca Clementi, an economics professor at NYU Stern School of Business, told Fortune. "This is insider trading by definition." "He's going to monetize the role of the office of the president of the United States," he said. "The undisputable fact is that somebody is going to earn some more money than before, and that's the president of the United States." From the report: Trump's media venture has struggled to build a profitable social media business despite its lofty valuation. Truth Social has reported significant operating losses since going public. According to the company's earnings report for Q1 2026, Trump Media & Technology Group netted a roughly $405 million loss and raised less than $900,000 in sales. Not everyone agrees the arrangement meets the legal bar for insider trading. Shannon Devine, a spokeswoman for Trump Media & Technology Group, has pushed back on the characterization, telling Quartz that Truth API "offers customers the fastest way to ingest publicly available Truth Social data" and that critics "must have invented a new theory of 'insider trading' based on publicly available information." Classic insider trading law hinges on trading on secret, material information in breach of a fiduciary duty, and Truth Social posts are, by design, meant to become public within moments -- raising real doctrinal uncertainty about whether faster access alone qualifies. But other legal experts argue the greater risk lies ahead. Richard Painter, former White House chief ethics counsel, has argued that the arrangement could violate federal law once Trump posts genuinely market-moving news -- on tariffs, military action, or other policy decisions -- before it's public, with Truth Social effectively acting as a paid "tipper" on the president's behalf. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said he plans to introduced legislation Tuesday to ban the president from selling expedited access to his statements.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The secretary of state said progress has been made in the Iran-Oman talks but that no final agreement has been reached, adding, "We're hoping that ‌will happen very ‌shortly."

Stocks were on track to notch new record highs on Tuesday as oil prices dip and companies report healthy profits.

Miller vows to clear his name as Republican senator Bernie Moreno says former son-in-law unfit to serve in Congress

Max Miller, a US Republican representative from Ohio, is facing a rising groundswell of resignation calls from his own party over domestic abuse allegations after his ex-father-in-law, Bernie Moreno, a GOP senator, said he was unfit to serve in Congress.

With a deadline looming for party leaders to choose a potential replacement, Miller, a former White House aide, also came under pressure from Donald Trump on Monday after the president reportedly called and told him “things aren’t looking good” for his re-election campaign against his Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter.

The House Ethics Committee announced that it is opening a probe into allegations that Rep. Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence or drug use.

Newly released texts and emails give us insight into how lawyers for two billion-dollar tech companies can’t figure out how to use their email.

A political activist serving the longest federal prison sentence of any 2020 Black Lives Matter protester was transferred without warning to a detention facility thousands of miles away from their supporters and attorney.

Malik Muhammad’s transfer from the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections came almost immediately on the heels of a misconduct report about organizing protest activity about their conditions from prison.

The report — which was obtained by The Intercept and flags conversations that are critical of Israel, the U.S., and the Oregon prison system — and subsequent transfer raise serious concerns about the state of censorship and free speech within the state’s carceral system. 

In March, Muhammad vanished from every inmate tracking system without a trace, after missing a scheduled call with their lawyer. Days went by with no word. Inquiries from their attorney were met with vague runarounds from officials.

Muhammad, a veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, spent much of their time in Oregon in and out of solitary confinement. As a result, trouble communicating with Muhammad was not altogether unusual. As the days of silence became weeks, however, fear set in among Muhammad’s loved ones. 

In April, Muhammad’s partner received a letter saying that Muhammad was alive — but thousands of miles away at Kirkland Correctional Institution in South Carolina.

The Oregon Department of Corrections, in response to questions from The Intercept in May, denied that Muhammad, an avowed anarchist and father of one, had been transferred as retaliation for their activism inside the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Prison system officials said instead that there were “extensive background reasons” for Muhammad’s transfer.

A misconduct report issued in March suggests that Muhammad’s public-facing and internal activism — particularly on their blog, “Malik Speaks!” — was a major thorn in the side of the Oregon prison system. Other prison write-ups of Muhammad’s activities behind bars described to The Intercept by their attorney took a similar line, focusing on Muhammad’s organizing on their blog and communications with other incarcerated people.

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They Were Serving the Longest Federal Sentence of Any 2020 BLM Protester. Then They Vanished in Prison.

The misconduct report from March details posts from Muhammad’s blog urging their supporters to undertake a coordinated phone and messaging campaign; Muhammad wanted them to write to the prison and to public officials to call for better conditions inside and an end to Muhammad’s solitary confinement.

Oregon corrections officials are “punishing Malik for their political beliefs, for things that would normally be First Amendment protected and not within the normal scope of exceptions,” said Lauren Regan, director of litigation and advocacy at the Civil Liberties Defense Center and Muhammad’s attorney. Prison systems, she said, “hate anarchism and anti-fascism.”

The March misconduct report, which accuses Muhammad of “formulating an impact on the safety and security while promotion of security threat activity,” came only six days before the transfer to South Carolina. (The Oregon Department of Corrections declined to comment on “disciplinary matters,” citing department policy.)

To Christopher Kuttruff, a friend of Muhammad’s, it all seems like Oregon’s transfer was a ploy to make the publicity around Muhammad’s case into someone else’s issue.

“They want it to be another state’s problem,” Kuttruff said, “so they don’t face the same scrutiny.”

In the Hole

As they clutched the wrinkled pages of the misconduct report, Muhammad knew something big was about to happen.

In early March, officials flagged messages where the activist said they “have always been anti-Israel my whole life.” In another message, Muhammad says, “I’m begging for them to do it” — allegedly in reference to someone bombing the U.S. The messages prompted a further review, according to the misconduct report obtained by The Intercept.

The review turned up a message in which Muhammad called a guard a pig and said they wanted to “breakkk” their face. Muhammad maintains that the messages were spliced out of context and that the face comment was not a threat, but an insult tossed out in frustration.

Muhammad was thrown back into a disciplinary housing unit.

Weeks after their time in the “hole,” Muhammad received another misconduct report. This one, however, felt different.

“I knew that was what they were constructing to get me sent out,” they said. “I sent like a hundred letters as soon as I got the DR” — referring to the disciplinary report.

The three-page report accused Muhammad of engaging in “racketeering,” “unauthorized transfer” of digital currency, “unauthorized organization,” and “unauthorized use of info systems.” All the allegations were related to Muhammad’s blog, which they maintain with the help of their supporters and use to organize advocacy around their case and raise funds for their commissary account.

“Evidence supports that AIC Muhammad utilizes his visitor [redacted] to actively maintain a blog on his behalf while he is incarcerated,” a prison official wrote, referring to Muhammad, who uses they/them pronouns, as an “Adult in Custody.”

“His blog website,” the misconduct report says, “focuses on an organized grouping of individuals that support AIC Muhammad in his beliefs, using visual, written, and recorded readings from AIC Muhammad. These items contain his propaganda messages and are dispersed in a social seeding manner through his visitor(s) through his blog.”

The report says Muhammad had broken Oregon administrative rules on “unauthorized use of info systems” by allowing a recording from a prison call system to be transcribed and uploaded to their blog.

Another conclusion was more consequential: Citing writings on Muhammad’s blog, officials claimed that the protest organizing and political activity was having “an impact on the safety and security” of the facility. The report cited Muhammad’s encouragement of the phone campaigns and other activities related to the blog, such as purchasing left-leaning reading materials for other incarcerated people.

Conor Fitzpatrick, an attorney who has litigated prison free-speech cases and is today with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said that speaking out on conditions inside of prison is generally First Amendment-protected speech. Officials can’t curtail speech to the outside by exempting complaints from inside about prisoners’ incarceration.

“If an inmate,” said Fitzpatrick, “is sending a letter or posting online peacefully making their views known about, ‘Hey, here’s what’s going on inside the facility. If you think this is wrong, I suggest writing your congressman or writing the facility, and asking that something be done to fix this’ — to me, that strikes me as something that ought to be protected by the First Amendment.” 

Behind bars, though, it’s not always that simple. A chasm lies between what should fall under First Amendment protections in prison and what does in practice.

Related

Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship Is Coming for the Rest of Us

The Supreme Court has ruled that constitutional rights apply in prison, but courts have upheld all types of restrictions on free speech, from bans on fantasy games like “Dungeons & Dragons” to medical texts like the “Physicians’ Desk Reference.” The barriers to even getting before a court to vindicate your rights are steep. 

“The on-the-ground regime of what censorship looks like [inside prisons] is pretty ridiculous, and basically stands the First Amendment on its head,” said David Shapiro, the executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, a nonprofit focused on the criminal legal system. “It is close to an anything goes censorship regime.”

Muhammad’s Blog

Few people understand this better than Muhammad, who in March was racing against the clock to get help before officials could act. After receiving the report, they began furiously sending letters.

Days after receiving the misconduct report, guards ferried Muhammad, chains hanging around their belly under their jacket, onto a plane. It wasn’t until they landed in Utah that someone bothered to tell them they were headed to South Carolina, where guards at Kirkland Correctional Institution forcibly restrained Muhammad and shaved their head.

(“It is our policy to cut inmates’ hair upon arrival,” said Chrysti Shain, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, though she said she couldn’t speak directly to Muhammad’s case.)

Only one of the dozens of letters they’d sent made it through, they said, and it only arrived at its recipient after they had already been transferred.

It would be days before Muhammad was able to get a letter out to their partner, alerting their loved ones that they were, in fact, alive — just 3,000 miles away. 

Muhammad is widely liked, with a wit and intellect that obscures their relative youth, a trait that has been rewarded in prison with more than a few bumps and bruises from guards or angry fellow incarcerated people. 

At 25, Muhammad was sentenced to 10 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at protests in September and October 2020. As with many of the later prosecutions in the aftermath of the George Floyd uprisings, federal prosecutors initially left the case to state prosecutors before eventually charging Muhammad federally.

Muhammad wrote on their blog that they first got involved in activism as a high schooler, after the killing of Trayvon Martin. The calling would eventually lead Muhammad to travel the country and participate in the George Floyd protests against police violence and impunity.

The blog touches on a range of topics from their life story to their treatment in prison to poems about resistance. An allegedly unauthorized audio recording cited in the misconduct report is a poem about how oppressed people are robbed of their humanity. 

“Under oppressive conditions, love is resistance as joyousness is not permitted. Like Palestinian hostages being released, but their families told not to celebrate or be joyful; like blacks showing unity, working out in solidarity, or sharing things in prison – food, or hygiene, or shoes,” said Muhammad. “Even emphasized in the visiting room, as one of my partners came to see me, their grin bright and gleamy.”

Where Muhammad sees an outlet, however, Oregon sees a threat — “an impact on the safety and security.” The actual activities at hand seem much more innocuous.

“Watching Malik’s Back”

The report accuses Muhammad of engendering a so-called “zap” phone campaign. In zap campaigns, a common protest tactic to bring public pressure to bear, organizers encourage large numbers of supporters to call or write en masse.

In this case, the declared recipients would be the detention facilities or Oregon Department of Corrections officials. The idea with the campaigns is to demonstrate wide support for a cause by overwhelming the targeted people or institutions with communications.

Oregon officials said the calls and other activities on the blog constituted the security threat.

In one post referenced by the misconduct report, the blog encourages supporters to contact the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution to get Muhammad released from solitary confinement. In 2024, according to previous reporting from The Intercept, Muhammad had effectively been held in solitary confinement for over 250 days. Oregon is supposed to limit time in so-called special housing to 90 days. 

The report does not elaborate on how receiving calls about solitary confinement placed anyone in jeopardy.

“Outsiders watching Malik’s back,” said Regan, their lawyer, “knowing what’s going on, calling the warden and saying, ‘Hey, I know that you’ve put Malik in the hole for 300 days and that Malik is on a hunger strike. What are you going to do about it?’ Those are all what little mechanisms Malik has to ensure their survival while in prison.”

Muhammad said there is nothing “untoward or illegal” about people calling to advocate on their behalf.

“A lot of the times, it’s the only way to get any traction or get anything done because they try to isolate people,” they said. “If people don’t have any knowledge of stuff that’s going on, then these people who run this as their little fiefdom, they’re able to do what they want.” 

Having a loyal community online has landed them in hot water. Officials argue that Muhammad used the recordings, as well as solicitations for donations, to “support and promote an organization,” in violation of their rules on “unauthorized organization,” “racketeering,” and “unauthorized transfer” of digital currency — a charge related to the donation solicitations.

Related

FBI Tried to Flip Anti-ICE Protesters Into Informants

The report accuses Muhammad of fraud for soliciting donations under a hyperlink titled “Free Malik Now!!” It implies the money is going toward an appeal, the report says — despite also acknowledging the website explains that the funds go toward their commissary account and legal needs, as well as toward supplying books and reading materials to other incarcerated people.

The report also casts the online group of supporters that manage and visit Muhammad’s blog as “an organized grouping of individuals that support AIC Muhammad in his beliefs.”

The language about an organized group is consistent with other disciplinary matters, including transfers, behind bars. Prisons sometimes justify prison transfers by saying they are severing contact between gang members, in theory to reduce violence. Calling readers of a blog who occasionally make phone calls and donate to Muhammad’s commissary account an “organization” is a novel interpretation. 

Muhammad wants the censorship they faced to serve as a lesson.

“In this country, free speech has never been allotted to anyone, and certainly not in prison, and certainly not in this climate,” Muhammad said, “not in this steady march to fascism that we’re on.”

The post BLM Protester Transferred Thousands of Miles Away After They Organized Against Their Solitary Confinement appeared first on The Intercept.

@lia did you go to open sauce this year?

Masoud Pezeshkian dismisses talk of internal rift as hardline Assembly of Experts call US negotiations ‘futile’

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, has been forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz.

The US and Europe hope a deal is imminent to reopen the strait and they are putting pressure on Oman to accept a temporary agreement that officials in Muscat fear will leave Iran retaining near permanent dominance of the vital oil shipping channel. Ships would enter the strait in a route close to Iran, but leave on a route that passes through Iranian and Omani waters.

Restaurant chain pulls peppers ‘out of an abundance of caution’ as salmonella outbreak sickens 100 people

Chipotle said on Tuesday ⁠it had removed jalapeños from some of the chain’s restaurants after identifying ⁠the peppers as ⁠a ​potential ingredient tied to a salmonella outbreak, replacing them ⁠with supplies from different growers.

The company said it ​began tracing ‌ingredients through its supply ‌chain after learning of a ‌potential outbreak and identified jalapeños from a common lot as a possible source.

In a contentious interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several false, misleading and baseless claims about the origins of Lyme disease and the respiratory syncytial virus, the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the science shows about autism, vaccination and acetaminophen use during pregnancy.

On the Aug. 2 show, Kennedy had several disagreements with host Dana Bash, with Bash challenging the health secretary’s assertions and Kennedy saying that Bash was wrong. We’ll sort out the facts.

• Kennedy baselessly claimed that Lyme disease and respiratory syncytial virus infections came from lab research. There’s no evidence for this, and the diseases have long affected humans.

• The U.S. doesn’t have “the highest death rate from COVID of any nation on Earth,” as he said. It has the highest rate among large, wealthy nations, but is 14th among all nations, per one analysis.

• Kennedy asserted that effective treatments were suppressed during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely referring to ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, as he has before. Multiple clinical trials have shown that neither drug improved outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

• He falsely suggested that COVID-19 vaccines don’t protect children from the virus, asking Bash to cite “one study that shows that children were protected.” Multiple studies have shown that vaccination reduces the odds of infection and severe disease among children and adolescents.

• Kennedy said he has “never questioned the efficacy of the MMR,” or measles, vaccine. But on a few occasions, he has suggested the vaccine wasn’t that effective or that it wasn’t necessary.

• He brought up an unproven link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. While some studies have found an association, they don’t establish causation, and a growing number of studies point away from acetaminophen as a cause of autism.

• Kennedy misleadingly said that scientists have not tested vaccines other than the MMR vaccine for autism. Scientists have tested many vaccines while investigating specific hypotheses for how the shots might cause autism. None of the studies has shown any credible link.

We sent HHS several questions about Kennedy’s claims, but we haven’t received a response.

Baseless Claims About RSV and Lyme Disease

Kennedy baselessly claimed that two infectious diseases — Lyme disease and respiratory syncytial virus infections — arose from gain-of-function research. Such research generally refers to potentially risky experiments in which a virus or other pathogen becomes more dangerous or transmissible in people.  But the microbes that cause these diseases have long sickened humans. There’s no evidence they came from a lab, let alone from gain-of-function research.

Kennedy also asserted that gain-of-function research caused the coronavirus pandemic. As we’ve written previously, there’s no definitive proof of how the virus that causes COVID-19 arose, but substantial evidence points toward a natural origin and not a lab leak. Scientists have previously told us that it’s virtually impossible that the coronavirus was engineered; almost all U.S. intelligence agencies have also assessed that the virus was not genetically engineered.

“Clearly, COVID-19 pandemic — and many other global pandemics that we have — have come from gain-of-function research,” the HHS secretary said. “The RSV epidemic that we have that is the biggest killer of kids in this country today came from these kind of experiments. The Lyme disease almost certainly came from this kind of research.”

“RFK Jr’s assertions that RSV and Lyme disease (caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi) arose from gain of function research are unquestionably false,” Dr. Ferric Fang, a physician-scientist and microbiologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told us in an email.

Kennedy has been making unfounded claims about lab origins for RSV, Lyme disease and other infectious illnesses since before he became HHS secretary.

Fang said that the tick-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease has “ancient” origins, “even though human Lyme disease was not recognized until the 1970s.” A 2012 study shows evidence of the Lyme-causing bacterium in 5,300-year-old remains of the Tyrolean Iceman found in the Alps, he said. He also pointed to genomic research on bacteria from ticks collected between 1984 to 2013 indicating the Lyme-causing microbes have been in North America for around 60,000 years.

The history of the Lyme-causing bacterium “makes it quite clear that it did not arise from a lab,” Fang said.

RSV’s history also does not indicate a lab origin.

Fang said that RSV is related to a cattle virus and that the evolutionary paths of the human and bovine versions of the virus diverged approximately 450 years ago. Genetic evidence also shows that human RSV split into two major subgroups around 250 years ago, he explained, before further branching off into more subtypes.

“Understanding the evolutionary history of a virus and seeing the intermediate steps allows you to realize that it arose naturally and was not a human construct,” Fang said. Archived samples of human tissues show evidence of RSV infection “dating back to 1931,” he added.

In 2021, Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit Kennedy founded and formerly chaired that misleads about vaccination, published an article claiming that RSV came from chimpanzees in a lab being used for vaccine research and development, although it did not describe any gain-of-function research. The article misconstrues the history of RSV’s discovery.

“An outbreak in chimpanzees at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Medical Research in 1955 led to RSV’s discovery,” Fang explained. Researchers soon thereafter identified the same virus in children with pneumonia. However, the researchers “ultimately concluded that the captive chimpanzees had been infected with the same virus acquired from humans,” Fang said.

“Given that the chimpanzee colony was in a research environment where the animals are maintained in a controlled environment,” the authors of a 2025 commentary, including one of the scientists who discovered RSV, wrote, it was plausible the chimpanzees were sickened accidentally by infected humans who cared for them.

Also contrary to Kennedy’s claim, RSV is not “the biggest killer of kids in this country today.”

“RSV is not a major cause of childhood mortality in the US,” Fang said. “The leading causes of death in US children are accidents, congenital disorders, cancer and suicide,” he added, citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RSV historically has been estimated to kill 100 to 300 children under 5 years of age annually. The virus was the top cause of hospitalization in infants, although data indicate the introduction of immunizations beginning in 2023 reduced hospitalizations.

COVID-19 Death Rate Not Highest in U.S.

Kennedy wrongly said that the U.S. has “the highest death rate from COVID of any nation on Earth.” Bash pushed back on the claim, saying that “there are other countries that had higher” death rates. Bash is correct.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine through March 2023, there were 13 countries with higher death rates than the U.S. when measured as deaths per 100,000 population. Some of those countries include Peru (with the highest rate), Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Lithuania. When using the case-fatality ratio, which is deaths per 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases, more than 90 countries have a higher mortality rate than the U.S.

Kennedy would have been correct to say that the U.S. had the highest death rate among large, wealthy nations, as a 2022 New York Times analysis found. The Times also found that the U.S. had a smaller share of people fully vaccinated compared with the other wealthy countries. The U.S. also had the highest number of reported deaths, at 1.1 million people.

Repeat Claims About Unproven Drugs for COVID-19

Kennedy falsely asserted that effective COVID-19 therapeutics were suppressed during the pandemic. Though he didn’t specify, he was likely referring to the antiparasitic drug ivermectin and the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine. As we’ve written before, Kennedy has previously made similar claims about both drugs — even though clinical trials have found no evidence that either one is effective against COVID-19.

“If we had listened to those doctors during the COVID pandemic, we would have saved potentially millions of lives,” he said during the CNN interview. “There were therapeutics out there that were working. There were doctors that were having no deaths from COVID and treating, in some cases, thousands of patients. And we weren’t listening to them. Instead, we were doing the opposite. We were shutting them down.”

As we’ve previously explained, multiple large, randomized controlled trials — considered the gold standard of evidence in medicine — have found that neither ivermectin nor hydroxychloroquine reduced deaths or otherwise improved outcomes among COVID-19 patients. The federal government funded some of those studies. The Food and Drug Administration briefly authorized hydroxychloroquine for emergency use in 2020, but revoked that authorization after a clinical trial and other evidence showed it was unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19.

The FDA did approve other drugs for treating COVID-19, including the antiviral drugs Veklury (remdesivir) and Paxlovid, after they were found to be effective in clinical trials.  

False Suggestion COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Benefit Kids

At one point, Kennedy interrupted Bash several times to suggest, falsely, that there’s no evidence COVID-19 vaccines protect children from the virus. 

“You think the COVID vaccine protected children?” Kennedy asked the CNN anchor, adding a moment later: “Can you show me one study that shows that children were protected by the COVID vaccine? That that vaccine did more good than harm to children? Can you show me one study that shows that?”

We’ve written before about Kennedy’s misleading statements about the COVID-19 vaccine and children, in which he has exaggerated the risks of the shot while downplaying the risks that the virus itself poses to children. 

While children generally face lower risks from COVID-19 than adults, they can still become seriously ill, and more than 1,800 U.S. children have died from the disease. Multiple clinical trials and other studies have found that COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of infection and severe disease among children and adolescents. For example, a 2024 study estimated that when the Omicron variant was circulating, children ages 5 to 11 who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were 74% less likely to have a documented infection, 76% less likely to develop moderate or severe disease and 85% less likely to be admitted to an ICU with COVID-19. 

The CDC’s own website, on a page last updated in June 2025, states that “COVID-19 vaccines help keep children from getting really sick from COVID-19” and that “many children should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.”

As we’ve written before, serious side effects linked to the vaccines can happen, but are extremely rare. 

Past Statements on MMR Effectiveness

In responding to Bash’s questions about the large measles outbreaks in the U.S. in the past two years and whether Kennedy accepted some responsibility for that, Kennedy said, “I’ve never questioned the efficacy of the MMR vaccine.” That’s not entirely accurate.

As we found in compiling a timeline of Kennedy’s comments on measles and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, it’s true that he has often cited the high effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing measles. His criticisms and inaccurate claims about the vaccine are mainly related to its safety. But there are a few instances when he suggested the vaccine wasn’t that effective or that it wasn’t necessary.

In 2021, Kennedy wrote in a foreword to a book by Children’s Health Defense, the group he founded, that “American and global consumers of measles vaccines” have been “misled by the pharmaceutical industry and their captured government agency allies into believing that measles is a deadly disease and that measles vaccines are necessary, safe, and effective.”

“The Measles Book explodes this propaganda,” he continued, saying that the book would “reveal a disease that is rarely life threatening and a vaccine that is largely unnecessary but which carries real risks for the children mandated to take them.” He said the benefits of the vaccine had been “exaggerated,” a statement he had also made in September 2019 in a post on the CHD website. More recently, in a March 2025 Fox News interview, Kennedy wrongly said that the MMR vaccine’s effectiveness “wanes about 4.5% per year,” claiming that this was a reason for measles outbreaks, along with people not being vaccinated.

In the CNN interview, when pressed by Bash to look into the camera and tell parents to vaccinate their kids for measles, “because it is safe and it will help them save their children’s lives,” as Bash put it, Kennedy said: “A measles vaccine is effective. It stops measles in about 97% of the cases. People should get vaccinated.”

Kennedy didn’t say the vaccine was safe, but the CDC states on a webpage last updated in April: “The MMR vaccine is very safe.” Yet, another CDC webpage about autism, modified by Kennedy last year, casts doubt on the robust evidence that the MMR vaccine isn’t linked to autism.

An Unproven Link Between Tylenol and Autism

Kennedy also referred to an unproven link between Tylenol and autism. Other administration officials, including Trump himself, have made similar claims.

“There’s 73 studies out there that link Tylenol exposure during later pregnancy and during the perinatal period to autism onset,” Kennedy said during his interview with Bash. 

As we’ve written before, some studies have found an association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and certain neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism. But those studies don’t establish causation, and a growing number of other studies point away from acetaminophen as an autism cause. A recent study of more than 100,000 children in Hong Kong, for instance, found no association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism once siblings were used to control for differences between families. 

Major medical associations, including the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, continue to endorse acetaminophen as the “first-line medication for the treatment of pain and fever during pregnancy.” Failing to treat pain and fever during pregnancy comes with risks for mothers and babies.

“As with all medications taken during pregnancy,” the groups advise, “patients should use the lowest effective dose of acetaminophen for the shortest duration necessary.”

No Link Between Autism and Vaccines After Extensive Study

In a heated exchange with Bash, Kennedy misleadingly insisted that many vaccines have not been studied for whether they might cause autism. While each vaccine has not been examined individually, every major hypothesis for how vaccines might cause autism has been tested in numerous studies, with no credible links to autism.

“You have been fooled. Your statement that this has been studied is not true,” he told her. “It’s categorically not true.”

He pointed to a 2012 review from the Institute of Medicine – now the National Academy of Medicine – that he said found that “none of the eight vaccines that are administered during the first six months of life have ever been studied for [a] relationship to autism.” 

“Show me one of the studies that’s been done on the first eight — the vaccines during the first six months of life,” he said to Bash. “You will not find them. The National Academy of Sciences states they do not exist.”

He later claimed that the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine is the “only” vaccine “that has been studied.” 

This is misleading. What Kennedy is likely referring to is that many vaccines have not been individually tested for whether they might cause autism. This does not mean, however, that they haven’t been tested at all. Instead, many have been tested for autism in studies investigating particular vaccine ingredients, since that is how they were suspected of potentially causing autism.

Kennedy made a similar argument when he amended a CDC webpage in November to misleadingly say that “’vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” (The CDC recently modified the page in an effort to assuage Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, although the main message of the page remains.)

As we’ve noted before, scientists work off of particular hypotheses for how vaccines might cause autism. The MMR vaccine has been thoroughly investigated as an individual vaccine because the notion that vaccines might cause autism began with that vaccine via what would turn out to be a fraudulent study from the British researcher Andrew Wakefield.

Following the initial focus on the MMR vaccine, suspicion shifted to vaccine ingredients such as thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was in several childhood vaccines in very small doses, mostly before 2001, as well as aluminum, which is present in small amounts in certain non-live vaccines to boost the immune response.

Many studies investigating these hypotheses have studied several infant vaccines, including those that protect against hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcus (PCV), and diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP). Neither ingredient has shown a link to autism.

Yet other studies have looked at the larger vaccination schedule as a whole, looking for any sign that more vaccines are problematic. They, too, have not found any link to autism.

Because of the totality of the evidence, many scientists are comfortable saying that vaccines don’t cause autism, even though not every vaccine has been tested individually and despite the fact that it’s technically impossible to say whether a vaccine doesn’t do something.

Indeed, as Bash noted during the interview, the National Academies has agreed with the CDC’s prior statement, writing in response to the CDC’s website change in November that “based on our body of work on this topic and the overwhelming scientific consensus, we support the statement that vaccines do not cause autism.”

Incorrect Claims About National Academy Report

It’s worth noting that Kennedy’s specific claims about the National Academy of Medicine/Institute of Medicine report are also incorrect. 

He said the report “found two studies, one on the DTP vaccine that show[s] that it does cause autism, and one on the hepatitis B vaccine that again suggests that it does cause autism,” adding that IOM “dismissed those two studies because they were based on CDC’s database.”

The group’s most recent report on vaccine side effects, published in 2012, was only charged with looking into autism as a potential side effect for two vaccines. It did not comment on autism and any other vaccines because the committee was not asked to do so.

The 2010 hepatitis B vaccine study Kennedy is likely thinking of, which the CDC webpage revised under Kennedy highlights, was retracted this May, after an “independent statistical reviewer concluded that due to fundamental methodological flaws the study’s conclusions are unsound.” It had based its conclusions on a selected sample of just 31 autism cases, among other issues.

Previously, the study was mentioned in a 2014 review prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a subagency of HHS. In another similar review, published in Pediatrics, the same set of authors said the study was at “high risk of bias and low quality,” when explaining why they did not think this was evidence that the vaccine caused autism.

As for DTaP, the 2012 IOM report said it reviewed one study that it did not consider in its evaluation because “it provided data from a passive surveillance system and lacked an unvaccinated comparison population.” That study, from 2004, does not show that diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines cause autism. 

Rather, it compared reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System for the older whole cell vaccine versus the newer acellular vaccine for a litany of potential side effects, finding the older vaccine had about four times more reports of autism than the newer vaccine during a three-year period. As we’ve explained before, the voluntary reports to VAERS can be submitted by anyone, regardless of whether it’s likely the vaccine caused the event. The newer vaccine has been the only vaccine given for that set of diseases since 2001.

The study was authored by Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David, who have written numerous papers claiming vaccines cause autism that have been retracted or criticized for serious methodological flaws. The duo operated a clinic that gave a testosterone-suppressing drug and other unproven treatments to autistic children, at least partially based on the incorrect notion that thimerosal in vaccines causes autism. Kennedy has hired David, who does not have an advanced science degree and was fined for practicing medicine without a license, to analyze vaccine safety data for HHS.

In 2004, when the IOM concluded that the evidence “favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism,” the reviewers noted that several other studies from the Geiers, which purported to show a link to autism via thimerosal-containing DTP or DTaP vaccines using VAERS, had “serious methodological limitations that make their results uninterpretable.”

Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102. 

The post RFK Jr.’s Falsehood-Filled CNN Interview appeared first on FactCheck.org.

Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from Reuters: The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the U.S. telecom industry, is working on the measure to bar imports of new Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fiber-optic cables at the speed of light within data centers. Officials hope to publish it this year, when it would take effect. The move, not previously reported, aims to prevent Chinese firms from stealing data, installing malware or disrupting service at U.S. data centers, which house the chips to train and run AI models. The FCC could still modify or shelve the restriction, the sources stressed, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. [...] A U.S. ban on new models of Chinese data center devices would likely hit China's Zhongji Innolight, one of the biggest global sellers of transceivers, which was added to the Pentagon's list of alleged Chinese military-backed companies in June. The list can be a harbinger of tougher action. A ban could also raise costs for American cloud firms such as Amazon Web Services, as it may force them to transition to other producers such as U.S.-based Coherent and Lumentum.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Opposition parties say nationwide protests that forced resignation of education secretary are beginning to dent BJP support

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party has lost a byelection in a seat it had held for three decades, after the Cockroach movement student protests that have shaken Narendra Modi’s government.

Prashant Kishor, a high-profile electoral strategist turned politician, scored a breakthrough win for his fledgling Jan Suraaj (Good Governance) party in the Bankipur constituency in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar.

Meg O’Neill says ‘where we generate jobs, we generate tax revenue’, as company’s profits more than double

• Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

• Nils Pratley: BP boss is unsentimental in pruning portfolio and clear on North Sea advice to Burnham

BP’s chief executive has urged Andy Burnham to make use of the UK’s oil and gas resources even as the oil company prepares to sell its North Sea business after 60 years in the ageing basin.

In a conversation with the new prime minister, Meg O’Neill said the country should prioritise using energy produced in the UK, “where we generate jobs, we generate tax revenue, we generate all those additional positive impacts”.

One woman in her mid-30s said her $60,000 annual income wasn't enough to cover all her bills after a breakup, leading her to move back home.

All passengers thought to have been taken to Boulogne after large air and sea rescue operation by France and UK

A dinghy carrying 173 people has capsized after its engine caught fire as it attempted to cross the Channel from France.

The people onboard were rescued from the water after a large air and sea operation was launched using UK border security and French vessels along with an RNLI boat.

Lib Dems and many Labour MPs join farmers, landowners and firefighters in urging temporary prohibition

Farmers and landowners are calling for a temporary ban on disposable barbecues in England and Wales, as they warn of the risk of igniting wildfires.

The call, which has also been made by firefighters and is backed by the Liberal Democrats and many Labour MPs, comes as much of England faces further hot dry weather, despite rain in some areas.

Probation inspector for England and Wales says ‘clunky’ system needs huge increase in staff

The electronic tagging system that will be relied upon to monitor thousands of offenders released early from prison is failing to alert the authorities of potential breaches of conditions, a watchdog has warned.

Martin Jones, HM inspector of probation in England and Wales, said the system relied on hard-pressed police and probation officers looking up individual cases and then deciding whether potential breaches needed to be investigated further.

The department said an 18-month investigation concluded that electrical arcing on an out-of-service Southern California Edison tower was responsible.

Eruption of the Fuego volcano sends lava and ash nearly four miles into the sky as country declares second-highest alert

Hundreds of people living on the slopes of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano have evacuated their homes after a huge eruption spewed lava and plumes of ash.

Central America’s most active volcano erupted on Monday morning, with conditions intensifying by nightfall and prompting authorities to issue the country’s second-most severe alert warning.

No Peer-Reviewed Result Demonstrates Quantum Advantage on Production AI Workload

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 4, 2026 — No enterprise AI workload at scale will run on quantum hardware by 2028 and classical accelerated AI will dominate every production benchmark according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

“When vendors claim to deliver ‘quantum AI,’ they usually refer to hybrid or quantum-inspired techniques, not quantum-native AI running at enterprise scale,” said Chirag Dekate, VP Analyst at Gartner. “True quantum computing is not ready for any production AI workload and will most likely not be for the rest of this decade. Furthermore, no peer-reviewed result demonstrates quantum advantage on production AI workload.”

“Quantum AI” refers to AI or machine learning (ML) techniques that require execution on quantum hardware to achieve a claimed performance, cost or capability advantage over classical computing.

“Achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing at the scale needed to deliver measurable AI performance or cost benefits requires advances in four areas: hardware, error correction, middleware and algorithms,” said Dekate.

Quantum AI is different from three commonly conflated categories:

• Classical AI: AI models, such as deep learning, transformers and reinforcement learning, that run entirely on CPUs, GPUs or TPUs and deliver measurable enterprise ROI today.
• Quantum-inspired AI: Classical algorithms that borrow ideas from quantum mechanics, such as annealing, tensor networks and amplitude encoding, but run on conventional hardware. These techniques already deliver value in optimization, simulation and sampling workloads and do not depend on quantum hardware.
• Hybrid quantum-classical methods: Experimental workflows where small quantum circuits are orchestrated alongside classical AI or high-performance computing (HPC) systems. These approaches are used for research and vendor-assisted pilots, not for production AI.

When vendors claim to deliver “quantum AI,” they usually refer to hybrid or quantum-inspired techniques, not quantum-native AI running at enterprise scale.

Vendor framing around quantum-AI convergence is accelerating and boards pressured to “not miss quantum” will be tempted to divert AI budget toward R&D that cannot return value before 2030.

Because of this, Gartner predicts that fault-tolerant quantum computing will remain in the R&D phase for AI, with insufficient logical qubit scale to support economically viable, end-to-end AI algorithms through 2030.

Separate the Quantum Budget from AI Budget

Quantum R&D and AI production infrastructure have incompatible time horizons, unit economics and governance needs. GenAI returns measurable value within 12 to 18 months on turnaround, accuracy and automation metrics. Meanwhile, quantum AI has never returned measurable value on any production workload, and is unlikely to do so for the foreseeable future.

“Co-mingling the two budgets distorts accountability for both and lets quantum optionality crowd out production AI capability,” said Dekate. “CIOs constantly place GenAI, agentic AI, cybersecurity and cloud in the top spend categories. Quantum does not appear on top-priority investment lists. CIOs who are funding quantum are doing so at materially lower rates than GenAI, and are not demanding near-term return on investment.”

To get the most out of quantum offerings, enterprises should:

• Deploy quantum-inspired classical methods inside the existing AI stack: Organizations should prioritize quantum-inspired algorithms running on today’s GPU infrastructure rather than pursuing quantum hardware. Across areas such as optimization, GenAI, linear algebra, graph analytics, and reinforcement learning, classical approaches deliver similar benefits without the cost, complexity, or immaturity of quantum systems.
• Define pilot kill criteria and refuse vendor theater: Every quantum pilot should begin with predefined success metrics, a clear classical benchmark, and explicit conditions for termination. This prevents open-ended experimentation from consuming budget without delivering measurable value.
• Track quantum progress that matters: The most important measure of progress is not physical qubit count but the availability of logical qubits operating at useful error rates. Advances in error correction, AI-assisted calibration, and quantum control are more relevant to enterprise value than headline announcements about larger quantum processors.

Gartner clients can read more in Quantum Belongs in R&D, Not in Your AI Stack Yet.

About Gartner

Gartner (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective business and technology insights that drive smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.

Source: Gartner

The post Gartner Predicts Enterprise AI Workloads at Scale Will Not Run on Quantum Hardware Through 2028 appeared first on HPCwire.

Aug. 4, 2026 — From public health and environmental monitoring to urban planning and disaster response, organizations are looking to advanced analytics to transform location-based data into actionable insights. To help meet this growing demand, the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) offers GPEC 447: Data Science Approaches to Spatial Analysis, a graduate course taught by Ilya Zaslavsky, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) Spatial Information Systems Laboratory.

GIS and Machine Learning Working Together. Credit: Dumas Zhong

From public health and environmental monitoring to urban planning and disaster response, organizations are looking to advanced analytics to transform location-based data into actionable insights. To help meet this growing demand, the School of UC San Diego Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) offers GPEC 447: Data Science Approaches to Spatial Analysis, a graduate course taught by Ilya Zaslavsky, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) Spatial Information Systems Laboratory.

Developed in response to the need for a new generation of spatial data scientists, the course bridges traditional geographic information systems (GIS) training with modern machine learning and data science techniques. The class is the final course in the three-course GPS Spatial Analysis Certificate sequence, which begins with GPEC 443 – GIS and Spatial Data Analysis, then continues with GPEC 444 – Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing and ends with GPEC 447.

“A key motivation was to connect academic learning with real-world applications, allowing students to work with authentic datasets and applied problems in areas such as public health, urban planning, environmental analysis and international development,” said Zaslavsky, who also teaches courses through the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing (HSDSC) Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI).

Throughout the quarter, UC San Diego students enrolled in Zaslavsky’s course work with geospatial datasets and tackle challenges involving international economics, migration, sustainable development, infrastructure conditions, risk forecasting and ecological systems. Through a series of coding projects, they learn how machine learning models can incorporate location-based information to identify patterns, improve predictions and support decision-making.

The course also challenges students to apply these methods to independent research projects. For instance, UC San Diego graduate students Dumas Zhong, Li Shen and Zilu Zhang developed a project examining environmental risks associated with industrial facilities across California. Using Environmental Protection Agency facility records, Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data, CalEnviroScreen 4.0 metrics and American Community Survey socioeconomic indicators, the team created a facility-level dataset designed to evaluate how spatial context influences environmental risk assessment.

Their analysis found that incorporating spatial relationships improved the identification of facilities that may pose elevated environmental risks to nearby communities.

“For me, the most valuable part of this project was seeing how GIS and machine learning can work together,” Zhong said. “Maps help define the problem, spatial features help improve the model and the final predictions can be translated back into geographic priorities.”

The course reflects Zaslavsky’s broader research focus on developing advanced geospatial information systems and data infrastructure. His work centers on spatial and temporal data integration, large-scale geospatial analytics and scientific cyberinfrastructure. Over his career, he has led the technical development of major initiatives such as the National Hydrologic Information System, helping establish standards that make environmental data more findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. His research has spanned neuroscience, geology, hydrology and disaster response, where he developed scalable frameworks for integrating diverse and complex spatial datasets.

“As artificial intelligence and data science continue to transform how organizations understand the world around them, courses like DSC 170, a Spatial Data Science upper-division elective I teach at HDSI, and GPEC 447, the graduate course I teach at GPS, help prepare students with the interdisciplinary skills needed to tackle increasingly complex challenges,” Zaslavsky said. “By combining machine learning, programming and spatial analysis, students gain practical experience turning geographic data into meaningful insights, which is an increasingly valuable capability in today’s data-driven world.”

Source: Luke Frost, SDSC

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Technology alliance will bring together VDURA’s GPU-adjacent, high performance data storage with Wasabi’s predictably priced S3-compatible cloud storage for AI data retention, protection, mobility and reuse

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 4, 2026 — VDURA and Wasabi Technologies have announced a technology alliance to connect GPU-adjacent AI data infrastructure with predictably priced S3-compatible cloud storage.

Through the alliance, the companies will collaborate to help AI factories, neoclouds and enterprise HPC environments place active datasets and checkpoints close to GPUs while extending long-term retention, protection and data reuse into the cloud.

The alliance is anchored by a simple operating principle: keep AI data close when it is being used and move it freely when it is not. AI infrastructure teams routinely keep far more inactive data on performance infrastructure than they need to, because moving it has meant operational complexity, access delays or unpredictable cloud costs. The result is performance capacity consumed by data that no longer requires it, and retained data that is harder to protect, govern and reuse than it should be.

VDURA’s high-performance data storage serves the active phase of the AI data lifecycle: dataset staging, model loading, training, checkpointing and inference. VDURA provides GPU-adjacent parallel file system storage performance with RDMA data paths and full POSIX workflows, spanning NVMe flash, HDD capacity and a native S3 interface within a single global namespace.

Wasabi extends the environment with S3-compatible cloud object storage serving as an active archive and long-term retention layer. Datasets, checkpoints, model versions and derived artifacts that are no longer in active use move to Wasabi for protection, compliance, disaster recovery and distribution to other sites or compute environments, and remain readily accessible for retraining, model comparison and governance. Wasabi’s predictable pricing, with no per-GB egress or API request charges under its standard terms, allows teams to plan retention and reuse costs in advance rather than discovering them on an invoice.

Tiered data placement is a practice long proven by the largest cloud operators, who pair lean performance infrastructure with deep, low-cost capacity. The alliance brings a comparable design pattern to organizations building their own AI infrastructure, using two independent, specialized platforms connected through open interfaces rather than a single closed stack.

“The infrastructure that feeds GPUs is engineered for velocity, and data belongs there while it is doing active work. It should not live there permanently,” said Ken Claffey, CEO of VDURA. “Our customers generate enormous volumes of checkpoints, dataset versions and model artifacts that hold real long-term value. Pairing VDURA’s GPU-adjacent performance with Wasabi’s open, predictable cloud layer gives them a place for that data to be retained, protected and reused, and makes data movement a native part of the AI data lifecycle.”

“AI data does not lose its value when a training run ends. It becomes the raw material for the next model, the audit trail for governance and the baseline for comparison,” said Laurie Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Wasabi Technologies. “This alliance makes it straightforward to connect GPU-adjacent infrastructure with independent, S3-compatible cloud object storage, so organizations keep control of their data and their costs without locking either one into a hyperscaler.”

The joint technology alliance will be present at Ai4 2026, August 4 to 6 at The Venetian in Las Vegas, where Wasabi will exhibit at booth #935. Ai4 is North America’s largest artificial intelligence industry event, gathering more than 12,000 attendees across enterprise AI, infrastructure and research.

About VDURA

VDURA builds the world’s most powerful data platform for AI clouds, AI factories and high-performance computing. Powered by HYDRA, its software-defined, mixed-fleet architecture keeps GPU clusters saturated while delivering hyperscale-class durability and economics. Visit vdura.com for more information.

About Wasabi Technologies

Recognized as one of the technology industry’s fastest growing companies, Wasabi is on a mission to store the world’s data by making cloud storage affordable, predictable and secure. With Wasabi, visionary companies gain the freedom to use their data whenever they like without being hit with unpredictable fees or vendor lock-in. Instead, they’re free to build best-of-breed solutions with the industry’s fastest-growing ecosystem of independent cloud application partners. Customers and partners all over the world trust Wasabi to help them put their data to work so they can unlock their full potential. Visit wasabi.com to learn more.

Source: VDURA

The post VDURA and Wasabi Unite High-Performance AI Storage with Cloud Economics appeared first on HPCwire.

Remains of 112 victims, including 40 children, recovered from rubble more than two years after residential block was destroyed

Mourners gathered in central Gaza on Tuesday for a mass funeral for 112 people, including 40 children, who were killed in 2023 in one of the deadliest Israeli strikes of the Gaza war.

Their bodies could not be recovered until now because of Israel’s continuing strikes, which have slowed, though not halted, since the ceasefire in October.

Apple is now seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI and Jony Ive's io startup from developing AI hardware allegedly based on stolen Apple trade secrets. "The iPhone maker also claims that more of its former employees may be involved with the trade secrets theft," reports TechCrunch. From the report: In a new filing, Apple is requesting expedited discovery from the accused OpenAI employees, senior systems engineer Chang Liu and Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan; OpenAI, and its foundation; and io, the device startup co-founded by Apple's former lead designer Jony Ive. Apple also notes that its continued investigation has so far revealed 11 other former Apple employees beyond Liu and Tan may have been witnesses or otherwise involved in the case, and others who were previously named in the original complaint, like OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng. The filing marks an escalation in Apple's legal battle with OpenAI, as it suggests Apple has uncovered new evidence that the misconduct goes beyond the former employees named in the original complaint. "For example, another former Apple employee seems to have met with Mr. Liu and Ms. Peng in advance of Ms. Peng's interview at OpenAI and discussed with them during that meeting Apple proprietary information relating to unannounced products," the filing states. "Yet another former Apple employee took screenshots of confidential Apple documents relating to an unannounced Apple product before an interview at OpenAI." "And, after Apple filed its complaint, multiple former Apple employees now working at OpenAI reached out to discuss returning Apple-issued work devices they kept when they left Apple," Apple claims, suggesting there were more who were possibly involved with the scheme. Apple is pushing the court to allow for expedited discovery because it believes it has good cause to suspect that there are others involved in the theft of its intellectual property. The company noted that its motion for a preliminary injunction is also pending. Apple's request for a preliminary injunction is "both based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets," said OpenAI in a blog post. "We're much more interested in building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier," OpenAI's statement reads.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Survey finds party members see health, the economy, cost of living and climate crisis among biggest challenges

Andy Burnham has inherited a Labour membership that is sceptical about increased welfare spending, supportive of higher defence spending, and ranks the climate crisis as one of the country’s biggest challenges, according to new polling.

The survey of 788 members between the end of June and the end of July shows them ranking health (43%), the economy (42%), cost of living (39%) and climate change (29%) as Britain’s most important issues, ahead of welfare benefits (7%) and immigration (6%).

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 4, 2026 — Kioxia Corporation, a subsidiary of Kioxia Holdings Corporation, and Sandisk Corporation today unveiled their next-generation Quad-Level-Cell (QLC) 3D flash memory technology, which delivers up to 60% increase in bit density compared to their 8th-generation, surpassing 37 Gb/mm² and setting the industry benchmark for bit density, performance and power efficiency.

Leveraging the companies’ revolutionary CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology which fabricates CMOS logic and the memory array on separate wafers before bonding them together with high-precision wafer-to-wafer alignment, the new generation improves read and write bandwidth compared to the 8th-generation 3D flash memory and becomes the industry’s first QLC 3D flash memory technology to reach a 4.8 Gb/s interface.

Additional interface enhancements improve I/O data-out transfer power efficiency. These large power efficiency upgrades directly address the power and cooling challenges of modern AI and cloud infrastructure.

Chief Technology Officer at Kioxia, Hideshi Miyajima, said, “As AI continues to underpin the advancement of society, its applications are expanding from generative AI to agent-based and physical AI, while the use of data is becoming increasingly diverse and sophisticated. QLC technology enables the efficient storage of rapidly expanding data volumes, helping deliver greater performance and scalability for AI systems. Kioxia will accelerate development toward the commercialization of its 10th-generation flash memory products incorporating QLC technology.”

Chief Technology Officer at Sandisk, Alper Ilkbahar, said, “As AI training, inference, and hyperscale datacenter workloads drive unprecedented growth in data generation, the storage industry faces increasing pressure to deliver greater capacity, higher performance, and improved energy efficiency. By redefining the performance and efficiency envelope of QLC NAND, our 10th-generation QLC 3D flash memory delivers simultaneous gains in density, bandwidth, and energy efficiency and establishes a new paradigm for high‑capacity flash storage to provide a scalable foundation for next‑generation infrastructure applications.”

Key 10th-genaration QLC 3D flash memory technology highlights include:

• 332‑layer architecture and optimized floorplan design deliver up to 60% increase in bit density, achieving >37 Gb/mm² compared to the 8th-generation.
• 4.8 Gb/s NAND interface enabled by Toggle DDR6.0 and the Separate Command Address (SCA) protocol to unlock the full potential of fast interface.
• CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) architecture enhances density scaling, performance, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Power‑Isolated Low‑Tapped Termination (PI‑LTT) improves I/O data-out transfer power efficiency.

About Kioxia

Kioxia is a world leader in memory solutions, dedicated to the development, production and sale of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). In April 2017, its predecessor Toshiba Memory was spun off from Toshiba Corporation, the company that invented NAND flash memory in 1987. Kioxia is committed to uplifting the world with “memory” by offering products, services and systems that create choice for customers and memory-based value for society. Kioxia’s innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, automotive systems, data centers and generative AI systems.

About Sandisk

Sandisk (Nasdaq: SNDK) delivers innovative Flash solutions and advanced memory technologies that meet people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward.

Source: Kioxia

The post Kioxia and Sandisk Reveal Next-Gen QLC Flash with Greater Density and Efficiency appeared first on HPCwire.

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 4, 2026 — SK hynix Inc., in collaboration with Sandisk, has announced that it has unveiled the first standard specifications for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF), a next-generation storage technology.

The announcement coincides with the opening of FMS 2026, held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California from August 4 to 6. The company is set to present HBF as a key technology to overcome memory bottlenecks in the AI era through keynote speeches and panel discussions during the event.

HBF technology is a new memory layer between HBM and SSDs. It enables high-speed data transfer similar to HBM while significantly expanding capacity by leveraging NAND technology. With the expansion of AI inference driving a surge in data volumes to process, HBF is gaining attention as a technology that simultaneously resolves bandwidth and capacity scalability challenges.

This milestone comes about six months after launching the consortium in February this year, following the initial standardization partnership with Sandisk in August 2025. Capacity specifications cover up to 512GB based on two stack configurations (8-high and 16-high NAND dies). Bandwidth is categorized into three grades (Grade1~3), delivering scalable performance from approximately 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s.

A key highlight is the interconnect linking HBF technology and processors. HBF technology adopts UCIe, an industry standard connection interface, laying the groundwork to flexibly integrate HBF technology across different processor types, including GPUs and CPUs.

The standard also outlines connection interfaces and electrical characteristics, reliability and packaging guidelines for HBF die stack process, software I/O guidelines.

The specification was disclosed through the Open Compute Project (OCP), world’s largest open data center technology initiative, positioning it as an open standard for the entire industry rather than a proprietary technology.

SK hynix plans to leverage this release to expand the adoption of HBF technology in the AI storage market and foster the surrounding ecosystem. With Google and Tenstorrent currently participating in the HBF consortium, the consortium aims to expand its reach while enhancing technical maturity and market acceptance based on open collaboration.

On the opening day of FMS 2026 (August 4, local time), SK hynix Executive Vice President Kim Chun-sung (Head of Solution Development) and Vice President Kang Uk-song (Head of Next Generation Product Planning) will deliver a joint keynote address, titled ‘Orchestrating Efficient AI Infrastructure through Tiered Memory in the Era of Agentic AI.’

As Agentic AI rapidly commercializes, the volume of data to process is surging alongside growing demands for higher speed and efficiency. Recognizing that a single memory type cannot address these complex challenges, both speakers will present the necessity and future direction of a next-generation architecture based on ‘Tiered Memory’, a framework that connects and optimizes diverse memory types into a unified system.

On August 6, SK hynix Vice President Lim Eui-cheol (Head of Solution AT), Sandisk Vice President Rajeev Nagabhirava and Google DeepMind Senior Staff Engineer Xiaoyu Ma will join a panel discussion titled ‘Breaking the Memory Wall with High Bandwidth Flash.’ Bringing together key leaders across memory, storage and AI, the session will examine fundamental shifts in memory architecture across AI infrastructure and highlight the potential and role of HBF as a transformative solution.

Furthermore, SK hynix will host an exhibition booth throughout FMS 2026, featuring a Partnership Zone, a Next-Generation Tech Zone and Tech Sessions.

Notably, the company will publicly reveal for the first time its tenth-generation (V10) 375-layer 4D NAND wafer and products, which are currently under development. The 375-layer 4D NAND improves performance per watt by 2.5 times compared to the previous generation, making it optimized for AI infrastructure environments like data centers that demand high power efficiency and performance. The company plans to initiate mass production of high-performance, high capacity eSSDs based on the 375-layer 4D NAND early next year to reinforce its leadership in the AI NAND market.

SK hynix will also display a versatile product lineup spanning mobile, PC, automotive and robotics, showcasing the company’s competitive edge in memory technology and its collaborative achievements with customers in the AI era.

“With the rapid spread of AI applications, we are at a point where overall data processing structures must be redesigned,” said SK hynix Executive Vice President and Head of Solution Development Kim Chun-sung, adding, “Through HBF, SK hynix will expand the boundaries between memory and storage and contribute to building new architectures that enhance overall system efficiency.”

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top-tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”) and flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s common shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, its American Depositary Shares are traded on NASDAQ, and its Global Depository Shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

Source: SK hynix

The post SK hynix Unveils 1st HBF Standard Specifications with Sandisk at FMS 2026 appeared first on HPCwire.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 4, 2026 — Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced new innovations across its AI memory infrastructure portfolio, advancing its position spanning server-level AI storage, rack-scale CXL memory expansion and pooling, and pod-level optical shared memory. The portfolio helps hyperscalers and cloud providers scale memory more independently from compute, improving infrastructure utilization, scalability and token efficiency for agentic AI inference.

Marvell Bravera SC6 PCIe 6.0 SSD controller

As agentic AI inference scales, memory capacity, bandwidth and connectivity are becoming as critical as compute. Larger models, longer context windows and growing KV caches are driving unprecedented memory demands and exposing the limits of traditional server-attached architectures. Increasingly, AI performance and token efficiency depend on how efficiently processors can access and move data across memory resources.

Memory disaggregation addresses this challenge by enabling memory to be expanded, pooled and shared more independently of compute. By making memory more accessible and reducing data movement and latency, the Marvell portfolio helps reduce GPU stalls and improve model FLOPs utilization, allowing AI infrastructure to generate more tokens within the same data center footprints and power envelopes.

“AI infrastructure is moving beyond isolated servers to systems where compute, memory and connectivity operate seamlessly together,” said Will Chu, executive vice president and general manager, Custom Cloud Solutions, at Marvell. “As AI scales, memory must scale more independently of compute so resources can be deployed where they deliver the greatest value. With the industry’s broadest AI memory infrastructure portfolio, Marvell is helping customers improve utilization, boost token efficiency and scale AI without compromising performance, power or cost.”

“As AI workloads grow larger and more complex, memory capacity, bandwidth, latency and data movement are becoming primary constraints on AI performance,” said Alan Weckel, co-founder and technology analyst at 650 Group. “Marvell’s memory and storage portfolio gives hyperscalers and cloud providers a strong foundation for building scalable, efficient AI systems capable of supporting increasingly advanced workloads.”

Server-level AI Storage

The Marvell Bravera SC6 PCIe 6.0 SSD controller advances storage performance for AI inference, enabling more KV cache to move from high-bandwidth memory to SSD to improve infrastructure efficiency. Doubling the performance of the widely deployed Bravera SC5 PCIe 5.0 SSD controller, Bravera SC6 helps cloud providers support demanding AI, cloud and enterprise workloads while improving performance, reducing write amplification and extending NAND endurance. Optimized for hyperscale deployments, Bravera SC6 supports NAND from multiple suppliers, providing cloud providers with greater flexibility in storage sourcing and deployment. Visit the Marvell blog for more information here.

Rack-level Memory Expansion and Pooling

The Marvell Structera X memory expansion solutions help hyperscalers scale memory more efficiently for increasingly memory-intensive AI workloads. Developed in close collaboration with leading hyperscalers, Structera X enables customers to expand, optimize and better utilize memory resources, including extending the value of existing memory investments while supporting demanding AI inference applications. As larger models, longer context windows and growing KV-cache requirements make memory capacity and bandwidth critical infrastructure constraints, Structera X provides a path toward more flexible and disaggregated memory architectures. By enabling larger memory pools and more efficient sharing of resources across servers, the platform helps improve infrastructure utilization, operational efficiency and total cost of ownership while laying the foundation for future advances in CXL-based memory pooling and sharing. Visit the Marvell blog for more information here.

Pod-level Optical Shared Memory

The Marvell Photonic Fabric memory modules, Photonic Fabric NIC and Photonic Fabric chiplets are foundational elements of a multi-rack optical shared-memory architecture for AI inference. The solution creates a new shared-memory tier across multiple XPUs and racks up to 50 meters, enabling up to 32TB of warm KV cache offload with high bandwidth and extremely low latency. By expanding memory access across AI clusters and enabling KV cache to be loaded from a shared memory tier rather than storage, Photonic Fabric helps increase inference throughput, support larger models and longer context lengths, and increase token efficiency by delivering up to 2-3x higher token throughput within existing data center footprints and power envelopes. Visit the Marvell blog for more information here.

Availability

The Marvell Bravera SC6 PCIe 6.0 SSD controller is expected to begin sampling in Q4 2026.

Visit the Marvell booth #805 at FMS 2026 to learn more about the company’s latest accelerated memory and storage offerings.

About Marvell

To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, we’re building solutions on the most powerful foundation: our partnerships with our customers. Trusted by the world’s leading technology companies for over 30 years, we move, store, process and secure the world’s data with semiconductor solutions designed for our customers’ current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, we’re ultimately changing the way tomorrow’s enterprise, cloud and carrier architectures transform—for the better.

Source: Marvell

The post Marvell Advances AI Memory Infrastructure Portfolio to Accelerate Agentic AI Inference appeared first on HPCwire.

AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico says Republicans are using transgender Texans as political targets to divide voters and distract from problems affecting working families.

Speaking with Rachel Maddow on MS NOW, Talarico rejected suggestions that Democrats should abandon transgender people to improve their electoral prospects. “I don’t think we win by selling people out,” he said, describing his campaign as one representing all Texans.

Talarico acknowledged that transgender participation in school sports presents policy questions requiring public debate. However, he accused Republican nominee Ken Paxton of exploiting those questions to generate anger and accumulate political power rather than pursue workable solutions.

Paxton has repeatedly attacked Talarico over transgender rights, previously calling him a “left-wing lunatic” who wants “boys in girls’ sports.” The rhetoric reflects a broader Republican strategy emphasizing transgender athletes, medical care and public accommodations.

The Supreme Court recently upheld Idaho and West Virginia laws excluding transgender girls and women from female school sports, ruling that the restrictions did not violate Title IX or equal-protection guarantees.

Talarico and Paxton are locked in an unexpectedly competitive Senate race. Three recent polls have shown Talarico narrowly ahead, although each result remains close and Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988.

Sources:

• The Hill – MBFC Rating

The post Talarico Accuses Paxton of Exploiting Trans Texans for Power appeared first on News Facts Network.

Migration commissioner says scheme regularising undocumented people ‘not a good signal’ for Europe

• Explainer: Why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?

The EU’s top official on migration has criticised Spain’s plan to regularise undocumented migrants as “not a good signal” for Europe, after an emergency meeting intended to draw a line under divisions on the Ceuta crisis.

Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for migration, said that while the EU could not currently see a direct link between events in Ceuta and Spain’s regularisation plan, the policy was “definitely not a good signal for the rest of Europe”.

Optimism echoes Trump’s claims on Monday that deal is close as mediators say they are exchanging proposals

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

US and Qatari officials have said progress is being made in restoring a ceasefire in the US-Iran war and reopening the strait of Hormuz.

The optimistic speculation on Tuesday brought oil prices down 2%, but the strait remained closed to shipping and a cargo vessel was reportedly struck by an unidentified projectile off Oman’s coast close to the strait.

A 16-year-old lifeguard is being hailed a hero after rescuing a boy from a rip current off the coast of Santa Cruz, California, last month.

Some White House officials hope embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller exits his congressional race immediately, and President Trump has expressed a similar sentiment, multiple sources say.

Authorities described this as the Gaza Strip's biggest mass funeral since the war began, mourning dozens of people, including women and children, recently recovered from the rubble.

• Fall opponents also include Peru and Chile

• Matches set for 26 September to 6 October

• First games since Pochettino agreed to return

The US men’s national team will kick off the next World Cup cycle with four matches over 11 days on home soil.

The friendlies include games against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in US cities that didn’t host World Cup action this summer.

Ohioans of Indian heritage will see one of their own take center stage in race for governor, but their support amid a rocky campaign is not a guarantee

At the Hindu Temple of Dayton in south-west Ohio, there’s no little pride for gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy – he and his parents have been coming here to pray for decades.

On a quiet recent Tuesday afternoon, a priest lights incense sticks at the altar of the temple. Outside, a group of first-time visitors take a relaxed walk around the grounds.

Whether you like it depends on how you feel about earth tones.

HAMMOND, Ind., HOUSTON and HANOVER, Md., Aug. 4, 2026 — Quantum Corridor, Ciena and Toshiba have completed a successful trial of high-speed quantum-safe networking on Quantum Corridor’s live commercial network in the Midwest United States. The trial demonstrates how organizations can immediately protect critical in-flight data with Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) 1.6 Tb/s quantum-safe encryption capabilities, which support a hybrid security approach using NIST-certified PQC algorithms and seamless interworking with Toshiba’s QKD technology.

The trial comes as governments and enterprises accelerate planning for the post-quantum era. Governments across the globe are issuing mandates to ensure quantum-readiness to transition information systems to NIST-approved PQC standards, reinforcing the urgency for critical infrastructure operators and businesses to begin preparing the migration now.

Conducted across Quantum Corridor’s live production network between data centers in Chicago and Hammond, Ind., the trial successfully validated 1.6 Tb/s of encrypted connectivity using Ciena’s Waveserver platform powered by WL6e, alongside existing WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) 800G encrypted traffic running on the same RLS photonic line system. The trial also showcased interworking with Toshiba’s QKD servers, which provide quantum-generated keys to both Ciena’s optical encryption systems.

By supporting both PQC and QKD, the solution gives network operators flexibility in how they mitigate the threat of quantum computers to today’s encryption solutions, particularly from “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. For enterprises and service providers, this approach offers a practical migration path to quantum-safe networking without requiring a wholesale replacement of existing infrastructure.

“Quantum-safe networking is no longer a ‘future’ discussion,” said Ryan Lafler, President & CTO, Quantum Corridor. “By validating 1.6 Tb/s encrypted connectivity with both PQC and QKD on our live network, we’re demonstrating how we can help customers transition to a quantum secure solution while continuing to support the bandwidth demands of AI, cloud, and mission-critical applications.”

Ciena’s Waveserver platform delivers always-on, wire-speed, optical-layer AES-256-GCM encryption and supports NIST-certified PQC algorithms straight out of the box as part of its quantum-safe encryption solution. The trial also highlights that customers already deploying Ciena’s WL5e 800G encryption solution can benefit from the same level of data protection with support for PQC algorithms through a simple software upgrade, helping extend the value of current network investments.

“The shift to quantum-safe communications is no longer optional for organizations handling sensitive data,” said Dino DiPerna, Senior Vice President, Global Research and Development, Ciena. “This major milestone highlights how high-speed optical encryption with PQC and/or QKD interworking can be easily deployed in real-world network environments to help customers protect critical data today while preparing for the threat of quantum computers.”

“Preparing for the quantum era requires a layered approach to cybersecurity,” said Terry Cronin, Vice President, Toshiba Corporation. “Quantum Key Distribution complements post-quantum cryptography by adding a physical layer of security that strengthens the protection of critical communications. These complementary technologies can be deployed together in high-speed optical networks, giving organizations a practical path to quantum-safe communications while protecting today’s most sensitive data.”

Quantum Corridor’s network is carrying customer traffic between its various data centers nodes, providing quantum-safe connectivity with encrypted channels secured via a co-propagating QKD system. The trial underscores how it can migrate to a NIST-compliant PQC solution and scale capacity and security together as customers adopt bandwidth-intensive applications and face growing cybersecurity requirements.

More from HPCwire: Quantum Corridor, Toshiba Demonstrate 1st Cross-State Quantum Key Distribution Over Live Commercial Metro Fiber Network

About Quantum Corridor Inc.

Quantum Corridor Inc. was formed by Chicago-area technology innovators to drive technology infrastructure to Indiana and create an information-sharing platform for institutions such as Chicago Quantum Exchange, defense contractors, research hubs and universities. It is a member of the Bloch Tech Hub, a coalition of industry, academic, government and nonprofit stakeholders led by Chicago Quantum Exchange, one of 31 U.S. Regional and Innovation Technology Hubs designated for quantum technologies. Quantum Corridor Inc. was named a Chicago Quantum Exchange member in April 2024. Generally targeted to the largest research and education centers and to entities that can use high bandwidth, the Quantum Corridor network will stretch 263 miles and be the nation’s largest quantum computing superhighway.

About Toshiba International Corporation (TIC)

Toshiba International Corporation, a Toshiba America Inc. Group company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, encompasses diverse range of divisions and business units, including Motors & Adjustable Speed Drives, Power Electronics, Automotive, Transportation, Digital Solutions, Quantum Key Distribution and Transmission & Distribution.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, TIC provides application solutions to a wide range of industries including the energy sector, general industrial, data centers, automotive, medical and more.

About Ciena

Ciena is the global leader in high-speed connectivity. We build the world’s most advanced networks to support exponential growth in bandwidth demand. By harnessing the power of our networking systems, interconnects, automation software, and services, Ciena revolutionizes data transmission and network management. With unparalleled expertise and innovation, we empower our customers, partners, and communities to thrive in the AI era.

Source: Ciena

The post Quantum Corridor, Ciena and Toshiba Demonstrate 1.6 Tb/s Quantum-Safe Networking appeared first on HPCwire.

TOKYO, Aug. 4, 2026 — Mitsubishi Electric Corporation today announced that its ME Innovation Fund has invested in JIJ Inc., a Japanese startup that uses quantum computers and other technologies to develop middleware for mathematical optimization. The company’s JijZept development platform is highly regarded for helping businesses solve diverse challenges by using mathematical optimization without requiring specialized expertise.

Quantum computing is currently transitioning from the research stage to practical application, including the rapid acceleration of technological development for industrial use. Against this backdrop, Mitsubishi Electric has positioned quantum computing as a key priority of its overall R&D strategy by promoting research and development targeting the commercial implementation of quantum technologies.

This investment, the ME Innovation Fund’s fifteenth to date, will enable Mitsubishi Electric to integrate JIJ’s middleware-based development environment with its application development and software implementation knowhow, as well as its quantum technologies, including interconnection technology for quantum computers, a key focus at present. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric aims to establish technological superiority in quantum computing and accelerate R&D to achieve early commercial adoption.

Yu Yamashiro, CEO, JIJ Inc., said, “We are honored to have attracted Mitsubishi Electric’s investment through the ME Innovation Fund. At JIJ, we use mathematical optimization and quantum computing technologies to transform complex business challenges into computational forms. By combining our strengths with Mitsubishi Electric’s expertise in quantum-related technologies, we look forward to advancing the application of quantum and optimization technologies in business.”

Komi Matsubara, Executive Officer (Vice President, Business Innovation), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, said, “JIJ has many talented people with advanced expertise in using quantum technologies for optimization purposes. It is also providing a development environment that enables diverse users to solve complex, real-world business challenges through mathematical optimization. By combining Mitsubishi Electric’s quantum computing technologies with JIJ’s quantum and mathematical optimization platform, we expect to accelerate the development of even more robust solutions for customers.”

About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Guided by its corporate philosophy, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) places sustainability at the core of its operations and values stakeholder trust—encompassing society, customers, shareholders and employees. In pursuing profitability, capital efficiency and growth, Mitsubishi Electric works closely alongside customers to develop value-added solutions that address today’s complex challenges while enhancing the company’s sustainable corporate value.
Founded in 1921, Mitsubishi Electric has over a century of experience in delivering reliable, high-quality products and solutions. With over 200 group companies and approximately 150,000 employees worldwide, the company is a recognized global leader in manufacturing, marketing and selling electrical and electronic equipment and systems across a broad range of sectors, including public utility systems, energy systems, defense and space systems, factory automation systems, automotive equipment, building systems, air conditioning systems & home products, digital innovations, and semiconductor & devices. For more information, please visit www.MitsubishiElectric.com.

Source: Mitsubishi Electric

The post Mitsubishi Electric Invests in Quantum Optimization Startup JIJ appeared first on HPCwire.

Gianni Infantino’s reign as Fifa president is in severe peril after the collapse of his plans to sell off parts of the World Cup to private investment. Many Concacaf countries are considering following Europe’s lead by formally removing their support for the Fifa president, and there are widespread calls to remove him from his post. Lucy Hough speaks to columnist Jonathan Liew

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Apple has launched a new legal challenge against a UK government demand to access its customers' highly encrypted data, a year after the Home Office agreed to abandon its previous request. The US tech company launched the legal complaint last month at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court that has the power to investigate claims that the UK intelligence services have acted unlawfully. The UK government had made a second request to Apple to grant it a "back door" to encrypted iCloud data belonging to British users, according to an order issued by the court. Britain backed down on its original demand for access to data from UK and US customers last year, after a heated transatlantic tussle over encryption between London and Washington. UK authorities subsequently issued a new "technical capability notice" (TCN) to Apple that did not apply to American users. Apple is seeking to challenge the British government's powers to issue TCNs under the UK Investigatory Powers Act, according to the details of the new legal case first reported by the Financial Times. [...] The original TCN issued last year asked Apple for the right to see users' encrypted data protected by its advanced data protection (ADP) program in the event of a national security risk. Apple said the removal of the tool -- which not even it can access -- would make users more vulnerable to data breaches from bad actors and other threats to customer privacy. Creating a "back door" would also mean all data was accessible by Apple, which it could be forced to share with law enforcement possessing a warrant. As a result, Apple withdrew UK customers' access to its ADP program in January 2025. The Home Office has maintained that the Investigatory Powers Act, under which such orders are issued, contains robust safeguards and is used only when absolutely necessary.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro was seen with a large box as she left the White House Monday after her meeting with President Trump.

More than 700 buildings in the Spokane area have been destroyed and 400 more haven't been assessed, officials said as three fires burned in the area and an arrest was made in connection with one of them.

Winner called waste management team after she realised stub showing she had hit the jackpot had been thrown away

A €1m lottery ticket has been recovered from the rubbish in Italy after the frantic winner called on refuse collectors to help her retrieve it, according to the waste management company.

The instant win ticket was “miraculously still in one piece” after garbage workers combed through mounds of rubbish on their truck, said Roberto Nicola Toscano, the administrator of the SANB company in Italy’s southern Puglia region.

Minister tells reporters least 75 people died after EU ministers meet to discuss response to the crisis

Meanwhile, the European Commission said it was “monitoring very closely” the situation in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania as the region faces an energy crunch caused by the ongoing heatwave and drought.

Energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said “the low Danube levels will clearly have an impact on nuclear generation along the route,” and this “concerns several member states.”

New capabilities for the DDN Infinia platform are designed to enable GPUs to initiate data operations directly, accelerating data access and improving efficiency at massive scale

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 4, 2026 — DDN today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA within the Storage-Next initiative and focused on helping organizations achieve greater business and financial value from their AI investments.

The companies are working together to create a faster, more efficient connection between NVIDIA accelerated computing and the DDN Infinia data intelligence platform. By enabling GPUs to access the data they need more directly, the collaboration is designed to reduce delays, keep valuable computing resources productive, and accelerate the delivery of AI-driven outcomes.

DDN will demonstrate the technology at Flash Memory Summit, highlighting how a more efficient flow of data can help organizations increase the productivity of their AI infrastructure. For customers building large-scale AI environments, even small improvements in GPU utilization can translate into faster results, lower operating costs, and a greater return on significant compute investments.

As AI initiatives move from experimentation into business-critical production, organizations face growing pressure to control infrastructure costs while increasing performance and scale. GPUs represent one of the largest investments within an AI environment, yet their value is underutilized whenever they are left waiting for data. DDN and NVIDIA are addressing this challenge by helping data move more efficiently, allowing organizations to complete more AI work with the infrastructure, power, and data-center capacity they already have.

“AI success will increasingly be measured not by how much infrastructure an organization owns, but by how productively it uses that infrastructure,” said Sven Oehme, chief technology officer at DDN. “Our work with NVIDIA is focused on helping customers keep their GPUs working, accelerate time to insight, and improve the economics of AI at scale. By reducing the friction between compute and data, we can help organizations generate greater value from every accelerator, watt, and dollar invested.”

“AI factories are most productive when accelerated computing and high-performance data infrastructure work together seamlessly — and organizations that optimize that connection will scale faster and generate greater return on their AI investments,” said Jason Hardy, vice president, storage technology, NVIDIA. “Through the Storage-Next initiative, NVIDIA and DDN are collaborating to help customers strengthen that foundation and get more from their AI infrastructure at scale.”

Over the past several months, DDN’s Infinia research and development team has worked with NVIDIA to evaluate the technology. The collaboration has already produced working capabilities that demonstrate the potential to improve the efficiency and scalability of large AI environments.

The development builds on the distributed architecture of DDN Infinia, which is designed to support the performance, security, and scale required by AI factories, sovereign AI initiatives, research institutions, and enterprise AI deployments. For customers, the objective is straightforward: reduce data-related delays, increase infrastructure productivity, accelerate AI outcomes, and improve the overall economics of deploying AI at scale.

DDN and NVIDIA will continue collaborating to advance the technology and support its adoption across next-generation accelerated computing environments. Additional information about performance, customer benefits, and availability will be shared as development progresses.

About DDN

DDN is the world’s leading AI and data intelligence company, powering the world’s most demanding AI workloads by keeping GPUs fed, efficient, and productive—at massive scale—so organizations can train, checkpoint, and infer faster with less footprint and power while achieving tremendous ROI from their AI investments. From hyperscalers and next-gen cloud builders to enterprises, governments, and research institutions, DDN delivers proven data intelligence at exabyte scale across hundreds of thousands of GPUs—so customers can deploy AI with confidence, accelerate time-to-value, and realize outsized returns. Discover more at ddn.com.

Source: DDN

The post DDN Collaborates with NVIDIA to Advance GPU-Initiated Data Access for Next-Gen AI appeared first on HPCwire.

Guatemalan officials on Monday began evacuating two villages near the Fuego volcano due to the ongoing eruption.

The impact will not be visible to the naked eye, but photos are expected to come from a lunar satellite at a later time.

Exclusive: More than 60 accounts on X have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia, after similar action on Snapchat and Facebook

Elon Musk’s X has become the latest major US social media company to block the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders from Saudi authorities.

Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that platforms including Snapchat and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram had blocked dissidents’ accounts over allegations by Saudi authorities that they were violating local law.

A $50,000 CD can generate thousands in guaranteed interest now, but how much depends on the rate you lock in.

New initiative will accelerate AI-enabled scientific discovery by expanding access to compute through regional partnerships among state and local governments, academic institutions, industry and philanthropy, and will build a workforce to leverage AI and computing for science.

Aug. 4, 2026 — The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced the NSF State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs program, a $100 million initiative to drive AI-enabled scientific discovery and innovation across disciplines. The program will transform research and workforce development by expanding access to compute, data and other AI resources that frontier science now requires.

Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

The program responds to core recommendations in Science: A New Golden Age, a report published by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios in July 2026, which lays a policy foundation for renewing America’s research and development enterprise. The report calls for laying the foundation of a new era of AI-enabled scientific discovery and supporting American scientists to do their best work, including through expanding world-class R&D infrastructure.

The administration’s Fiscal Year 2028 R&D priorities memorandum, issued in parallel with the report, calls for investing in AI for science as a national mission and expanding the scale of, and flexible access to, advanced compute and data infrastructure now required for frontier scientific discovery.

As advances in AI continue to transform scientific discovery, maintaining U.S. leadership in fundamental and translational research requires that researchers and students across the country have access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure. Today, access to AI infrastructure remains highly uneven across the nation.

To address this challenge, the program will help establish AI Infrastructure Hubs, flexible state and multistate regional consortia that leverage contributions from research institutions, philanthropic organizations, state and local governments, and the private sector to build and operate cutting-edge scientific compute for researchers, students and educators in the region. NSF will play a catalytic role, investing in each hub’s consortium coordination, AI infrastructure workforce development and AI for science faculty training and curriculum development to put compute resources to work for scientific discovery.

“Artificial intelligence is transforming how we conduct research, accelerate scientific discovery and address complex challenges across disciplines,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “The State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program supports a national mission to advance AI for science by expanding access to critical AI resources, strengthening state and regional ecosystems, and developing the workforce capabilities needed to harness these technologies. Through this effort, we can empower researchers, students and communities to advance AI-enabled science and drive the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.”

“American scientists deserve the world’s best tools to enable their most ambitious work,” said Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “In Science: A New Golden Age, we called for expanding access to world-class R&D infrastructure, including advanced compute, to reflect how science is conducted today. These hubs deliver on that commitment in the most practical way possible. Regional partners who share in the benefits of discovery will pool their resources to unlock compute at a scale that no individual stakeholder, and no federal program, could achieve alone.”

NSF will initially support up to 10 AI Infrastructure Hubs, with one award made per state or region. In addition to pooling resources across states and institutions large and small, each hub will also partner with regional industry to align AI for science workforce development with local job market needs.

Specifically, NSF will invest in AI infrastructure professionals with the technical expertise to support researchers, students and educators in applying AI infrastructure for scientific discovery; connect meritorious research with AI Infrastructure hubs in their regions; and invest in faculty and educator training and instructional material development to build students’ skills, proficiency and knowledge in using computing, data and software systems for scientific research.

AI Infrastructure Hubs are encouraged to integrate with national resources such as the NSF-led National AI Research Resource, providing the ability to surge and share resources beyond local capacity and enable dataset sharing. The program supports the White House-led Genesis Mission, a national effort to harness AI for science. Hubs are encouraged to engage with relevant NSF AI initiatives such as TechAccess: AI-Ready America and existing national structures such as the Campus Research Computing Consortium for workforce development.

Many private-sector and philanthropic organizations, including NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Dell Technologies, Hangar and the Secunda Innovation Fund, among others, intend to support participants in the State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program. NSF welcomes the engagement from additional organizations to help advance the goals of the program.

Learn more about the NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program here.

Source: NSF

The post NSF Unveils $100M AI Infrastructure Hubs to Expand Compute for Science appeared first on HPCwire.

In a combative interview on CNN, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened the conversation with a throwback claim. 

“We had the highest death rate from COVID of any nation on earth,” Kennedy said. When host Dana Bash challenged him, Kennedy doubled down: “What I said was accurate. We had the highest death rate from COVID.”

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for evidence for Kennedy’s statement.

The overwhelming majority of global COVID-19 deaths occurred between January 2020 and March 2023. During that period, the U.S. had the highest number of  COVID-19-related deaths, over 1.1 million. In the last few years, the death toll has climbed to 1.2 million. 

But during the pandemic’s height,  2020 to 2023, the U.S. did not lead the world in its overall rate of death from the illness. Peru did.

In its tracking of global COVID-19 cases and deaths through March 2023, Johns Hopkins University found that Peru’s population was hit hardest with a rate of 665.84 deaths per 100,000 people. 

The U.S.’s per capita death rate was nearly half that with 341.11 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the 14th highest rate. Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania were a few of the countries with higher per capita death rates than the U.S. 

Johns Hopkins University also tracked each country’s COVID-19 deaths in comparison with its number of confirmed cases — a metric that can be skewed by how widely a country was testing people for COVID-19 and the size of the outbreak. 

The U.S. didn’t lead the world in this “case-fatality ratio” measure, either.

Peru had a case-fatality rate of 4.9% — among the highest rates. The United States had a rate of 1.1%, tied with Canada. America’s case-fatality rate was lower than those of countries including Mexico (4.5%), Ukraine (2.1%), Brazil (1.9%) and Russia (1.8%). 

Analysts attributed Peru’s high death rate to several factors including an impoverished and informal economy, lack of protective medical equipment, shortages of oxygen and a weak public health system.

A few countries had case-fatality rates higher than Peru’s: Yemen (18.1%), Sudan (7.9%), Syria (5.5%), and Somalia (5%). But these countries also had very few deaths compared with their population sizes — all below 20 deaths per 100,000 people. These contradictory measures likely indicate poor surveillance testing of milder cases rather than a high death toll. 

Another way to look at the numbers is through excess deaths, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University. 

Excess deaths are a count of deaths beyond what would be normally expected. Nuzzo said this is a fairer metric that isn’t as biased by a country’s ability to accurately diagnose infections and causes of deaths. 

An analysis of excess deaths in 2020 and 2021 found that countries such as Russia, Mexico and Brazil had higher excess mortality rates than the United States. Additional reviews of excess mortality rates around the world found similar results. 

“The bottom line is that, by any measure, the U.S. didn’t experience the most excess deaths of any country,” Nuzzo said. “The U.S. did have more excess deaths than other highly prepared countries, which was a great disappointment.” 

Had Kennedy compared the U.S. with other high-income countries, he would have been more accurate, but he said the U.S. did worse than “any nation on earth.” 

Our ruling

Kennedy said the U.S. “had the highest death rate from COVID of any nation on earth.”

The U.S. has counted the highest total reported COVID-19 related deaths so far, but when the pandemic’s fatalities were counted per capita, the U.S. is not the world leader.

Peru reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths per capita during the first three years of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. Among confirmed cases, Peru and many other countries also had higher fatality rates than the United States. Lastly, measures of excess deaths during the first two years of the pandemic found countries like Russia, Mexico and Brazil had all had higher excess mortality rates than the United States. 

None of these methods for quantifying the COVID-19 death rate support Kennedy’s claim. We rate Kennedy’s statement False.

Blanche, one of Trump’s most trusted legal aides, confirmed in writing that $1.8bn slush fund for president’s allies was dead

The US Senate judiciary committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after he confirmed in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead. Experts say, however, that Trump could easily reverse the deal.

His nomination will now proceed to the full Senate, where it will likely face intense skepticism from Democrats.

New collaboration aims to turn quantum research into future jobs, skills and innovation

SYDNEY, Aug. 4, 2026 — Australian researchers and students will gain access to advanced quantum computing technology under a Memorandum of Understanding between global digital transformation leader, Fujitsu, Monash University, and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

Credit: Sergiy Palamarchuk/Shutterstock

The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of practical quantum applications, strengthen Australia’s quantum capability and help build a skilled workforce ready for the emerging quantum economy. It also supports the newly inked Memorandum of Cooperation between Australia and Japan on quantum science, technology and innovation, reflecting the growing strategic importance of quantum technologies to both countries.

Quantum computing has the potential to help solve some of the world’s most complex challenges by enabling faster and more powerful analysis of certain types of problems than is possible with conventional computing. Future applications could support areas such as cyber security, healthcare, decarbonization and climate science.

The collaboration brings together Fujitsu’s advanced quantum technology and infrastructure, Monash University’s research and education expertise, and CSIRO’s applied science capability. As part of the collaboration, researchers and students from Monash and CSIRO will gain access to Fujitsu’s quantum systems and simulators in Japan to support research in advanced computing, quantum software and emerging quantum applications.

The organizations will also explore opportunities to establish a shared quantum research and education facility based at Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology, creating a focal point for collaborative research, training and industry engagement.

Peter Grassi, Chief Executive Officer of Fujitsu in Oceania, said: “By bringing together Fujitsu’s leading quantum technologies, Monash University’s research excellence and CSIRO’s applied science expertise, we’re creating new opportunities to accelerate innovation, develop future talent and translate quantum breakthroughs into real-world outcomes. As a company with deep Japanese heritage and over half a century supporting organizations in Australia, Fujitsu is uniquely positioned to help connect the strengths of both countries’ quantum ecosystems. This collaboration will deepen research and innovation links between Australia and Japan while expanding access to advanced quantum technologies and expertise to help solve society’s most complex challenges.”

“This innovative collaboration can help accelerate the development of advanced quantum computing technologies in Australia,” said Dr. Katja Digweed, CSIRO Technology Director. “Connecting deep scientific capability with the right software and algorithms can bring quantum computing closer to practical use in areas like cybersecurity, health, and climate science. Together we can build the skills, infrastructure and partnerships across research and industry, and between Australia and Japan.”

Monash University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Senior Vice-President Professor Robyn Ward said: “The collaboration would strengthen Australia’s ability to translate quantum research into technologies that benefit society. Quantum technologies have the potential to transform the way we unlock solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, and building capability in this field will require deep collaboration between universities, industry and government.

“This partnership brings together world-leading research expertise, advanced industry capability and opportunities to train the next generation of quantum researchers and innovators. Monash is proud to play a leading role in strengthening Australia’s quantum ecosystem – developing talent, enabling international collaboration and ensuring our research has a meaningful pathway from the lab to the real world.”

Building a Pathway from Research to Real-World Impact

The collaboration focuses on three key priorities:

1. Developing practical quantum applications: The organizations will work together to develop and test new quantum computing approaches that could help address complex scientific and industry challenges. This includes research into quantum optimization, machine learning and advanced simulation technologies.
2. Building Australia’s future quantum workforce: Students will gain hands-on experience with advanced quantum technologies through new teaching initiatives, research projects and industry-connected learning opportunities, helping prepare the next generation of Australian quantum specialists.
3. Strengthening Australia’s quantum research capability: The organizations will explore a shared vision for a future research and education facility at Monash University, providing a platform for collaboration between researchers, students and industry.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers around the globe, our 100,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: AI, Computing, Networks, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.5 trillion yen (US$23 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share.

About CSIRO

CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency, delivering solutions for a productive, sustainable and secure future. Our collaborative research turns science into solutions for food security and quality; clean energy and resources; health and wellbeing; resilient and valuable environments; innovative industries; and a secure Australia and region.

About Monash University

Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In almost 70 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading research, quality teaching, inspiring innovation and translating game-changing research into impactful commercial and meaningful outcomes. With four campuses in Australia and a global campus network covering Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia, and Italy, and the Boston Hub anchoring a footprint in the world’s leading biomedical cluster, Monash is Australia’s most international university.

Source: Fujitsu

The post Fujitsu, Monash and CSIRO Strengthen Australia–Japan Quantum Partnership appeared first on HPCwire.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

The post Judge Blocks New York’s Mask Ban for ICE Agents appeared first on News Facts Network.

Poetry sales surpassed £8m in the first 30 weeks of 2026 and are expected to reach a record high this year thanks to blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s 2,700-year-old poem

UK poetry sales are on course to reach a record high this year, buoyed by the success of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

Poetry sales surpassed £8m during the first 30 weeks of 2026, an increase of 13.3% on the same period last year, according to data from market researchers NielsenIQ.

Denkiworks’ debut lets players pull off tricks and pull pints in a stunning, Japan-inspired setting

A freeloading tanuki, mounting debt, and a town full of possibilities will sound familiar to fans of Animal Crossing. Alas, while you won’t find accountability from Tom Nook, Kyoto-based studio Denkiworks has stepped in to heal your financial trauma with a BMX-filled adventure in which a mammal finally pays the price for their years of bad behaviour. “Even Japanese people ask why it’s a tanuki,” jokes Liam Edwards, a game designer at Denkiworks. “They have such a mythological background to them; they’re almost like dragons in terms of their mythology.”

In Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, you play as an adorable but irresponsible critter named Pon, who’s bled the coffers of the local shrine – his home – dry by buying video games and snack food instead of preparing for its semicentennial matsuri. As a result, the shrine is in total disrepair, and important architecture and cultural artefacts – such as the ema stand and the chōzuya – are left cracked and broken, unbefitting a festival half a century in the making.

BrianFagioli writes: Sandisk and SK hynix have published the first open technical specification for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) through the Open Compute Project. HBF is designed to create a new memory tier between High Bandwidth Memory and traditional SSD storage, giving AI inference systems more near compute capacity without relying entirely on expensive HBM. The specification supports capacities up to 512GB using 8-high and 16-high NAND stacks, with bandwidth tiers ranging from about 0.4TB per second to 3.0TB per second. It also uses the UCIe chiplet interface, which could make HBF easier to integrate with CPUs, GPUs, and other accelerators. Google and Tenstorrent participated in the standardization effort, but commercial products and independent benchmarks are still missing.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rhys Ifans, Matthew Rhys, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Mark Lewis Jones among actors voicing characters from 1977 blockbuster

There are a few links between the Star Wars franchise and Wales, including the secretive building of the Millennium Falcon in an old hangar in the far south-west of the Celtic nation.

But until now, speakers of Welsh – Cymraeg – have not been able to hear the words of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia spoken in their own language.

SpaceX will release its first earnings report as a public company on Tuesday in a key test for the company's stuttering stock price.

Conservative leader tells press she stands by decision to select Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a candidate for local election in Somerset

• Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election

Some 86,495 people were in prison in England and Wales as of 3 August, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Justice.

This is 2,026 below the record high of 88,521 reached on 6 September 2024, just before the current early release scheme began.

New research links gas stove use to worse symptoms in people with respiratory conditions.

Creditors have many tools to use if you're delinquent on debt payments, but are savings account levies one of them?

A serviceman in Russian-held Crimea opened fire on fellow soldiers and civilians, killing four people and wounding four, officials said.

Judge puts hold on mask ban while allowing state law prohibiting cooperation between police and ICE to stand

A New York law banning US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring that they wear visible identification has been put on hold by a federal judge. But a state law prohibiting cooperation between local police departments and ICE has been allowed to stand.

The mask ruling comes after federal judges have blocked similar laws in California, Virginia and Pennsylvania that sought to ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces. They are still required to wear agency identification badges and badge number.

The post Lombardo Claims Powerless on Costs After Vetoing Affordability Bills appeared first on News Facts Network.

They’re perfect for time-poor cooks, but which deserves your counter space? From combi models to smart designs, here’s what our expert recommends

• The best air fryers

If you’re at a restaurant and hear a ping a couple of minutes before your meal arrives at your table, it’s unlikely to be a good sign. But microwave ovens are a brilliant tool in the home kitchen. They’re fearsomely fast at heating up – or even cooking – food when you’re time-poor and lacking the energy to make something wholesome after a hard day at work. And in hot weather, cooking by microwave isn’t just quick: it also won’t warm your home.

Microwaves work best for heating food with a high water content (they make the water molecules in food vibrate to create heat). However, before testing, I asked around to find out what people use theirs for most, with a view to using this information to shape my tests. I learned a few things – like lots of people eat mug cakes. Who knew? And that wheat bags are a popular alternative to hot-water bottles. But the majority of folk use their microwave for reheating cold cuppas, defrosting frozen batch-cooked meals, warming food, popping microwave popcorn – and, of course, cooking jacket potatoes more quickly. I used these insights to shape my testing.

Color Splash Out provides a safe space in a state that has targeted and demonized trans people

• Read the full story here

At Color Splash Out, LGBTQ+ kids can play, create and connect without judgment, especially in a state that passed seven anti-trans bills last year

• Color Splash Out summer camp – in pictures

For the first time in his life, 17-year-old Alastair Mendoza didn’t think twice about jumping in the water. He kayaked through tangles of reeds, taking in the schools of minnows beneath him and the hawks overhead. He splashed around with friends he had made only days prior.

“I actually felt comfortable,” Mendoza said of swimming in public, something trans kids like him often struggle with. But at Color Splash Out, a four-day summer camp open to queer and trans youth in Texas, Mendoza swam whenever he could. “There was less fear of judgment and anxiety knowing that you were safe around these people,” he said.

A straightforward privacy request to Google can remove your home from Street View entirely. Here’s the step-by-step process.

Beginning his career as an actor, Gill went on to write plays including The York Realist as well as directing for the Royal Court and National Theatre

Tributes have been paid to the director and playwright Peter Gill who died on Monday at the age of 86. His agent Mel Kenyon said Gill’s work had a “rare emotional delicacy” and was “beautifully observed and finely tuned” while the director Michael Grandage said Gill’s “contribution to the British theatre will come to be regarded as quietly seismic”.

Gill began his career as an actor at London’s Royal Court in 1958 when still in his teens. Over the next six years, he played Silvius opposite Vanessa Redgrave as Rosalind in Michael Elliott’s lauded RSC production of As You Like It, as well as several roles in the British premiere of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Aug. 4, 2026 — The processes that capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it on the seabed are crucial for climate balance. However, assessing these mechanisms is often complicated because it requires measurements ranging from the surface to the deep ocean.

Credit: Ketujuh Doms/Shutterstock

Now, a new study published in the journal Science Advances and led by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) has made it possible to observe and quantify a key transport pathway: the large-scale winter upwelling of surface water rapidly delivers nutrient-rich organic particles to depths of over 1,000 meters.

In regions such as the subpolar North Atlantic, the cold and strong winter winds cool the surface water, making it much denser and heavier, causing it to sink rapidly. This process, known as ‘deep convection’, fuels the currents that connect all the oceans over the centuries, and helps regulate the global climate and carbon storage in the ocean.

The study demonstrates that this ‘underwater cascade’ acts as a mechanical shortcut, carrying living microalgae and organic debris to the seabed much more rapidly and to a greater depth than previously thought. This transport is intermittent and regional in scope, but far more efficient than the sedimentation of particles by gravity (the dominant transport mechanism).

Underwater Robotics and Supercomputing

To carry out the study, the scientific team combined real-world data with highly sophisticated computer simulations. On the one hand, they analyzed data from a fleet of autonomous underwater robots (known as Biogeochemical-Argo floats) that drift and take measurements at a depth of around 1,000 meters. Thanks to these devices, surprising peaks of chlorophyll have been detected in the depths of the Labrador and Irminger Seas, coinciding with the intense episodes of surface water sinking that occurred between 2014 and 2017.

“Finding these concentrations of chlorophyll—typically found in the sunlit surface layer—at such a depth came as a huge surprise, because normally it would have broken down long before reaching that depth,” explains Martí Galí, a researcher at ICM-CSIC and lead author of the study. “These data allow us to quantify a hitherto little-known source of carbon within the ocean and open up a vast range of possibilities for using these robots as the eyes of science in the deep ocean.”

To calculate the scale of this shortcut on a global level, the researchers used a computer model that simulates marine physics and biogeochemistry. The simulations were run using the BSC’s supercomputing resources.

“The story began right here at BSC, where we realized that we needed to better link these large-scale water movements with the carbon cycles,” recalls Raffaele Bernardello, a researcher in the BSC’s Earth Sciences Department and co-author of the study. “The simulations have enabled us to estimate that transport doubles during the harshest winters and that the carbon does not remain stagnant; rather, some of it travels laterally and is stored far from the area where it has sunk, prolonging its positive effect on the climate.”

A Feast for the Deep Ocean

Furthermore, the study indicates that in years of strong winter mixing, this mechanism contributes between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of all organic particles reaching the layers between 500 and 2,000 metres. Furthermore, by analysing the properties of the particles at 1,000 metres and comparing them with those observed by satellites at the surface, it has been found that the injected material is very rich and full of energy.

Mª Andrea Orihuela-García, who is completing her doctoral thesis at the ICM-CSIC in association with BSC, highlights the implications for deep-sea ecosystems: “This process not only serves to capture carbon from the atmosphere, but also sends energy directly downwards. These vertical currents act as a veritable unexpected seasonal feast that nourishes and energizes the communities of microbes and small animals living in the deep ocean.”

Against this backdrop, the team emphasizes the need for further research in this area to improve observations of this phenomenon and its representation in numerical models, including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Furthermore, the team emphasizes the need to maintain and strengthen ocean observation systems using satellites and autonomous robots, particularly the Argo program, an international, collaborative effort based on the principles of open science.

Finally, at a time when human activity is altering the planet’s climate and threatens to weaken water downwelling in the North Atlantic (a highly significant process), constant and global monitoring of the ocean—from the surface to the depths—is becoming more important than ever for understanding and predicting climate change.

Reference: Martí Galí et al., Convection injects labile particulate organic carbon to the deep ocean. Sci. Adv.12,eaee6883 (2026). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aee6883

Source: BSC-CNS

The post BSC Simulations Reveal Fast Carbon Pathway to the Deep Ocean appeared first on HPCwire.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. and COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 4, 2026 — IonQ, Inc. and EPB have announced plans for the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center. This will be the first dedicated next generation quantum communication research and development (R&D) innovation lab directly connected to a real-world network.

“Interconnecting quantum computers at multiple locations and linking them directly to end users lays the foundation for the full suite of applications of quantum communications,” said IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi. “Quantum Memories that store and process quantum information over fiber channels are essential building blocks for transforming quantum machines into more powerful long-range architectures. Establishing a Quantum Memory R&D capability that sits atop a working fiber optic network will speed the development and deployment of innovative quantum technologies to accelerate commercialization of the Quantum Internet, driving economic growth and job creation within participating communities.”

Based in Chattanooga and staffed by IonQ scientists, the R&D lab will house the world’s first commercial Quantum Memory embedded within an operational communications network. Quantum Memory could help quantum computers and networks reliably share information across long distances, an important step toward connecting quantum systems in ways that support real-world commercial applications.

The initiative will be funded through a five-year $15 million commitment from IonQ, bringing some of the world’s foremost experts in Quantum Memories to Chattanooga to catalyze the local talent ecosystem. EPB will provide the live network development test bed and serve as the primary commercialization partner, translating the laboratory’s groundbreaking R&D into use-cases for both the public and private sector in the greater Tennessee Valley corridor. The Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center’s work will pave the way for EPB’s plans to interlink quantum computers, quantum research nodes and related commercial facilities, expanding the state’s already deep commitment to hosting a unique and expansive quantum ecosystem.

“This agreement reflects a shared commitment to turning quantum innovation into real-world economic and commercial value,” said IonQ’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Inder Singh. “EPB has been an exceptional partner throughout this process, and we are proud to invest in a center that will advance quantum communications while creating new opportunities for Chattanooga and the broader Tennessee region.”

“The future of economic development belongs to states that can connect research, industry and infrastructure, and Tennessee is building that future today,” said Deputy Gov. and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “The partnership between IonQ and EPB to establish the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center is exactly the type of innovation ecosystem we’re working to cultivate—bringing together world-class companies, advanced infrastructure and strategic collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation technologies. As Tennessee continues making strategic investments in quantum infrastructure and research, partnerships like this are strengthening Chattanooga and reinforcing our state’s position at the forefront of the quantum economy.”

“EPB has a long track record of putting advanced technology to work for the benefit of the people we serve—from launching the nation’s first community-wide Gigabit fiber optic network to helping accelerate the commercialization of quantum computing and communications,” said EPB President and CEO-elect Janet Rehberg. “Across Tennessee, leading universities, national laboratories and private companies are advancing quantum research and development. By partnering with IonQ, we will connect those efforts through real-world Quantum Networking capabilities and bring some of the world’s most advanced Quantum Memory expertise to Chattanooga.”

The Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center builds on the strategic collaboration EPB and IonQ established through their shared work to advance commercial quantum computing at the EPB Quantum Center. This expanded partnership further strengthens Chattanooga’s role as a catalyst for Tennessee’s emergence as a national hub for quantum innovation. The partners project that the Center itself will have a positive impact on the wider Tennessee economy totaling up to two to three times their $15 million investment, and supporting roughly two dozen jobs including research scientists, trainees and indirect and induced employment.

“IonQ’s $15 million investment in Chattanooga is a historic turning point, establishing the first Quantum Communications R&D center in the United States right here in our city,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “This commitment from IonQ, EPB, and our partners to launch the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center marks a significant milestone in our tradition of innovation. By leading the nation into the quantum era, Chattanooga is not just entering the knowledge economy—we are defining its future and ensuring revolutionary economic growth for generations to come.”

The EPB Quantum Center is home to EPB Quantum Network, which IonQ supports, as well as an IonQ Forte Enterprise quantum computer that is being prepared for commercial deployment.

“IonQ’s continued investment is another vote of confidence in Hamilton County and the partnerships that have positioned our community as a leader in quantum technology,” said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. “EPB has helped lay the foundation for this moment, and together with our education and industry partners, we’re preparing our students and workforce to seize the opportunities this evolving industry will create, while making sure the people of Hamilton County grow with it.”

As the only U.S. quantum facility to offer commercially available quantum networking and computing, EPB Quantum offers the most comprehensive, commercially available quantum technology platform in the U.S.

Based on research by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Economic Research Fellow Dr. Bento Lobo, EPB’s quantum assets are projected to generate up to $1.1 billion in community benefit in Chattanooga over the next 10 years.

Today’s news marks the latest step in IonQ’s continued presence in Tennessee and builds on its longstanding partnerships with local companies and academic institutions, including the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. IonQ and Ansys achieved a major quantum computing milestone with quantum computing outperforming classical computing when designing important life-saving medical devices. The quantum optimization method on which this achievement was based was pioneered at the Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and successfully implemented on IonQ quantum computers.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ) is the world’s leading quantum platform and foundry – delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems. Earlier systems have helped customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve a 20x performance increase over previous quantum solutions and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.

About EPB

Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB is a nationally recognized energy and communications provider with a mission to enhance quality of life for the people it serves across its 600-square-mile service area. Starting in 2010, EPB gained notice as a national model for building and utilizing its 100% fiber-to-the-home network to deliver cutting-edge services such as the world’s fastest community-wide internet, now with service up to 25 Gig, and the nation’s most advanced automated electric grid.

As a pioneer in fiber optic innovation, EPB also launched EPB Quantum to provide access to cutting-edge quantum technology platforms and help innovators bring paradigm-shifting solutions into the real world. With the launch of EPB Quantum Network in 2023 and EPB Quantum Computing (coming in 2026), EPB Quantum offers the most comprehensive, commercially available quantum technology platform in the U.S. Learn more at epb.com and EPBQuantum.com.

Source: IonQ

The post IonQ and EPB Launch the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center appeared first on HPCwire.

Suspect had a prior conviction for reportedly shooting his father in Arizona, after he told his son to do the dishes

Authorities on Monday charged a man in Washington state with starting a wildfire that has consumed almost 4,000 acres and forced tens of thousands from their homes.

Aaron F Farinacci, 37, of Spokane, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson for setting the Old Trails fire, the largest of three devastating wildfires burning through the region.

Ohio Rep. Max Miller's reelection campaign has been upended by allegations Miller assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old daughter.

The spot where Corey Ruiz was killed on Williamson and Baldwin streets became a protest site immediately after the shooting July 22.

Country convenes emergency meeting of ministers from Arab and Islamic world, fearing such a move could ‘trigger a religious conflict’

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

Jordan is convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world over what it says is an “imminent” threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to “trigger a religious conflict”.

The meeting on Wednesday – and the Jordanian warning – follow an escalating pattern of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious extremists on the compound around al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, in violation of a status quo treaty overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, by which only Muslims can pray at the site.

The vocal vaccine sceptic and wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff turned to the former US science adviser when she was worried about Covid. Now, she’s claiming it was a cunning plan

You should keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and Stephen and Katie Miller as far away from your general vicinity as humanly possible. Many people will not need to be told this. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, is famous for masterminding the first Trump administration’s family separation policy and Muslim ban. His wife, Katie, is similarly enthusiastic about mass deportation and has reportedly said she didn’t feel compassion for families separated at the border. Stephen met Katie when they were both working in government, but she has since left politics to start a podcast. Now she asks guests such as JD Vance important questions such as: is a hotdog a sandwich?

While I may not need to inform you that the Millers are bad news, it seems Dr Anthony Fauci is only just getting the memo. The former top US government science adviser, who helped guide the country’s Covid-19 response, was forced to appear at a US Senate committee hearing last week. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky framed the hearing as an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Really, however, it was an opportunity for Republicans to harass Fauci, who is widely loathed among the Maga base. He has become such a target of vitriol that Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office in case he was prosecuted by the Trump administration.

Here's what employees can expect for a raise in 2027 as companies move away from broad-based pay increases.

Special rapporteurs say ‘transnational repression by Indian authorities’ has put Moninder Singh in danger

UN rights experts have urged Canada to take all feasible measures to protect the Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who has been repeatedly warned by the Canadian authorities of credible threats to his life.

In a letter to the Canadian government, the five UN experts raised “concerning allegations of foreign intimidation and reprisals” against Singh, a Canadian national.

The post Cannabis Giant Challenges New Jersey Worker Organizing Protections appeared first on News Facts Network.

The predictions market is planning to allow betting on clinical trial results and regulatory decisions as our family fights for his survival

My son is 12 years old. No matter how many Legos we get him, he will only build robotic mechs. He draws haunting pictures in pen and ink but refuses to take an art class. He was devastated to learn that Chuck E Cheese is phasing out its animatronics. His guidance counselor says he’s so kind, he’s really hard to say no to. He sneezes when he steps out into the sunlight. And he also has a very aggressive tumor growing inches below his heart.

Further, if Kalshi has its way, you could soon be able to bet on health treatments that could be essential to his survival.

Joshua Pederson is professor of humanities at Boston University and the author of Sin Sick: Moral Injury in War and Literature

Experience cosmic dread, zombies and one Big Walk on PlayStation Plus now.

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

New data suggests Flock surveillance cameras have an abysmal recognition rate. That’s a major problem for drivers.

Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, one of two Democrats in the primary for her party's Senate nomination, stands firm on backing U.S. military aid to Israel and claims opponent Abdul El-Sayed doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist.

Why Should Delaware Care?
Voters’ ability to make systemic changes to the direction of their local or state government is more likely to occur in the September primary election rather than the November general election due to uncontested races. That is a trend that has only grown deeper in recent years.

More than half of all statewide or statehouse races will be decided by voters in the September primary elections as they lack a general election challenge – a sum that has steadily grown over the last five electoral cycles.

The November 2026 midterm elections will be the least competitive for statewide races in years, including the two races at the top of the ticket. While competitive federal races are on the docket for a U.S. Senate and House seat, only Democrats have filed in the races for attorney general and state auditor.

It’s the first time in at least a decade that Republicans failed to challenge Democrats for a statewide office, according to a Spotlight Delaware analysis.

The minority party has not held a statewide office since former State Treasurer Ken Simpler lost his re-election race in 2018.

At their May party convention, Republicans encouraged former U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray to seek the party’s nomination for attorney general, but she ultimately declined. Murray, who had unsuccessfully run for attorney general and governor previously, said that she was not prepared to start another campaign.

Republicans could still nominate a candidate to appear alongside the winner of a three-way Democratic primary on the November ballot, but party leaders would have to approve that nomination by Sept. 1 under state law.

Last week, Dave Graham, an Army veteran and accountant who has unsuccessfully sought both the governor’s and attorney general’s office in the last 12 years, announced that he was seeking the party’s nomination.

The attorney general does not have to be a licensed lawyer — Graham is not — but both parties have historically nominated candidates who are.

Delaware Republican Party Chair Gene Truono, who would have to sign off on Graham nomination, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

A look at the statehouse

According to Spotlight Delaware’s analysis, 60% of this year’s 55 statewide or statehouse races are uncontested or only feature a primary election.

That’s roughly double the number of races compared to 2022 and 2018, the last two midterm elections when public interest is typically lower.

That takes particular importance this year as Democrats are vying to pick up at least one additional seat to give the party a two-thirds supermajority. That would allow Democrats to amend the state Constitution without a single Republican vote.

In the House of Representatives, 25 of the 41 races either have no challenge at all or will be decided in a primary election. That includes 12 Democrats who are completely uncontested this year – nearly half of the caucus. 

Five House Democrats will only have to defend their seats from interparty challenges, often from candidates supported by the Working Families Party, a progressive political organization. Meanwhile two open seats, brought upon by the retirements of Rep. Debra Heffernan and the State Senate campaign by Rep. Mara Gorman, will only feature Democratic candidates.

Just six Democratic representatives – Josue Ortega, Rae Moore, Krista Griffith, Kim Williams, Alonna Berry and Eric Morrison – must overcome both primary and general election challenges this year.

In the State Senate, three incumbents – Democrat Marie Pinkney and Republican leaders Gerald Hocker and Brian Pettyjohn – will get a free pass with no challengers.

Public will get less debate, expert says

Sam Hoff, professor emeritus of history and political science at Delaware State University, said the trend of less competitive elections will likely only further inflame growing polarization. 

He noted that not putting up a general election challenge only serves to give a majority party more leverage when it comes to actually governing. By keeping elected officials on their toes about a future challenge at the ballot box, voters may see greater negotiation and compromise between the parties.

“The question that should be asked is why Republicans didn’t do that? The answers that you know, from its face, is that they didn’t think it would be competitive, or they didn’t have the funds or resources, or the candidate him or herself said that they would cover things in a sort of independent streak from the party,” he said.

“Unfortunately the old adage is true, ‘You can’t win if you don’t play.’”

How to participate in primaries

Delaware’s primary election will be held from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, with early voting running from Sept. 2 to 13 — polls are closed Sept. 6 and 7 for the Labor Day holiday.

Delaware has a closed primary system that only allows registered Democrats and Republicans to vote in their respective party races. That would exclude more than a third of all state voters, according to the most recent registration totals.

While the deadline to change one’s party for the primary election passed in May, nearly 53,000 voters statewide could still be eligible to participate in the primaries.

If you were automatically registered to vote through the issuance of a state driver’s license in recent years and didn’t select a political party, you can select a party designation at any time through election day.

The 2026 primary election will be the last to offer this option, as as recent change in Delaware law now allows individuals registering to vote through the DMV to be given the opportunity to select a political party affiliation as part of the voter registration process.

If you have never registered to vote, and will be 18 by Sept. 15, you can also register for the primary election by Aug. 22.

The post More than half of state races to be decided in September primaries appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

Despite Trump’s efforts to blame Tim Walz and Minnesota, officials suspect Iran behind attacks on US infrastructure

Late last week, federal authorities issued a stern warning saying “malicious cyber actors” were targeting water and wastewater facilities in at least seven states across the US. Minnesota appeared to be the hardest hit with 30 of its water systems hit by cyber-attacks, leading to disruptions in the state’s water supply.

The problems ranged from low-pressure water flow in people’s homes to some utilities announcing boil-water notices. But there have been no reports of drinking water contamination.

Kevin Warsh would rather stay out of the fray – and thus devalue the Fed’s credibility as an economic steward

It must feel strange to argue that government action is inevitably counter-productive – illegitimate even – when the government is you.

For the last half century, the Republican party has been comfortable with the contradiction. It’s framed in that clever quote from Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Solutions, in this view, are delivered by free, unencumbered markets.

Eduardo Porter is a journalist focused on economics and politics. He writes the newsletter Being There on Substack

This crude lack of thought is influencing crucial budget decisions on HIV programmes, which were cut by 25% worldwide in 2025

At the end of July, thousands of scientists, advocates and policymakers gathered at Aids 2026, the 26th International Aids Conference in Rio de Janeiro, to advance the global HIV response. But during one high-profile session, a jarring moment threatened to derail our focus: a slide presented by a senior US state department official displayed a map of Africa with country names glaringly scrambled and mislabelled.

While the mistake apparently occurred due to an over-reliance on AI tools, it carried a painful symbolic weight for many of us. It reinforced a longstanding frustration: that too many political leaders treat Africa as a monolithic abstraction rather than a continent of 54 distinct sovereign nations.

A Russia-linked group tracked as Midnight Blizzard has compromised hotel and conference Wi-Fi portals worldwide, redirecting guests to phishing pages and fake software updates that steal credentials, session tokens, and other sensitive data. Microsoft says the campaign, dubbed CaptiveCrunch, "targets traveling employees generally rather than a particular sector," reports iTNews. From the report: Midnight Blizzard, tracked internally by Microsoft under its earlier codename NOBELIUM, is attributed by the US and UK governments to Russia's SVR (Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki) foreign intelligence service. Microsoft's technical analysis said compromises occurred in "several countries" without naming them, and it did not give a total number of affected venues, organisations or individuals. A related investigation published earlier in July by security firm ReliaQuest, and which Microsoft cited in its report, found compromised captive portal gateways across multiple United States cities as well as in India and Saudi Arabia, mostly at hotels. ReliaQuest said the traffic it observed came from organizations across financial services, professional services, legal, health care, energy and retail, suggesting the campaign targets traveling employees generally rather than a particular sector. [...] Where attackers gained a foothold, Microsoft said they deployed two main tools: CornFlake, a Windows remote access trojan (RAT) written in Go capable of keylogging, screenshot and webcam capture, audio surveillance and credential and session token theft. They would also drop ChocoShell, an in-memory PowerShell infostealer targeting browser cookies, saved passwords, Microsoft 365 single sign-on (SSO) tokens and wi-fi credentials. Microsoft also said it has seen indications the attackers might be targeting Android devices with similar prompts urging victims to download and install an APK file.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC; House House
The creators of Untitled Goose Game return with an online, open-world adventure that delivers slapstick silliness and bucolic majesty in nearly equal measure

Radiant sunsets glinting on lapping waves; bushland valleys that beckon with secrets; modernist buildings sat atop craggy ridges: Big Walk’s setting is as arresting as it is beguiling – a kind of architectural fever dream transplanted to a handsome Australian wilderness – but it is the images created by players that lodge deepest in the mind. Here’s one that has stuck with me: in the black of night, cicadas kicking up an almighty din, I had lost my partner. Panic. Despair. Fear. Then, there in the far distance, I saw him signalling in my direction. He was relentlessly spamming a gigantic, ball-shaped lamp on and off, the ground around him flicking from inky dark to warm pastel pink and back again, like a single Christmas light blinking from afar.

This kind of encounter is common in Big Walk, the brilliant and whimsical new online co-op puzzler from House House, the Melbourne-based studio behind the 2019 viral hit, Untitled Goose Game. Rather than playing as a honking, mischief-making goose as you do in that game, you are a bug-eyed, gangly limbed kind of bird person (think Pingu as drawn by Mondrian) for whom getting separated from your mates is all part of the fun. That’s somewhat because this rugged terrain is dense with vegetation and cliffs to fall down, and also because the game makes ingenious use of proximity and direction-based voice audio. Step out of earshot of your party and you will find it difficult to call for one another (unless, of course, you’ve picked up a Fisher-Price-like walkie-talkie).

US president takes aim at profits as oil companies worldwide benefit from US-Iran conflict. Plus, can you tell if someone is secretly filming you with Meta’s glasses?

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Good morning. Donald Trump has criticised oil companies for “making too much money” from the global energy market disruption caused by his war on Iran. The US president took aim at the windfall profits revealed last week by ExxonMobil and Chevron, and claimed the companies would “give some of that back to the public”.

The US oil companies made profits totalling more than $26bn for the three months to the end of June. Chevron reported its highest ever quarterly profit of $12.2bn, a fivefold increase on the same period last year. ExxonMobil reported a profit of $14.5bn in the second quarter, double what it made in the same period a year ago.

Is it just US oil companies profiting from Trump’s war? Europe’s largest oil company, Shell, doubled its net profit to almost $10bn in the three months to June. The crisis helped the Saudi ⁠oil company Aramco to a ⁠44% rise in ​net profits, to $32.69bn, in ​the same period, despite disruption in ‌the strait of Hormuz. BP has reported its highest quarterly profits since the first year of Russia’s war on Ukraine, though its new chief executive, Meg O’Neill, said there was “more to do” because BP was “not making the most” of its potential.

What is happening with Trump’s new trade tariffs? A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration on Monday over new tariffs pegged at 10%-12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes that were struck down by the supreme court in February. According to the states involved in the action, tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union imposed last month cover 99.4% of US imports.

What else has happened in ICE detention this week? Attorneys for a man detained in a California immigration detention center have released footage showing him holding up a bottle of water from inside the facility that appeared to be contaminated with worm-like creatures. Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a Los Angeles man who has been detained for months at the Adelanto ICE facility north-east of LA, said the water was given to detainees to drink.

don't have the motor yet... just the rest of the board (pre-assembled)

AUSTIN, Texas — Democrat James Talarico holds a narrow lead over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in another poll suggesting Texas could host one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races this fall.

The Texas Southern University survey found Talarico leading Paxton 47% to 45%, with Libertarian Ted Brown at 2% and 6% undecided. The two-point difference falls within the poll’s 2.83-percentage-point margin of error, making the contest statistically tied.

Paxton’s personal ratings present a larger warning sign for Republicans. Fifty-seven percent of likely voters viewed him unfavorably, compared with 39% who viewed him favorably. Talarico was viewed favorably by 46% and unfavorably by 47%.

Talarico led among women, younger voters, Black voters, Latino voters and independents. Paxton maintained advantages among men, white voters and Texans 55 or older. He received support from 85% of Republicans, while Talarico secured 97% of Democrats.

The result follows two other recent surveys showing Talarico ahead, including a Fox News poll placing him up three points and a Texas Public Opinion Research survey giving him a five-point advantage. However, Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide in more than three decades, and Republicans expect party voters to consolidate behind Paxton before November.

Sources:

• The Hill – MBFC Rating

The post Talarico Leads Paxton by 2 Points in Texas Senate Poll appeared first on News Facts Network.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s media company is charging financial firms as much as $100,000 per month for near-instant access to Truth Social posts, creating a potentially valuable trading advantage from presidential announcements that routinely move markets.

Trump Media & Technology Group launched Truth API on Aug. 1. The machine-readable service delivers posts from 10 prominent accounts within milliseconds, allowing automated trading systems to respond before most investors see alerts or manually refresh the platform.

Trump is the sole beneficiary of a trust holding approximately 41.5% of Trump Media, while Donald Trump Jr. controls the shares as trustee. Axios reported that at least five customers have subscribed, including financial news organizations and high-frequency trading firms.

The potential value quickly became apparent. Trump’s announcement canceling planned strikes on Iran was followed by a nearly 5% decline in oil prices when markets reopened. Previous posts concerning Iran, cryptocurrencies and tariffs have also produced substantial market swings.

Democratic lawmakers argue the arrangement creates an obvious conflict between presidential authority and private profit. Sen. Mark Warner introduced legislation seeking to prohibit social media companies controlled by federal officials from selling prioritized access to their posts.

Trump Media maintains that every post is already public and that customers are purchasing delivery speed, not confidential information. That distinction does little to erase concerns about a president financially benefiting from privileged access to his own market-moving communications.

Sources:

• Axios – MBFC Rating

The post Trump Media Sells Wall Street Faster Access to Presidential Posts appeared first on News Facts Network.

What I’m Discussing Today

• Kareem’s Quote of the Day: What happens to a democracy when vengeance, rather than law, begins jangling the keys to the kingdom?

• What Damaged Trump’s Reflecting Pool?: His Fox News-Trained U.S. Attorney Says It Was “Botched Installation.”

• Republicans Against Head Start for Kids: The effort to weaken Head Start shows how quickly “local control” can become a euphemism for giving children less.

• Good Genes or Good Connections?: Don Jr.’s remarkable returns raise the possibility that access to power is the best business plan.

• Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws That Changed America: Nick Kotz’s clear-eyed history reveals that lasting progress requires strategy, leverage, and compromise.

• Glen Hansard, “The Parting Glass”: This haunting farewell reminds us that the best songs can make grief feel like a hand held across the table.

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Kareem’s Quote of the Day

“Little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!”

Arthur Miller (1915–2005), American playwright, The Crucible

At the dawn of the 1950s, Arthur Miller was America’s most esteemed playwright, still basking in the glory of Death of a Salesman, his Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning 1949 drama about the death of one man’s American dream. He followed it with an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 Norwegian play, An Enemy of the People, about a man who refuses to compromise his principles even at the risk of personal and professional ruin. It spoke, obliquely, to the hysteria of the times: the Red Scare causing Americans to forfeit their constitutional rights in order to keep their livelihoods. But Miller’s next play, The Crucible, was less oblique: it found the perfect metaphor for the country’s anti-Communist hysteria in the Salem Witch Trials. Based on the manufactured accusations of disturbed teenage girls, more than 200 people were accused and 20 were executed by the local government for the practice of witchcraft.

Those girls are the “little crazy children” Miller refers to in the quote above. When I look at it now, the quote seems less applicable to the McCarthy era, when craven officials like Senator Joseph McCarthy and Congressman Richard Nixon exploited the nation’s Cold War fears for political gain, than to today, when stunted and vengeful men like President Trump, Stephen Miller, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and others in or alongside the current administration seek to punish anyone who tries to defy their will or question their beliefs.

There was a disturbing yet fascinating story in this Sunday’s New York Times about the law firm Paul Weiss, which helped to lead the resistance against the first Trump administration and tried to hold Trump to account while he was out of office. Once Trump was back in the White House, Paul Weiss became one of the first targets for Trump’s retribution campaign against law firms that had opposed him, in or out of office, which would eventually be declared illegal when the policy was taken to court. But in the meantime, Paul Weiss made the decision to settle with Trump, agreeing to perform $40 million in free legal services for clients the President favored. It was a form of ritual humiliation for a firm that had long distinguished itself by defending progressive principles, including the rights to abortion and gay marriage.

Those are big, serious issues that animate the regressive, religious right wing of Trump’s coalition. But Trump is just as vengeful, if not more so, toward people whose only fault is drawing attention to his incompetence and cruelty. Two of the stories I’ll look at this week fall into those categories: one is about a man threatened with ten years in prison for accidentally demonstrating how Trump’s ego led him to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on a defective repair job to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; the other is about a program that tries to provide help to underprivileged schoolchildren, 65 to 70 percent of whom belong to racial or ethnic minority groups.

Writer Adam Serwer summed up the thinking behind so many of Trump’s choices in a 2018 essay for The Atlantic: “The cruelty is the point,” he wrote, referring to policies like family separation at the border, the Muslim travel ban, and the persecution of the transgender community. In authoritarian countries, cruel punishments have long been considered the best way to stop people from acting in ways the government doesn’t approve of. But there’s also the pure sadistic pleasure dictators enjoy taking against groups and individuals they dislike. That seems to be what Trump hates most about the checks and balances designed to keep him at least a little bit in line with our democratic norms. He wants to hurt people. So far, our constitutional system has managed to obstruct many of his worst instincts, but 2029 can’t come soon enough.

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Luis Carlos Rúa revealed himself to be Elefante blanco just three days before election for ‘his own safety’. Now he is tackling graft from senate floor

When 102 senators were sworn in for Colombia’s latest parliamentary session, they included 32 women, 69 men – and one cartoon elephant.

He had some difficulty making his way down the narrow central aisle of Congress’s ceremonial chamber, weaving past fellow senators in sharply tailored suits and dresses, before taking the oath in his pot-bellied white plush costume.

Summer is not what it once was. We have been robbed of one of life’s great joys

Far beyond the fires raging across Europe and North America, the smoke, dangerous to breathe, hangs in the air, dimming the view, changing the very color of sunlight into something grimly unsettling.

An estimated 20,000 are said to have died in the extreme heat in Europe earlier this year, and heat is climate change’s quiet killer, compared to the dramatic violence of death by fire or flood. In eastern Washington, 600 homes have just burned down, and in both Europe and North America, firefighters have died in the effort to contain the climate-fueled firestorms.

On Tuesday, a human rights commission will hold an extraordinary hearing over the administration’s alleged attacks on protesters, journalists and others

We are constitutional law, civil rights, and human rights scholars and practitioners who have spent decades litigating government abuse cases in the United States. Despite the US legal system’s flaws, our work – from securing a record civil settlement for George Floyd’s family to holding Bolivia’s ex-president accountable in US federal court for the massacre of Indigenous protesters – has demonstrated that US courts can reign in state power and provide a path to accountability. But this pathway is narrowing.

As Donald Trump attacks the courts, weaponizes the Department of Justice, and targets attorneys who challenge his administration, we have been forced to seek justice beyond our borders.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded with fury after Corpus Christi officials announced in March that this Gulf Coast region of more than 500,000 people could face unprecedented restrictions as its water supply dried up.

The state had already committed over $750 million in low-interest loans to the city’s plans for a desalination plant, a project that would add 30 million gallons a day to the region’s water supply. But the project had gone nowhere.

“You know what they did? They squandered it, and then they changed their plan and then they were indecisive about what to do,” Abbott said of city officials in a heated response to a reporter’s question at an unrelated March press conference.

“What Corpus Christi leaders have to do is make a decision,” Abbott said. “We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on, they are going to be getting water out of their faucet, not because of what local leaders are doing but because of what the state of Texas will do.”

Even as Abbott was demanding that Corpus Christi get its act together, another agency, whose entire board Abbott appoints, was also coming undone.

In late June, board members of the Nueces River Authority learned that funding for a desalination plant the agency hopes to build, separate from the city’s, is months from running out. Additionally, the agency was spending more than it was taking in, and other contracts that had kept the authority financially afloat had been canceled.

Although the river authority’s project is a critical part of efforts to expand the region’s water supply, so far, the governor hasn’t threatened to take over the agency’s day-to-day operations. He’s consistently placed the burden of responsibility on the NRA board.

But Abbott has previously demonstrated that he can use his authority to compel other agencies to act: In March, he instructed a different river authority not to reduce Corpus Christi’s water allocation from Lake Texana. He also had the state’s environmental agency waive regulations so the city could move groundwater from Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, to its water treatment plant.

As far back as October 2022, while he was campaigning for reelection, Abbott said in an interview with KRIS 6 News that the state was working with the city and Nueces County on a desalination plan. If the city did not pursue the project, “then the state of Texas will do it for them,” the governor said. But the state is not currently involved in the city’s desalination project.

The governor appoints all 21 members of the NRA’s board and designates its president. With a majority vote of the river authority board, Abbott also can remove any board member for inefficiency, neglect of duty or misconduct. He has no such control over the Corpus Christi City Council.

Political scientists and water policy researchers who reviewed the situation told KRIS 6 News that Abbott’s decision to pressure Corpus Christi while leaving the NRA to address its problems largely on its own reflects a selective use of power. While recent rains have helped delay, though not prevent, an immediate water emergency for Corpus Christi, experts say the region still needs to develop new infrastructure projects to secure its long-term water supply.

Should water supplies drop below certain levels, Corpus Christi residents and businesses — including oil refineries and petrochemical plans — would be required to cut water use by 25 % under the city’s current Level 1 water emergency plan. Households would be capped at using 6,000 gallons of water per month, landscape watering would be banned and there would be surcharges imposed on those who exceed their allotments.

“The city of Corpus Christi needs a lot of help, it doesn’t need threats, and the Nueces River Authority is in way over its head,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “The water crisis in Corpus Christi and beyond in Southeast Texas is serious, and it’s not clear that anyone has the breadth of authority and resources to deal with it.”

What Power Does Abbott Have?

The public troubles for the NRA bubbled up as far back as March, when the agency’s then-chief operating officer sent a letter to board members accusing Executive Director John Byrum of making “materially inaccurate” statements about the authority’s finances related to the planned desalination project.

KRIS 6 reached out to the governor’s office in the spring about the accusations.

“Every member of a Texas board or commission should uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in service of the people of Texas,” Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris wrote in a statement. “Governor Abbott expects a thorough investigation into the allegations brought forth and for the Board to act swiftly once the investigation is complete.”

The board eventually cleared Byrum of “intentional wrongdoing,” but the NRA declined to release a copy of the investigation to KRIS 6 in response to a public information request; the Texas office of the attorney general has not yet ruled on whether the report can be withheld. The news organization asked the governor’s office for his response to the investigation and the board’s decision, but he did not respond.

The river authority’s unstable finances became even more apparent at a board meeting in late June, when the agency’s chief financial officer confirmed the NRA could be out of money for the desalination project by the end of August if certain contracts didn’t materialize. Since then, three of the agency’s desalination contracts, which the authority was depending on to stay afloat, expired and have not yet been renewed. KRIS 6 News asked the governor’s office whether it was aware of the agency’s continuing problems. Mahaleris again referred the news organization back to board members.

“The NRA Board oversees the agency’s operations and finances,” Mahaleris wrote June 27. “The Governor appoints board members to the state’s water authorities but does not manage their day-to-day operations. …The Governor expects accountability from appointed boards.”

While Abbott has no direct legal authority over the NRA’s policy decisions, he can use the power of his office to publicly pressure them, Ron Beal, a retired Baylor University School of Law professor whose work on Texas administrative procedure has been routinely cited by the Texas Supreme Court, wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News.

“He can say that when each member’s term ends, if the water project is not on its way, they will absolutely NOT be re-appointed to the job!” Beal wrote. “In other words, he cannot force them legally to follow his orders, but there is no doubt he has the bully pulpit and if anyone can pressure everyone to work together NOW and get it done ASAP, it is the Governor!!!!”

In a written statement to KRIS 6 News for this story, Abbott again placed responsibility on both the Corpus Christi City Council and the NRA board but did not address most of the specific questions asked.

“Despite the temporary reprieve granted by recent rain, the Governor’s expectations for the region have not changed. … The Corpus Christi City Council created this crisis through repeated failure to act on desalination,” Mahaleris wrote. “The Council remains responsible for securing reliable water for their citizens. The Nueces River Authority Board is responsible for the agency’s finances” and the desalination project.

The governor’s office did not answer questions about whether Abbott has taken steps to coordinate among the city, the NRA and other stakeholders, or about what “accountability from appointed boards” looks like in practice.

Even as the governor’s office has publicly distanced itself from the NRA’s operations, it has fought to keep from releasing its own communications with the river authority’s leadership.

KRIS 6 News filed a public information request on July 2 seeking emails, text messages, meeting notes and correspondence between the governor and members of his staff and Byrum, the NRA executive director, and NRA board President Eric Burnett. The request covered the river authority’s desalination project and any state funding, grants or loan guarantees related to those efforts.

The governor’s office confirmed on July 17 that it had records that met the parameters of the request. It did not release them. Instead, the office asked the attorney general’s office for permission to withhold the documents. The office argued that the records relate to a proposed water facility project for which state funding may be sought and that releasing them would “seriously disadvantage Texas,” but did not explain how. Abbott’s office also said the records reflect policy advice between the governor’s office and representatives of another state agency; this type of communication can sometimes be withheld under the state’s public information law.

The river authority has struggled to keep up with the demands of the desalination project, which is estimated to cost $6.4 billion. Design work on the pipeline that’s supposed to deliver the desalinated water stalled because the river authority hasn’t offered the company building it a new contract. Byrum, the executive director, has claimed President Donald Trump promised funding for the project, but the river authority has never actually made a formal request to the White House.

Jillson pointed to a fundamental mismatch between the NRA and the scale of the desalination project it’s trying to complete. The NRA staff is small, with an annual budget of up to about $5 million. It’s governed by unpaid, part-time board members who historically meet quarterly to provide broad direction.

He said the governor should direct someone in his office to determine whether the NRA has the personnel and expertise to execute a project of this scale and, if it doesn’t, to act on that finding. Without that kind of direct link between the governor’s office and the agency, Jillson said, “what you’re saying is, ‘We expect these guys to oversee themselves.’”

Byrum wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News that the authority “has the experience to oversee” the project and the option to hire additional staff if required.

The river authority did recently secure one large contract for the project: In May, the NRA selected Israel-based IDE Technologies as its development partner for the desalination plant.

Abbott toured a desalination facility in Israel run by IDE in January 2016. At the time, IDE said Abbott “expressed his intention to partner with Israeli technology companies such as IDE to develop and deploy water solutions for Texas,” as reported by Wastewater Digest.

KRIS 6 News asked if the governor, or anyone in his office, was involved in the NRA’s selection of IDE.

Byrum wrote that the “Governor’s office was not involved.” KRIS 6 News asked the governor the same question, but his spokesperson did not respond.

The Takeover Question

Abbott has a record of curbing the power of Texas cities like Corpus Christi to govern themselves. In 2015, he signed a bill that overrode a voter-approved fracking ban in Denton in North Texas and blocked cities from banning or restricting oil and gas drilling. In 2023, he signed the so-called “Death Star” bill, which preempted city authority over eight policy areas, including labor, natural resources, insurance and property.

Republican state Rep. Denise Villalobos, who represents the Corpus Christi region, previously told KRIS 6 that Abbott directed her to draft a bill that would create a state-level water infrastructure authority, something she compared to the state’s highway department.

If adopted by the Legislature when it meets next year, such an authority would take many decisions about future water supplies away from locals.

Villalobos did not comment for this story. Abbott’s office did not answer questions about the proposed legislation.

Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told KRIS 6 this summer that his office had looked into how a takeover would work and found no examples in Texas of the state stepping in to run a water operation or water corporation. The closest parallel, he said, is the state’s ability to take over ailing school districts.

Abbott’s threat to take over Corpus Christi’s desalination project runs into other unsettled legal territory the governor’s office has not addressed publicly, said Gabriel Collins, a lawyer and research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy who studies water and energy policy.

Under Texas law, surface water, meaning rivers and lakes, is public property, giving the state a clear line of authority. Water pumped from the ground is considered private property, belonging to the person who owns the land above it, and is regulated locally.

Desalinated seawater fits into neither category. Collins said a legal case could theoretically be made that water drawn from within 3 miles of shore falls under state jurisdiction, but he said he isn’t aware of anyone making that argument in this context.

“That would be a massive shift in water policy in the state of Texas,” Collins said.

But the legal question may be less important than a practical one, Collins said. Would a state takeover of Corpus Christi water regulators, even if it could be done, actually make a difference?

“Or would you be better off resolving those fundamental problems by having the state be a catalyst and a facilitator financially that helps the local political authorities solve a problem?” Collins said.

The post Greg Abbott Blasted Corpus Christi for Its Water Crisis. A River Authority He Has Power Over Is Falling Apart. appeared first on ProPublica.

Voters are going to the polls Tuesday in five states: Michigan, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Washington.

Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer created the new Office of the Surgeon General last month to work on public health messaging and advise the administration. It raised questions about duplication of roles in the Division of Public Health and the cost of the office, which remains undetermined.

Weeks after Gov. Matt Meyer announced the state would open its own Office of the Surgeon General, Delaware’s top state senator said lawmakers were blindsided by a nearly $270,000 request to fund the position. 

While the position will not cost taxpayers additional money this year, it is unclear how it will be funded in the future.

Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola (D-Newark) said in a statement Monday he supports the position, but he wants to know more about the role and how it would interact with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS).

“Unfortunately, the administration announced Dr. Hockstein’s new role before it had any discussions with the Legislature and before requesting the job reclassification necessary to create the Surgeon General position,” Sokola said in the statement. 

According to a statement from the Delaware Senate Democratic Caucus, DHSS requested what is called a “reclassification,” where it would change the title and pay grade on one of its already existing positions.

That reclassified position would cost $268,795, if approved as is, according to a caucus spokesperson. DHSS requested a base salary of $200,803 for the surgeon general, but other benefits like health insurance and state retirement plans increased the proposed cost. 

But the position DHSS seeks to reclassify only cost $119,668, meaning the agency must shuffle $149,127 from within its budget to fund the position the way it desires.

A spokesperson from DHSS confirmed the position would be paid for with already approved funding. It is unclear, however, from where the agency plans to reallocate more than $149,000.

DHSS submitted its funding request on July 1, after this year’s legislative session had come to a close, according to Senate Democrats. The state budget office approved the request on July 23, sending it to the Office of Controller General, the legislature’s budget analysts, where it awaits final approval.

“Discussions amongst legislative leaders are continuing as they carefully and responsibly review the reclassification request for the surgeon general position,” the Democrats’ statement said. 

Representatives from Meyer’s office directed Spotlight Delaware to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) when asked about the new surgeon general’s cost to Delaware taxpayers. 

Meyer signed an executive order in July creating an Office of the Surgeon General in Delaware, which will be responsible for public health messaging and improving health outcomes. 

Delaware joined a handful of other states like California, Florida and Michigan that also have state-run surgeon general offices. It also comes as some states, including Delaware, have rebuked the federal government’s public health policy recommendations coming from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump-appointed secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Meyer selected Dr. Neil Hockstein, chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission and an otolaryngologist – better-known as an ear, nose and throat doctor – to serve as the inaugural surgeon general. 

He officially started in the position on Monday. 

Hockstein has served as a close advisor to Meyer since the start of his term in 2025, working to allocate and manage how Delaware will spend hundreds of millions of federal dollars meant to bolster rural healthcare.

He has also worked as a physician in Delaware for decades, with ties to both local and regional health systems. As surgeon general, Hockstein will act as Meyer’s “chief physician advisor” and work as a deputy cabinet secretary in DHSS.

Who is Neil Hockstein?

Hockstein has worked in a variety of roles within Delaware, as well as in nearby Philadelphia. He is a Delaware native who grew up in north Wilmington, and has worked in Delaware as a doctor for 20 years.

Hockstein received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, graduated from Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College and completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania. 

He is the chief medical officer of Parallel ENT and Allergy, which offers management support for ear, nose and throat practices and helps them to “weather healthcare sector changes.”

He is also an assistant clinical professor at Jefferson, where he teaches otolaryngology.

Hockstein currently serves as the chair of the Delaware Healthcare Commission, which is a board of health professionals responsible for recommending how to improve services in the state. 

In recent months, he also has served as a close advisor to Meyer, who is a longtime friend. During the early months of the COVID pandemic, Hockstein advised Meyer, who was then serving as New Castle County executive, on the county’s virus testing program.  

Now, as the state awards hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts through the federal Rural Health Transformation program, Meyer has once again turned to Hockstein.

In June, the state announced it would award a $78 million contract to Thomas Jefferson University, Hockstein’s alma mater. Bid reviews obtained by Spotlight Delaware show Hockstein sat on the scoring committee responsible for reviewing Jefferson’s bid to run Delaware’s first medical school. 

Asked about his teaching role and its connection to the bid, he said because he worked as a volunteer, he did not need to recuse himself. Additionally, he said he “specifically looked into it” because of the appearance of a conflict.

“I don’t get paid for teaching them, but I teach them,” he said. “And so they give that as a sort of an honorary thing.”

As Hockstein steps into his new role, he said he plans to take a step back from a large portion of his clinical work, as well as some of his outside leadership roles. Starting at the end of July, he said he would no longer be on call for surgical emergencies. His last day in the operating room was July 28.

Why open a new government office?

Meyer announced the new office on July 13 with the goal of improving how the public receives public health messaging, as well as working on initiatives that improve health outcomes.

The state is also opening the office nearly a year after it had sparred with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., over its public health recommendations and vaccine rollbacks. 

Meyer’s office said in its announcement that the office was important because “federal public health agencies face growing political interference and eroding public trust.” 

In September 2025, as the federal government began revising vaccine recommendations, Delaware and other states publicly countered the revised guidelines. When Delaware refuted the federal government, Meyer issued a “standing order” to pharmacists to “ensure ease of access” for people seeking the vaccines in the state. 

It mirrored efforts in other states like Massachusetts, whose governor ordered her state’s insurance carriers to continue to cover vaccines, even if they were not recommended by the federal government.

Delaware joined with Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to collectively focus on “developing evidence-based recommendations on vaccinations, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and supporting state public health labs.” 

Meyer also emphasized that the coalition would base its recommendations on “science” – an apparent reference to recent federal policy decisions that critics say were to appease politics and not backed up by scientific data.  

Separately, the nation has had to contend with different viral outbreaks this year, including a measles outbreak, which has impacted at least 42 states.

Delaware public health officials declared a measles outbreak after confirming four cases in Kent County at the end of July. The announcement came just days after the state announced it had confirmed its first case of the virus in more than a decade.

“Science must continue to determine how we keep our state healthy, and that science says vaccines save lives and protect our communities,” Meyer said in September.

The post New Delaware surgeon general’s office could cost $269K appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

Micaela Jaime and her family had front-row seats to an inferno that has burned hundreds of structures in Washington state and led to one arson arrest.

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed leads in polls against centrist Haley Stevens as party looks to regain control of US Senate

The Democratic party faces a crucial test of its direction on Tuesday as voters in the midwestern swing state of Michigan decide whether to nominate for US Senate a progressive candidate advocating for universal healthcare or an-establishment-backed moderate.

The state’s Democratic primary is the latest high-profile battle over the party’s future, as it seeks to chart a course back to power in Washington following Donald Trump’s victory in 2024.

The Pentagon is using a new method of tallying the number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded in the Iran war that a U.S. government official said was “designed to obscure the count.”

Since the start of the conflict, the Department of War has posted the official count of casualties on the website of the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, which tracks “deceased, wounded, ill or injured” service members for Congress and the president. This official total of dead and wounded personnel, as documented over months of reporting by The Intercept, has been a gross undercount, stemming from what that same official previously called a “casualty cover-up.”

But after a series of Iranian strikes on U.S. facilities in the Middle East in July, the Pentagon last week rolled out a new approach. Casualties since July 7 are now counted separately on a new webpage with a generic designation: “Overseas Operations.”

Two hundred and seventy-three U.S. troops were killed or wounded since July 7, according to the Monday total on the new Overseas Operations page.

When combined with the existing DCAS page for the Iran war, the official count stands at 704, an 83 percent increase in casualties since April 8, the day the first ceasefire deal was struck between the Trump administration and Iran. When counting known casualties overlooked by the DCAS page, the total exceeds 900 personnel.

For months, the Pentagon has failed to comment on DCAS anomalies reported by The Intercept nor the reason for the change in the way it now counts casualties, which was first reported by the New York Times. Last week, the Pentagon told the newspaper that “since Operation Epic Fury has concluded, the department classifies casualties as overseas operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.” Central Command oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

“This is certainly designed to conceal the count of the wounded,” the official said, while noting that “incompetence” has also caused confusion in the casualty count.

The change comes after a July 20 rant by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell who claimed reports of a Pentagon effort to withhold news of dozens of U.S. casualties were “baseless and malicious” and a U.S. official’s disclosure to The Intercept that same day that recent attacks on U.S. bases by Iran had wounded “far more” personnel than the Pentagon had acknowledged.

The casualty spike resulted from Iranian attacks on at least nine U.S. outposts across the Middle East since July 9, according to a second U.S. official who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the press.

Iran’s military managed to overwhelm U.S. air defense systems using a mix of attack drones and advanced ballistic missiles, despite months of claims by President Donald Trump and self-styled War Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s military was annihilated.

Last month, the tally of wounded personnel fluctuated by the day in the wake of increased Iranian attacks. On July 21, the casualty count on DCAS for Operation Epic Fury, the military’s official designation for the Iran war, stood at 500. Now, it has shrunk to 431.

Related

Trump’s Formula for Forever Wars

For months, The Intercept found anomalies with the counts offered on the DCAS website. On April 21, for example, the number of wounded-in-action troops declined by 15 without public acknowledgment by the War Department. Despite repeated questions for months, the Pentagon has not commented on the disparities in its casualty count.

Prior reporting by The Intercept also found DCAS is missing hundreds of dead and wounded personnel from Epic Fury. The Pentagon list of the names of the dead is still missing Maj. Sorffly Davius, a signals and communication officer with the New York Army National Guard who was assigned to the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division and reportedly died of sudden illness while on duty in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, on March 6. Davius’s death was widely acknowledged even as it was excluded from the the official count: Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., spoke about him during a memorial service that month, and Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recognized Davius while “honoring our fallen.”

While DCAS provides a running tally of “non-hostile” deaths — meaning those who died from accidents or by illness — it doesn’t include “non-hostile” injuries. The DCAS figures for Epic Fury show that 65 Navy personnel were wounded in action. Missing, however, are the more than 200 sailors treated for smoke inhalation or lacerations due to a March 12 fire that raged aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford. The aircraft carrier had been conducting round-the-clock flight operations to, Caine said, “project combat power” in the Middle East.

Recent reporting by the War Horse, using Pentagon records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, found more than 400 casualties were recorded between February 28 and April 8. Seventy occurred on March 18 alone, but this huge single-day toll was never reported by the Pentagon.

The records provide more granular detail than DCAS, revealing that at least 17 troops sustained life-threatening injuries. They show that U.S. troops suffered shrapnel wounds, broken bones, smoke inhalation, and other injuries. The most common injury recorded, however, was head trauma — which affected at least 170 troops, according to the data.

President Donald Trump has long dismissed brain injuries as “headaches” and “not serious.” 

The post The Pentagon Found a New Way to Undercount U.S. Casualties in Iran appeared first on The Intercept.

The Lindsay Clancy trial​ resumed with excerpts from her diary and testimony from doctors who treated Clancy and her children on the night of the murders.

The carrier is incrementing its plans to “2.0” versions and giving customers the option of paying off devices over 36 months.

Decades after the last plume of lead-laced smoke rose from a smelting plant in Omaha, Nebraska, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica found lead in concentrations that pose a threat to people’s health in soil throughout east Omaha. 

Our investigation began more than two years ago, when Leah Keinama, who previously worked for a food security nonprofit, could not find up-to-date information about lead contamination for gardeners in Omaha. Keinama, now the director of civic journalism at the Nebraska Journalism Trust, and reporters at the Flatwater Free Press knew about the city’s refining history, so they teamed up to find out whether concerns about lead exposure were still warranted all these years later.  

The Environmental Protection Agency declared a 27-square-mile area within the city a hazardous waste zone, known as a Superfund site, after the American Smelting and Refining Company closed in the 1990s. That prompted a lengthy period of testing and remediation. Today, unless Omaha residents pay for private testing, there aren’t many avenues to find out how much lead is in their soil if their property had been tested by the city and EPA in the past.

A Community-Informed Investigation 

Throughout our reporting, we heard from hundreds of Omaha residents who said they didn’t know about the city’s lead history. Some said they believed that because the EPA had already cleaned up thousands of properties that had high concentrations of lead in the soil, there was nothing to worry about. 

Our goal was to reach people in every neighborhood in and around the Superfund site. So we knocked on doors, hung up flyers around town, visited a community health center, attended multiple events, partnered with local libraries, and spoke to a college classroom to invite people to sign up for free soil testing. We also posted our online form in various social media channels and shared the news with other local media. We made our reporting available in Spanish, as roughly 10% of residents living within the Superfund site don’t speak English.

Flatwater Free Press initially partnered with local libraries and a community-based organization to distribute do-it-yourself kits with instructions on how to collect a soil sample. We received fewer than 100 samples using this method before switching to a sign-up system in which residents indicated they wanted our team to collect soil from their yard.

After a resident signed up for testing, a member of the reporting team (usually Keinama or Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling) went to their home, put on latex gloves, wiped down a stainless steel spoon with an unscented wipe and scooped about 3 to 4 tablespoons of soil from the middle of the yard into a sealable vial. We made sure not to collect samples too close to the house or too close to the road, which the EPA has found can be overly contaminated by paint or the remnants of leaded gasoline, respectively. When demand for testing increased, we hired two part-time soil collectors.

We sent labeled samples to Accurate Analytical Testing, an EPA-accredited lab, for $10 per test. Once we received the results from the lab, we informed residents (unless they had opted out of receiving their result) and put together a guide to answer some of their top questions. 

Our soil collection process differed from the EPA’s method of taking multiple composite samples from five sections of the yard. We chose to take a single sample from one area of each yard to reach more people and keep costs reasonable. In a few cases, we took multiple samples from the same yard and tested each sample individually but used only the highest result for our analysis.

The EPA said sampling a single area “can be strongly biased high or low” compared to composite sampling. However, several of the nine environmental contamination experts we spoke to said single samples can offer broad conclusions about contamination in an area when enough are collected, which several experts felt we had achieved. Some said our sampling would likely underestimate contamination on a property. 

Other experts said our testing method would not accurately depict lead levels across a particular yard because of how variable the contamination can be. At the same time, experts also told us the EPA’s method of gathering multiple composite samples can still miss hot spots or underestimate contamination. 

What We Found

Over the past two years, we used the EPA’s sampling protocol as guidance to collect soil from 620 homes in and just outside of the Omaha Superfund site. (We’re continuing to collect samples from the nearby cities of Bellevue, Nebraska; Carter Lake, Iowa; and Council Bluffs, Iowa.)

We matched each home at which we took a soil sample with Omaha’s lead registry, which includes details like the address’ remediation status and results of the EPA’s testing, and compared our test results with historic data. Some homes that had previously undergone the EPA’s remediation process had high levels of lead contamination, our analysis found.  

• We tested 150 previously remediated yards. One in 10 of those yards’ results came back with a concentration greater than 400 parts per million, the level the EPA used to decide which yards to clean up.
• Nearly all of the previously remediated yards that tested above 400 parts per million are within 100 yards of another property that originally tested above the EPA cleanup threshold but was never remediated. A third had two such neighboring properties. That proximity could mean that the previously cleaned-up yards we tested were recontaminated by properties where the soil was never replaced, one expert said.
• Many of the 241 homes we tested within the Superfund site that had never been remediated also showed high levels of lead. Of those homes, 1 in 20 had a concentration higher than 400 parts per million, according to our test results.
• Across Omaha, 41% of the 620 yards we tested had more than 100 parts per million in their soil sample, a level that an EPA model shows could cause high blood-lead levels in children. Within the Superfund site, more than half of the almost 390 yards we tested had more than 100 parts per million. 

Our testing shows that lead contamination at levels that pose a risk to residents’ health is fairly widespread — even in sites that the EPA previously addressed.

Throughout our reporting, we spoke to nine experts in environmental and lead contamination to make sense of our findings. Several said the EPA should do more testing and possibly cleanup in Omaha.

We asked the EPA about our findings. The agency said it will work with the city of Omaha to “investigate the outcomes you have noted” and work with the city and property owners to take corrective action if needed in accordance with 2009 cleanup guidelines.

The post The EPA Doesn’t Typically Retest Homes in the Country’s Largest Residential Lead Superfund Site. So We Did. appeared first on ProPublica.

A Guardian investigation finds irrigation canals polluted with microplastics in Turkey, a major destination for UK waste

• ‘Nobody cares’: Turkish farmers bear the burden of UK’s plastic waste problem

High levels of microplastics and other plastic contamination have been discovered in a waterway close to a major recycling hub in Turkey supplied with plastic waste by British companies.

The polluted waterway, which floods into agricultural fields after heavy rain, feeds into a larger canal used for irrigating crops on the Çukurova plain, in the city of Adana, in the south of the country. It is one of the largest and most fertile agricultural basins in Turkey.

Shortly after buying her house in 2022, Mary Royers learned from a man across the street that her Omaha, Nebraska, neighborhood was contaminated with lead. But her yard, like thousands of others, had been cleaned up, the neighbor said.

Royers wanted to be sure. So the 36-year-old educator checked a website where the city tracks the soil test results of every home in a 27-square-mile area surrounding the site of an old lead smelter. She saw “remediated” written in bright green letters. The federal government had completed the work two decades ago. An expert must have tested the dirt and determined the problem was solved, she thought.

Relieved, Royers set about sowing the garden of her dreams. Hours disappeared as she thrust her hands into the soil, tearing up the grass and planting purple coneflower for bees to harvest and prairie grass to sway in the breeze.

“You have the green light from the city. That means everything’s safe,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘Thank God I don’t have to worry about that.’”

But a soil test conducted last fall by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica found otherwise: Royers’ yard still has more than 1.5 times the level of lead that the Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup was supposed to have eliminated.

Reading the emailed results, she felt “gut-wrenching disbelief,” she said.

“All I could think about was the dirt under my nails and all over my face,” said Royers, who has largely given up gardening for now. She explained later, “It felt like a betrayal of that trust.”

Since 1999, the EPA has spent $273 million digging up and backfilling nearly 14,000 yards across east Omaha to address contamination left from the smelter and other factories downtown. It’s the largest residential lead cleanup in the country. And the agency’s Superfund program has repeatedly heralded it as a success.

But, it turns out, Omaha’s soil might not be as safe as officials have advertised. The news organizations tested soil from more than 600 properties, including 150 that the EPA said had been cleaned up. In those tests, 1 in 10 yards marked as remediated still had enough lead to qualify for cleanup under the original guidelines. And nearly a quarter of the properties we tested in east Omaha could qualify for further study under new guidance released by the Trump administration last fall.

The results suggest the EPA has more work to do, said Howard Mielke, a longtime researcher of lead-contaminated soil who’s considered one of the field’s foremost experts. Not only should the agency clean up the areas that tested above the remediation level, he said, but it also should test other homes.

“If you find a couple of high results, chances are many high results will be nearby,” said Mielke, an adjunct professor at the Tulane University School of Medicine.

Some experts and environmental advocates said our findings reflect weaknesses in the EPA’s approach to cleaning up residential lead sites, which can leave a lot of lead behind.

Jeff Tittel, former director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey, the state with the most Superfund sites, said he repeatedly watched the EPA declare its work done after wrongly assuming everything had been cleaned up.

“On paper, everything’s wonderful,” he said, “but at the sites, there’s still chaos.”

The EPA declined an interview request with senior officials overseeing the Omaha cleanup.

In an emailed response, spokesperson Kellen Ashford said the EPA is committed to cleaning up contaminated sites to protect residents and the environment. “The diligent cleanup efforts have led to a dramatic decrease in elevated blood lead levels” in Omaha, he said. (While the percentage of kids testing high for lead has dropped significantly, as it has nationally, kids in the Omaha site still test high for lead at rates above the national average.)

Ashford said the EPA could not assess the news organizations’ results without further investigation, but property owners can reach out to the EPA or the city of Omaha, which now manages the site for the federal government, if they have concerns.

“Because it would not be possible to completely remove all lead,” Ashford said, the EPA and the city also try to educate the community about lead risks and precautions.

The city is already responding to the news organization’s findings.

The day after receiving her results, Royers forwarded them to the city’s lead office, asking if anything could be done. An employee tested her dirt and found even higher levels than the news organizations did. The city plans to clean the yard up again in August, Royers said.

But the EPA and the city have refused to clean up or test properties of others who have reached out about their high lead results.

The agency has also not said what it plans to do about properties that are below the current cleanup level but above President Donald Trump’s new screening level, which could prompt further action. Any update would come after a new site study the agency plans to release in October 2027, Ashford said.

Royers and her partner, Stephen Matthews, are thankful for the new cleanup, but they wonder: How many other Omahans may be misled or unaware about lead contamination in their yards?

“We’re one house out of thousands,” Matthews said.

What Might Have Gone Wrong

It’s difficult to identify why some cleaned-up properties still test high for lead.

That’s in part because Omaha’s lead problem is almost as old as the city itself. The American Smelting and Refining Company produced lead to make batteries, cover cables and enrich gasoline for more than a century. After the smelter closed in 1997, the EPA estimated the plant and other factories had dumped 200,000 tons of lead dust — enough to fill at least 1,600 rail cars — across Omaha’s east side.

At the time, the Superfund program, which had started only a decade before, was still trying to figure out how to clean up residential sites like Omaha’s, then home to 125,000 people. Old factory sites could be bulldozed and excavated, the contaminated material carted away. But the Omaha site involved people’s homes and yards.

The agency tested nearly every yard in east Omaha and came up with a plan: It would dig up and replace parts of yards that had a concentration of more than 400 parts per million of lead — the equivalent of a marble in a 10-pound bucket of dirt.

But that meant that some properties were cleaned up while neighboring ones that had only slightly lower levels of lead were not.

Hewing to that kind of strict standard doesn’t make sense, said Gabriel Filippelli, an Indiana University earth sciences professor and longtime lead researcher.

“From a scientific standpoint, a 390 is the same as a 410,” Filippelli said. “It’s the same as a 400. They’re all about the same value.”

Failing to clean up neighboring properties can also lead to recontamination over time. When it’s windy and the ground is dry, tiny lead particles in the dirt — generally about one-hundredth the width of a human hair — become airborne and spread, Filippelli said.

When the Superfund program started, the agency cleaned an entire yard if its average lead level among multiple samples was over the limit.

But by the time the Omaha cleanup started, the method had changed. In Omaha, it divided yards into five sections: two in the backyard, two in the front yard and a thin ring around the home’s perimeter called the dripline, which often contains the most contaminated dirt but can also contain remnants of lead paint.

The agency took multiple samples per section of yard and replaced a section’s soil only if the average was over 400 parts per million. This approach could lead them to miss hot spots or leave behind areas that have high lead levels but are just under the cleanup threshold. Contractors also did not dig up the driplines if another part of the yard wasn’t over the limit.

This could explain why the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica’s testing found that about 1 in 20 homes that didn’t qualify for cleanup originally now tested above the cleanup threshold. In addition, the news outlets found several properties outside the Superfund site that were over the limit.

In the early days of the cleanup, Don Preister, a longtime Omaha lead advocate and former state senator, argued for the EPA to clean up entire yards and to lower the level of lead that would qualify for remediation, calling the agency’s solution a half-measure.

But the EPA decided that its approach made the most of limited money and prioritized the highest-risk areas. One EPA manager told Omahans in 2004 that the choice to remove only sections of yards was “economical,” according to meeting records.

“It brought out feelings of hurt,” Preister said of the EPA’s choice. “Children are likely to still be impacted, and their health affected.”

The EPA’s national guidelines did advise against “‘patchwork clean-up’ patterns which are prone to recontamination” when adjacent sections are high. But the agency didn’t give clear guidance on how to implement that, several former site managers said, and some felt they had to follow the rules strictly or risk violating federal law or agreements with companies paying to clean up their pollution.

Ashford acknowledged that the agency has to adhere strictly to its cleanup plans but said in some cases, like an industrial site near a residential area, the EPA may clean up to a lower level to prevent recontamination.

Another problem was that east Omaha was full of older homes that contained lead paint that could recontaminate cleaned soil over time. Following local pressure, the EPA agreed to test homes’ paint. If it contained lead, the agency repainted the outside. But the EPA did not repaint houses whose soil did not also qualify for cleanup. Studies in urban areas have found homes with deteriorating paint have contaminated nearby gardens.

Ashford said an EPA study found most lead-based paint contamination in Omaha was within 6 feet of the house.

Brenda González Rocha, who has lived in her south Omaha home since 2020, thinks both soil and paint are to blame for the lead that doctors found in her 4-year-old daughter’s blood. Her basement had lead paint, which she hired a company to fix.

But although the EPA cleaned up her yard in 2012, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica tests found levels of lead that are higher than before the agency remediated it. González is surrounded by properties with lingering lead. A yard down the street that had high lead levels was never remediated. The banks of the nearby highway were never dug up and replaced. The house next door has lead paint on it, according to the city lead website.

Ashford said it’s unlikely that wind-blown dust from one house to another would recontaminate cleaned areas with enough lead to surpass the cleanup level.

But nearly all the remediated properties the newsrooms tested that were over the cleanup threshold are within 100 yards of a property that originally qualified for remediation but wasn’t cleaned up. A third had two such neighboring properties.

González’s eight kids, between 8 months and 22 years old, love to play outside. They jump on the trampoline, ride bikes and play soccer. Now González is anxious whenever they’re in the yard.

“I worry that this could affect their quality of life,” she said. “I would feel bad if something happened to them during their development. I would feel responsible.”

“Benign Neglect”

Once the EPA chooses a fix for a Superfund site, it is generally required to review the site every five years to update the public on the progress of the cleanup. But the ways those reviews are done leave unanswered questions about whether the solution is working and how much lead is in Omaha today, said experts who examined the reports for the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica.

In their reviews, government officials in Omaha track how intact the grass is on top of the new soil. If it is exposed or has been disturbed, it could be a sign that any remaining lead is no longer safely underground and could blow around.

But they don’t retest a representative sample of properties.

Cleanups often take several tries to get right, said Tittel, the former New Jersey Sierra Club director, and recontamination or missed contamination can be a huge problem.

Tittel said he has seen similar patterns in New Jersey. In 1979, Tittel helped show EPA employees where the Ford Motor Company dumped industrial waste into abandoned mine pits. Since then, he has seen the mess declared a Superfund site, marked safe, become a Superfund site again and spawn a lawsuit that Ford settled in 2009 as locals continued discovering more hazards.

“It’s sort of a benign neglect when it comes to these sites,” Tittel said. “Government just wants to get it over with because it’s taking so long. They end up cutting corners or looking the other way.”

A Ford spokesperson said the company takes its environmental responsibility seriously and has been working with state and federal officials to clean up the site.

Retesting soil does not appear to be standard at other sites, according to reviews examined by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica. But it should be, said Debbie Chizewer, a managing attorney with the environmental law group Earthjustice. Without ongoing testing, the EPA can’t really know if its solution is working, she said, and residents won’t know how toxins in the environment are impacting their health.

“I think for the five-year review to be meaningful, you need to do testing,” she said.

Ashford said the EPA retests properties on a case-by-case basis, such as when construction disturbs the soil. The periodic reviews, which in Omaha have led to an ongoing reevaluation of the site’s cleanup level, allow the EPA to ensure these unique, complex sites protect people and the environment over time, he said.

Steve Zivny, who leads Omaha’s Lead Information Office, also said new testing and cleanup decisions depend on factors such as whether kids live at the home and whether they have tested for a high lead exposure.

The EPA’s reviews of the Omaha site do point to some potential problems. In 2024, inspectors found 98% of the lawns had been disturbed, indicating a risk that buried lead could be exposed. That includes having weeds, bare soil or demolished buildings. But the EPA tested only 32 sites where homes had been demolished and found six exceeded the cleanup level. To them, that indicated the solution was “generally protective; however, more data should be collected to support this conclusion,” according to the report.

Those figures, however, trouble Ian von Lindern, who oversaw lead cleanup at an Idaho Superfund site for more than 30 years. He doesn’t doubt the federal government did a good job hauling away tons of toxins in Omaha. But he’s sure they couldn’t get all of it.

At the Idaho site, the EPA requires people to request permits from a local health district before digging in their yards. Local health employees can also test residents’ dirt, and, if it’s above the cleanup level, it may qualify for further remediation.

Without someone keeping a close eye on the fixes, recontamination can occur as people dig up lead-contaminated soil or unremediated soil is allowed to blow around.

“Those remedies are, I don’t want to use the word failing, but they’re becoming less effective,” he said.

Royers worries many homes in Omaha fit that description.

This summer, the educator is letting the weeds grow freely in her garden. Pretty soon, the city is going to replace it anyway.

The thought makes her feel guilty. More people should know about potential lead in their yard and have access to tests and cleanups. But that would require acknowledging that after decades and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, there are cracks in the cleanup. Royers isn’t sure that will happen.

“The priority is pretending like things are OK,” she said. “Clearly it’s not.”

The post The EPA Heralds Its Omaha Cleanup as a Success. But We Found Many Yards Still Have Toxic Levels of Lead. appeared first on ProPublica.

The president’s bombast has ceased to rattle world leaders, who have seen him fenced in by courts, rebuffed by Congress and strung along by Iran.

US president hits out at ExxonMobil and Chevron, saying they should ‘give some of that back to the public’

• Business live – latest updates

Donald Trump has criticised oil companies for “making too much money” from the global energy market disruption caused by his war on Iran.

Brent crude had been trading at about $70 (£52) a barrel before the first US-Israeli strikes at the end of February, but by the end of April it had soared as high as $126 and is now trading at about $85 a barrel.

I almost decided to trash this whole video but then felt there's still benefits in publishing it despite all the technical difficulties... also, see Cameron's comments here: https://youtu.be/91ib8QhXMkE 0:00 - Intro, First Impressions, Assembly 4:00 - Tire 5:15 - Riding Singletrack 7:20 - NO MORE INSTA360 7:25 - Riding with Cameron 8:45 - ATR Tuning for trails 10:00 - Cruising and chatting on fire roads 13:40 - Cameron on Singletrack + Crash 19:05 - Atom FIRMWARE 27:40 - Final impressions, table drop

Journalist’s son says his mother was examining leak from Electrogas, part owned by Yorgen Fenech who is on trial

Daphne Caruana Galizia was investigating suspected corruption by the businessman Yorgen Fenech and members of Malta’s government when she was killed, a jury has heard.

The heir to one of Malta’s biggest fortunes, Fenech is on trial for murder, accused of commissioning and paying for Caruana Galizia’s killing in a car bombing in October 2017.

Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from Behind the Black: In a new bid to get the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to move from Hawaii, which has blocked its construction for more than a decade, the Spanish government has put together a $1.14 billion package that would not only pay for construction on the Canary Islands, but would finance an additional half century of operations. Tech Times provides some additional details: The package is conditional on the TMT International Observatory formally choosing La Palma as its construction site. The financing architecture has three pillars and two additional contingent instruments. The first pillar is 400 million euros (approximately $456 million USD) from Spain's Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, routed through the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI). This figure was first pledged a year ago in July 2025 as Spain's initial bid. The second pillar is a 300 million-euro (approximately $342 million USD) loan from the EIB [European Investment Bank] itself -- subject to satisfactory completion of the bank's technical, financial, and legal due diligence and approval by its governing bodies. The third is a potential 300 million-euro (approximately $342 million USD) participation from the Instituto de Credito Oficial (ICO), Spain's state development finance institution, evaluated under equivalent conditions to the EIB loan but subject to its own separate analysis. Spain's export credit agency, Cesce, may also provide coverage instruments, and the EIB has left open the possibility of expanding its support through intermediated financing mechanisms or guarantees.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lender was told money was being taken without authorisation, with cash used to buy credits for Claude chatbot

A Metro Bank customer has told of his fight to get more than £14,000 back after its systems failed to stop a fraud involving the AI chatbot Claude.

Zoli Rutter, a businessman from Sussex, had a total of £14,244 taken from his bank account. The scam involved fraudsters buying credits to use Claude.

Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summer

Three lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity.

Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation.

Large tabby cat that wiped out dozens of rare pāteke, or brown teal, has been killed after eluding trappers with its ‘very erratic’ behaviour

A notorious feral cat given the name “Nine Lives” because it eluded trappers for three years has been caught and killed in New Zealand, ending its devastating rampage against one of the country’s rare duck populations.

The cat, a large grey tabby, is estimated to have killed dozens of New Zealand’s rarest mainland duck – or 1% of its population – plus a host of kiwi chicks, native geckos and other native wildlife during the three years it was known to be roaming the Purerua peninsula, near the top of the North Island.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal prosecutors have dismissed the remaining three cases alleging vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ending all four prosecutions launched after the Trump administration blamed individuals for damage later attributed to defective renovation work.

The misdemeanor charges against Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Cameron Thiers followed a felony indictment against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Prosecutors dropped Hearn’s case Friday after Interior Department records showed the pool’s peeling liner resulted from a rushed and flawed installation rather than vandalism.

Hearn’s attorneys had argued that the government’s own witness acknowledged substantial preexisting damage and could not identify repair costs caused by Hearn. Despite that evidence, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro initially presented the prosecution as a straightforward property-destruction case.

The consequences were not limited to court appearances. Carreno’s attorney said his client lost his government contracting job after his arrest and could no longer afford his home. Attorneys for the other defendants described weeks of fear and reputational damage caused by accusations that should have been investigated before charges were filed.

President Donald Trump has continued insisting that vandals damaged the pool, despite his own Justice Department abandoning every case. The dismissals leave four people to absorb the damage caused by prosecutions built around an administration narrative the evidence did not support.

Sources:

• Mediaite – MBFC Rating

The post DOJ Drops All Four Reflecting Pool Vandalism Cases appeared first on News Facts Network.

Campaigners say people who have had cancer face discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insurance

German politicians who have survived cancer have spearheaded proposals to protect people long in remission from what they call rampant discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insurance.

The policy known as “the right to be forgotten” (RTBF) is a central demand of a community estimated to number 5.5 million people in Germany: former cancer patients who have been given a clean bill of health by their doctors.

Inside Skyral, part of a consortium that won a £2bn MoD contract to help forces game out complex decisions

On a sunny July day in Riga, Latvia, a Nato convoy drives down a street lined with kebab shops and a pharmacy. At a downtown intersection, there is the sound of an explosion and the lead tank bursts into flame.

These are real streets in Riga – Lāčplēša iela and the downtown corridor of Tērbatas iela. The kebab shops and the pharmacy are on them. The pedestrians who flee after the tank explodes and huddle at a distance are modelled after the population of Riga: some old, some young, some friendly to Nato, others less so.

Farmers warn impact of high temperatures, drought and wildfires on range of foodstuffs means costs will increase

Farmers across Europe are warning of a slump in food production and rising prices as crops from maize to salads suffer as a result of extreme heat, drought and wildfires.

Olive groves have also been hit as the climate crisis drives temperatures across the continent to fresh record highs, meaning the cost of olive oil – already at elevated levels – is expected to start rising again.

A new Taiwan option.

How America gets stuck in its allies’ fights.

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,872 for Tuesday, Aug. 4.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Forbes: The cost of producing new results on ten longstanding mathematical problems just fell to $2,000, according to OpenAI, which says its Astra model generated machine-checkable proofs for questions that had resisted human progress for decades. OpenAI published the work on August 1 and used it to give its next major model family a name: Astra. The results run across group theory, high-dimensional geometry, coding theory, quantum complexity, lattice cryptography and extremal combinatorics. They arrived as a 249-page manuscript collection and, alongside it, something the field has not seen attached to an AI claim before at this scale: a machine-checkable certificate for every single result. The problems were not textbook exercises dressed up as discoveries. Each had been open for at least ten years, most of them far longer, and several sit at the center of their subfields: - A construction establishing the existence of non-sofic groups, a question that has occupied group theorists for years. - A disproof of Connes's rigidity conjecture, a long-standing problem in the theory of von Neumann algebras. - An improvement to the general upper bound on sphere-packing density in high dimensions, a bound that had stood since 1978. - Three problems come from the catalogue of open questions left behind by Paul Erdos. The announcement follows another result from May, when OpenAI used a similar reasoning model to produce an original mathematical proof disproving a famous unsolved conjecture in geometry, which was first posed by Paul Erdos in 1946.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Meta glasses - they're everywhere, and people have a lot of opinions. Mostly about their ability to take photos and videos.

Rafqa Touma speaks to Guardian Australia's technology reporter, Josh Taylor, lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, and the Human Technology Institute's responsible technology policy specialist, Lauren Perry.

MEGAN MCGRATH
Managing News Editor

A man was found guilty of murder, among other charges, for killing a university student while driving a stolen U-Haul van on Main St. in April of last year.

Gordon Turner, a 23-year-old New Castle resident, was identified as the driver of the stolen vehicle by the Newark Police Department shortly after the incident. He was fleeing from the police when he killed Marina Vasconcelos, a university student, and critically injured another. 

On June 5, Turner was officially convicted of murder in the first degree, manslaughter, two counts of assault in the first degree, six counts of assault in the third degree, two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, disregarding a police signal, reckless endangerment in the second degree and theft of a motor vehicle.

Last year, on April 29, officers approached Turner and the passenger in the van while they were parked because the U-Haul was past due. He sped away as they approached, colliding with a police car. Although the police did not pursue the vehicle, Turner continued to speed down Main St., resulting in the fatal crash.

Vasconcelos was a 24-year-old, third-year doctoral student pursuing a degree in chemistry and biochemistry at the university. Another graduate student was critically injured in the crash, along with minor injuries to other pedestrians.

Since the crash, students and community members have called for change regarding pedestrian safety on major roads surrounding the university. 

“This conviction is an important step toward justice for the victims and their families, who have endured unimaginable loss and pain,” Newark Police Department Chief Mark Farrall said in a statement.

As he waits for his sentencing to be scheduled, Turner faces a minimum mandatory life sentence in prison.

"She folded like an umbrella," President Trump said of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Five federal employees have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s exclusion of gender transition treatments from government employee health insurance plans.

The lawsuit alleges the Office of Personnel Management violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on sex. The plaintiffs seek treatments for themselves or covered family members and argue that the policy singles out transgender and gender-nonconforming employees.

Beginning in January, federal and postal employee health plans generally stopped covering hormone therapy, hysterectomies and other procedures when provided for gender transition. The same treatments may remain covered when prescribed for other medical purposes. Limited continuation exceptions are available for some people already receiving care.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation said affected workers have considered draining savings, delaying treatment or leaving federal employment because they cannot afford care independently. A UCLA Williams Institute estimate cited by the plaintiffs indicates the change could affect at least 39,400 employees, retirees and dependents.

OPM maintains that its policy complies with President Donald Trump’s directive recognizing sex as biologically fixed and requiring federal insurance programs to exclude transition-related procedures. The plaintiffs are asking a federal court to restore coverage and prohibit enforcement of the exclusion.

Sources:

• The Hill – MBFC Rating

The post Trump Administration Sued for Denying Transgender Workers Medical Coverage appeared first on News Facts Network.

This live blog is now closed.

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On Tuesday, we’ll bring you the latest from Michigan where voters will head to the polls for competitive primaries in Senate and House races.

The most closely watched competition is the Democratic primary for the US Senate, where congresswoman Haley Stevens is up against former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. They’re vying to ultimately win the seat of outgoing senator Gary Peters in November. The race has now turned into a proxy battle for the future of the Democratic party. Establishment-backed Stevens has received support from party leaders and her race has been buoyed by millions from the pro-Israel lobby. Meanwhile the insurgent El-Sayed has built a strong grassroots movement and is endorsed by progressives lawmakers in the Democratic caucus.

Residents and farmers say contractors have tapped border aquifers that threaten water supply for those nearby

Construction crews building a border wall in New Mexico were ordered to stop drilling new wells after ranchers said that pumping groundwater to produce concrete could threaten their livestock amid a severe drought.

The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of Donald Trump’s key domestic priorities – barriers that span four states and received over $46bn in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, and border-town residents and environmentalists have reported a wide variety of issues with construction.

Since Friday, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office has dropped charges against three more people accused of vandalism.

The post Trump Summons Pirro After Reflecting Pool Case Collapses appeared first on News Facts Network.

Prime minister Sanae Takaichi visited Kumamoto prefecture almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit, killing 38 people

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has visited the south-western prefecture of Kumamoto, where recovery efforts are being hampered by heat and a lack of water supplies, almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed dozens and caused widespread damage.

Thirty-eight people died during the quake, including one person who died of apparent heatstroke while taking shelter in a car in hot weather, officials said on Monday.

• UFC says Nascimento died in his sleep

• Brazilian flyweight was 34 years old

• Last fought in split-decision loss in June

UFC fighter Allan Nascimento has been found dead at home at the age of 34, the organisation has announced.

The Brazilian flyweight was pronounced dead after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep.

Populist Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens top the Democratic field going into Tuesday's Senate primary. Former Rep. Mike Rogers is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback calls failure to pay Briana Whatley money owed ‘an oversight’

A far-right Republican candidate in Florida’s governor’s race has been accused of stiffing a high school debate champion over the better part of $11,000 in scholarship money she won from a company he founded.

Student Briana Whatley landed the awards as regional and national champion of Incubate Debate, a league-style competition set up by the candidate, James Fishback, to encourage youth to engage in political discourse.

PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5; Game Freak/Fictions
Game Freak channels a post-apocalyptic reality that reflects our own repetitive erosion cycles, with a fair bit of hand-holding

Most of your time in Beast of Reincarnation is spent collecting last words. You cross paths with robots lying on the ground, who muster whatever energy they have left to provide guidance. These interactions are fleeting. Attempt to talk to them a second time, and protagonist Emma makes their fates painfully clear: “They’ve already passed on.”

The latest detour by Game Freak, the studio best known as the primary developer of Pokémon games, is an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Japan. Taking cues from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and NieR: Automata, you wield the sword of an outcast accompanied by an ever-loyal canine. The pair embark on a taxing and often monotonous journey to defeat the titular beast, which nonetheless serves a thematic purpose to bolster a decaying reality, while reflecting a possible future for ours.

The Justice Department argued that the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters had until Jan. 6, 2023, to sue the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, missing the deadline to file a lawsuit by over two years.

The security suite’s new Student Protection Program covers three devices for eligible students at US universities.

Democrats say agreement – which clears way for Blanche’s confirmation – makes promises president can easily reverse

A compromise between Todd Blanche and two Republican senators that potentially cleared the way for Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general is weak, Democrats and several experts said, as it makes promises Donald Trump can easily reverse.

Blanche, the acting attorney general, posted two documents on Sunday evening showing he was withdrawing an 18 May order allowing for the creation of a $1.8bn anti-weaponization fund and clarifying that broad tax immunity the justice department granted to Trump only applied retroactively to the president, his sons, and businesses.

Computer scientists who can’t get enough FP64 performance for their modeling and simulation workloads, and who aren’t interested yet in trying out emulation methods such as the Ozaki scheme, may be interested in AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI430X GPU, which is expected to deliver a whopping 288 teraflops of native double-precision performance when it ships in early 2027. That’s nearly 9x more than Nvidia can muster with its Rubin GPU, and nearly 40% more than we expected.

The performance numbers that AMD shared during its Accelerating AI 2026 launch event two weeks ago are gaudy. The highlight of the show arguably was the AI-oriented MI455X GPU, which was built on AMD’s new CDNA 5 architecture and features 40 petaflops of FP4, 432 GB of HBM4 capacity, and up to 23.3 TB per second of memory bandwidth.

The MI455X is AMD’s flagship GPU for AI workloads, and it matches up fairly well with AMD’s chief rival Nvidia and its new Rubin chip, which delivers up to 50 petaflops of FP4 inference performance along with 288 GB of HBM4 memory and 22 TBps of peak memory bandwidth. Along with the new line of MI400 GPUs, AMD officially launched its new Helios rack, which is where all the all the other stuff needed for AI (CPUs, DPUs, NICs, switches, and interconnects) will live.

Source: AMD

AMD launched other products in its MI400 line of Instinct GPUs, including the HPC-oriented MI430X. The new chip, which is based on the older CDNA 4 architecture, is no slouch. It gets the same allotment of 432GB HBM4 memory and the same 23.3 TBps of peak memory bandwidth as the MI455x. This should help to alleviate the memory bandwidth crunch that’s currently impacting AI.

But the big number is that 288 teraflops of native FP64 compute. That is nearly 9x more FP64 capacity than Nvidia’s Rubin, which offers just 33 teraflops of FP64. But it also delivers big jumps in FP64 capacity compared to AMD’s previous chips, including a nearly 4x increase over the 77 teraflops of FP64 that AMD delivered with the MI355 GPU, and nearly 3.5x more performance than the 81.7 teraflops of FP64 that AMD delivered in the MI325, which was the chipmaker’s HPC-oriented GPU and is based on the older CDNA 3 architecture.

With the MI430x GPU, AMD is staking a flag in the ground for native FP64 performance and its importance to running traditional modeling and simulation workloads. By comparison, Nvidia is leaning on Ozaki emulation to boost the FP64 capability of its chips. With Ozaki, FP64 capacity goes from 30 teraflops (native) to 150 teraflops on Blackwell, while Rubin goes from 33 teraflops (native) to 200 teraflops of emulated FP64 capacity.

The DOE’s new Discovery machine will run MI430X GPUs

The Ozaki scheme has been a bit controversial in the HPC community, with some claiming that it works as advertised and others saying it runs the risk of giving hte wrong answer and also won’t work with the majority of HPC apps. Satoshi Matsuoka, Director of the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, published a paper in support of Ozaki emulation following the TPC26 conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Hartwig Anzt, the chair of computational mathematics at the Technical University of Munich, gave a good presentation at ISC 2026 on some of the opportunities and challenges of our new mixed-precision era. While it appears that Ozaki will work for some HPC applications, it’s going to take some time to figure out which those are (memory-bound apps will see no benefit even if it works, while compute-bound ones may see some benefit).

In the meantime, since Ozaki is so new new and unproven, customers like the Department of Energy are not ready to go full emulation with its new supercomputers. That includes Discovery, the new leadership-class supercomputer that will be installed at Oak Ridge National Lab. The DOE has already selected the MI430X GPU for that machine. Alice Recoque, the new exascale machine going into the CEA’s TGCC supercomputing center in France, similarly will employ MI430X GPUs.

Thomas Zacharia, AMD’s SVP of strategic technical partnerships and public policy, said it’s all about meeting customer demands.

“We want to meet customers where their needs are, whether it is more accurate hardware based results, or if you want just to run large language models that does not require 64-bit, that’s where our MI455X comes in,” Zacharia told HPCwire at the recent Genesis Mission Summit in Washington, D.C.

Thomas Zacharia, AMD’s SVP of strategic technical partnerships and public policy

Zacharia cited AMD’s investment in chiplet technology in giving it the flexibility to mix and match its technology to meet customer needs. The MI430X and MI455X share quite a bit of technology, including the memory subsystem. But the MI455X features many more low-precision CDNA 5 processor cores, giving it considerably more oomph for FP4, FP8, and FP16 workloads than FP64. (The MI455X does offer 5 teraflops of peak FP64 performance, so it’s not nothing.)

“The 430x has a different balance between AI workload and modeling and simulation workloads,” the former ORNL director said. “The reason why that is important is that’s a design point for mixing modeling and simulation, which is the existing code base for all the science that we talk about, and bringing in more AI. So it is a different balance point. It is the right balance point. And as we go through that shared journey, we will continue to learn and continue to develop products that are fit for purpose.”

Interestingly, the MI430X will feature more FP64 capacity than HPCwire estimated it would have back in March. We based that estimate on a combination of things, including the current processing capacity and memory bandwidth of the existing MI355 and the desire, as stated by AMD Fellow Nick Malaya, that AMD would seek to create a new chip that offered balance between processing capacity and memory bandwidth.

Since Malaya told us the new MI430X would have 19.6 TBps of memory bandwidth, we had a number to start from, leading to the estimate that the MI430X would ship with between 192 teraflops and 204 teraflops of peak FP64 performance. Well, it turns out that the MI430X actually is going to ship with 23.3 TBps of memory bandwidth, which is nearly 20% higher than expected. That doesn’t account for the entire spread, but it covers some of it.

In any case, AMD is clearly showing that it’s ready to deliver the FP64 capacity that its customers demand. If customers like the DOE demand large amounts of native FP64 to ensure accuracy with modeling and simulation workloads, then AMD is ready to give it to them.

The post AMD’s FP64 Boost with MI430X Is Even Bigger Than Expected appeared first on HPCwire.

Shares soar as yearly revenue up 93%, even as opposition grows to company’s role in Trump immigration agenda

In a sea of companies reporting mixed financial results this quarter, Palantir stands out. Although Palantir was not immune to the AI jitters that caused industry-wide drops in share prices earlier this year, the AI and analytics company reported that its overall revenue grew 93% year over year to $1.94bn. That’s well over the $1.8bn Wall Street expected Palantir to bring in for the second quarter.

The glowing financials sparked a 10% surge in share prices in the immediate aftermath. Despite growing opposition to Palantir’s work with various governments including the crucial role the company plays in the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, the company’s revenue from US government contracts grew 90% year over year to $809m.

The planet parade is happening around the same time as Perseids and the upcoming solar eclipse.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump declined to call for Rep. Max Miller’s resignation Monday, praising the Ohio Republican while describing the domestic abuse dispute involving Miller’s ex-wife as “a very sad thing.”

Miller’s former wife, Emily Moreno, has accused him of physical abuse and threatening behavior during their marriage. Her father, Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, said Miller represents a danger to his daughter and granddaughter and “should not serve” in Congress. Miller denies the allegations and has vowed to remain in the race.

Trump characterized the conflict as a difficult family matter and said Miller had been “a good person” in his dealings with him. The president stopped short of withdrawing his support or demanding that Miller leave office.

The response comes as Republicans worry the allegations could endanger a previously reliable GOP district. Party leaders reportedly contacted White House officials while considering whether Miller could still be replaced before Ohio’s ballot deadline.

Miller, a former Trump White House aide, has accused his ex-wife and her family of making false claims during a bitter custody dispute. Moreno, however, said his family endured two years of “pure hell” and that Miller displayed a pattern of dangerous behavior.

Democrats increasingly view the controversy as an opportunity to capture the seat as control of the narrowly divided House remains at stake.

Sources:

• The Hill – MBFC Rating

The post Trump Defends Ohio Rep. Max Miller Amid Abuse Allegations appeared first on News Facts Network.

The 37,000 affected customers can file a claim from now until the Sept. 1 deadline.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Earlier this summer, nearly 160,000 applicants took the entrance exam for UNAM, Mexico's largest university. For the first time, they did it completely remotely, using a "lockdown" browser and AI-powered webcam proctoring software, over several weeks from late May through early June. It was a disaster. When exam results came in, they bore little resemblance to past results, especially at the top. Between 2021 and 2025, 3.5 percent of test takers scored 100 or more on the 120-question UNAM test. This year, 16.3 percent did so. The story was even worse at the highest of the high end. Between 2021 and 2025, 0.9 percent of test takers scored 110 or more; this year, 5.5 percent did so. The surge in top scores led to accusations of widespread cheating, and UNAM appointed a commission of experts to investigate the situation. The group was given the unwieldy name "la Comision Tecnica de Personas Expertas para la Revision del Proceso de Seleccion de Ingreso a Licenciatura para el Circlo Escolar 2026-2027/1," and it has just submitted its recommendations. The commission believes that the best path forward, given all the concerns, is to administer a "control exam" -- that is, applicants will have to sit for another test, and they will do so in person. This control exam will apply not only to those who secured a spot at UNAM based on this year's test but also to everyone who would have been admitted based on minimum successful scores in their program of study since 2021. About 58,000 people could be affected, and places at UNAM will now depend on the results of the new test. (Details on the control exam should appear soon; classes are currently scheduled to begin on August 10, so everything will have to move quickly unless the school decides to delay classes.) According to Gaceta UNAM, the school's official news publication, the university rector has apologized to honest applicants, since they will now have to prepare for and take the test again despite doing nothing wrong. Still, the control exam is "necessary to give certainty and guarantee equity in access," the rector added.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

President Donald Trump continues to insist damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of vandalism, despite a Department of Justice motion filed on July 31 that placed the blame squarely on a contractor’s “botched” installation of the pool coating “and not vandalism as initially represented” by the Department of Interior.

According to a motion from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro to dismiss a felony destruction of property charge against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, it wasn’t until after Hearn was indicted that the Department of Interior provided prosecutors with “additional documents … indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor … and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”

“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Aug. 1. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM. … There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”

That same day, Trump posted what he purported was video evidence that “[t]he material is being cut with a knife or a box cutter, for all to see!” There are some images and videos from reporters that indicate people on June 19 — once the peeling pool was already a major news event — broke off already-peeling coating or held pieces in their hands.

For weeks, Trump has maintained that vandals cut a “300-foot slit” in the pool’s new liner with either a knife or box cutter. (He later claimed that “thugs” cut a gash “300 yards long.”) The administration has never provided evidence of such extensive vandalism.

As we wrote on June 25, experts told us there were plausible explanations for the peeling related to the installation, rather than vandalism.

That was ultimately the conclusion reached by Pirro. And she provided detailed evidence that the DOI was long aware of installation issues related to the repairs of the reflecting pool.

“DOI provided less than fulsome information at the outset of this case,” Pirro wrote in the motion.

Pirro said she and other senior members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office began to question the DOI’s claim that nearly all the damage was due to vandalism when they did a visual inspection of the reflecting pool on July 17, and they “immediately noted extensive damage throughout the now-drained pool.” Pirro said she demanded the DOI provide further information, and that the subsequent information “strongly suggest[ed] that a rushed and botched installation by [Atlantic Industrial Coatings], the primary contractor, led to the damage to the lining of the Reflecting Pool. It was not until [prosecutors] repeatedly reached out to DOI dozens and dozens of times that DOI slowly started trickling information to [prosecutors]. Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment.”

“Specifically, the newly released documents reveal that work on installing the lining almost immediately fell behind, due to a combination of very rainy and windy weather, repeated failures of testing on the sealing of the expansion joints, and delays in obtaining sealing product at the worksite,” Pirro wrote. “The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed.”

“Almost immediately after work was initially completed, peeling was observed along the pool perimeter,” the motion states. A National Park Service engineer wrote an email on June 11 that “stated that the cause of the damage was contractor error via ‘overspray.'”

That email was written more than three weeks before Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and insisted the liner “didn’t peel off. There … was vandalism. There was box cutters.”

Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash if he was “100% sure that what happened with the liner was vandalism” and if he “can prove it,” Burgum responded on July 5: “Oh, yes, absolutely, Dana. And we drain it, and we have got all the photographs, we can see. I mean, there’s no possible way … I’m not sure why you and others in the media think that you want to keep trying to question whether or not — think, this is an industrial liner. Every farmer and rancher in America that’s had their pickup liner lined by this sprayed-on liner knows that you literally — literally, it would never just like peel off or fall off. … And it’s the size of eight football fields. And the only way you can end up with actual slices in one spot and not the other is that someone physically cut it.”

But according to Pirro’s motion, a July 20 inspection by contractors “confirmed that overspray and delamination had occurred, again pointing to contractor error. Finally, a recent visual inspection showed damage throughout the Reflecting Pool, even in the middle of the pool, where a vandal would not likely attempt to peel the lining. Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The motion was an about-face for Pirro, who in a July 2 press conference said there “was an effort, a violent effort, to rip up the sealant from the bottom of the pool” and that there was “tremendous evidence” that Hearn “damaged the pool.”

Pirro said then that she had visited the pool the day before and “someone intentionally did a tremendous amount of damage to the pool, and you can actually see where all the cutting is. They took a sharp object and cut for many feet along the pool.”

We reached out to the Department of Interior for comment about the motion, and its claim that the DOI withheld important information from prosecutors. The press office pointed us to an X post from Burgum on Aug. 1, in which he continued to insist the damage to the reflecting pool was done by vandals.

“The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool. Some of these acts were even caught on camera,” Burgum wrote. “We also provided the U.S. Attorney’s office expert and eyewitness testimony to the damage done by vandals and provided every piece of evidence they asked for in the requested time line detailing each area of damage at the pool. … We won’t back down to deranged people who want to destroy, deface, or degrade our monuments.”

We also reached out to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for comment on Pirro’s motion, but we did not get a response. However, the company posted a message on its website on June 21 stating that — in conjunction with the National Park Service — it had identified “some areas in the Reflecting Pool that require repairs.”

“These areas are a very small part of the massive 7 acre project, and do not indicate a failure of the liner,” according to the statement. “As soon as its feasible for the Park, the pool will be drained and AIC will be back to make those needed repairs as part of the warranty.”

The Department of Interior awarded a no-bid contract on April 3 to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to paint the reflecting pool, with supplemental agreements issued through June 15 to total $14.7 million. The agency justified not getting bids from various contractors by saying the project was urgent and needed to be completed by July 4.

In addition to Hearn, a handful of others have been charged with vandalism of the reflecting pool, and three face misdemeanor charges of destruction of property under $1,000, the New York Times reported. Hearn was the only one to face a felony charge.

Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102. 

The post Trump’s Continued Claims of Vandalism at Reflecting Pool Disputed by U.S. Attorney Memo appeared first on FactCheck.org.

We now have a better idea of what the Chromebook successor might look like.

Coalition of 25 states asks US Court of International Trade to halt tariffs and declare them them unlawful

• Trump imposes fresh tariffs on dozens of trading partners

A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration on Monday over new tariffs pegged at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the supreme court in February.

The states are asking the US Court of International Trade to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties that have already been paid.

Apple says its lower-cost MacBook Neo is beginning to displace Windows laptops and Chromebooks in K-12 schools, with several districts purchasing thousands of units. According to the company's latest earnings call, nearly half of the large MacBook Neo purchases made by U.S. educational institutions last quarter reportedly replaced competing platforms. 9to5Mac reports: Apple's commentary highlighted some large district deployments moving to Neo Pinellas County Schools, one of the largest districts in Florida, which is moving its 25k students off Windows and onto MacBook Neo across its 18 high schools. In Washington, Peninsula School District 401 moved over its 8,000 students from Chromebooks to MacBook Neo. Midwest City-Del City School District in Oklahoma purchased more than 6,000 MacBook Neos to become an all-Apple district for students.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The cameras would reportedly assist Siri, rather than be used to take photos, but questions remain.

The order asks AI companies to share previews of powerful new models with the government before they are released to the public.

The eclipse is technically a partial lunar eclipse, but at 93% coverage, it’s close enough.

President Trump said U.S. oil companies made "too much money" from high oil prices. "I'm not happy about it," he added.

Years of pressure from SpaceX’s Starlink have pushed the legacy satellite provider into a Chapter 11 filing. Here’s what it means for customers.

Over 50,000 people last week risked their lives to cross the border between Morocco and Ceuta, the tiny Spanish enclave in north Africa, in the hope of making it to mainland Europe.

The vast majority have already been returned to Morocco; fewer than 2,000 refugees remain on Ceuta and are, according to on-the-ground reports, in urgent need of food and shelter. Over 80 people reportedly died during the crossings, most from drowning.

The crisis for those seeking to enter Europe through Ceuta last week, including those who have been sent back, has already been framed according to a putrid, far-right political fulcrum. As a wide array of responses to the situation on Ceuta make clear, a commitment to harsh border regimes is not the sole preserve of the far right.

Once again, liberals and centrists who claim to decry the right’s anti-immigrant stances are themselves treating immigrants as a threat to be secured against.

For the international far right, images of thousands of desperate young African men entering European Union territory — little matter that Ceuta is, in fact, not on mainland Europe — has been fodder for predictable racist fearmongering and calls for extremist border rule. Far-right leaders blamed the crossings of the left-wing Spanish government’s extremely reasonable plans to regularize over 1 million undocumented immigrants who have already been living and working in Spain for at least five months.

“It’s terrible. Remember that picture. That’s going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in,” President Donald Trump told Fox News, in a groundless attempt to use the suffering on Ceuta to his advantage. A spokesperson for the White House decried Spain’s new immigration regularization proposal as “far-left, globalist policies.”

Related

From the Mediterranean to Mexico, Capt. Pia Klemp Believes Rescuing Refugees Is Worth Facing Prison Time

Meanwhile, conservative and right-wing leaders across Europe and the U.K. echoed similar sentiments, conjuring the old lie of an “invasion” confronting the West. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed Spain be suspended from the Schengen Area. A total of 22 EU leaders, including Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, wrote a joint letter to the European Commission expressing “serious concerns” about how Spain’s decision to grant legal status to immigrants served as a “pull factor.”

In response to these attacks and criticisms, several liberal and centrist politicians, institutions, and media organs have pushed back. Analyses in the New York Times and The Atlantic have stressed, for example, that not one of the people who crossed into Ceuta managed to make it to mainland Europe. These responses are framed as a counterpoint to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s right-wing critics.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also defended Sánchez against right-wing attacks, by praising the Spanish authorities’ “swift handling” in “successfully preventing illegal movement onwards to mainland Spain and Europe.”

Sanchez himself took a similar line.

“In less than 48 hours, my government has succeeded in fully restoring control over the border,” he wrote on Saturday in a response to criticism from other European leaders.

The mainstream defense against far-right fearmongering, then, was merely a regurgitation of the right’s anti-immigrant premise. Stopping immigrants who have been forced to take irregular routes, according to this logic, is a good thing. What the far right got wrong, by the lights of these centrists and liberals, was not their virulent racism, but rather that the claims of an “invasion” of Europe are not factually accurate.

“Spain and Germany’s centrist responses have been to ‘assure’ the E.U. that borders are fortified,” wrote migrant justice organizer and scholar Harsha Walia on Instagram. “This rebuttal simply buttresses the premise of border securitization.”

The reasons for the surge in crossings are not yet fully known; speculation abounds about the role of Moroccan and other state forces. A few things are, however, clear: Misinformation had spread in the preceding days on social media suggesting, falsely, that a recent Supreme Court ruling in Spain would prevent the Spanish authorities returning immigrants.

Related

Trump’s National Killer Police Force

In a world of increasing and inevitable mass migration, it is a moral failure to treat the swift removal of immigrants as a victory. Such a framing is also a gift to the far right, who will continue to benefit within a political consensus that treats immigration as a bad thing.

Only a few voices on the European left have placed focus where it belongs: with supporting immigrants who remain on Ceuta.

“What is happening in Ceuta is not a natural disaster, but the result of political decisions,” said Clara Bünger, a member of Germany’s The Left Party. “Germany and the EU have a duty to help with providing for refugees and to take in those seeking protection.”

“People are fleeing war, poverty, and the climate crisis,” she noted. “Higher walls won’t stop them; they will only make the escape more deadly. The most important thing now is that no one else dies.”

The post Liberals Are Ceding Ground to the Far Right on Ceuta Border Crossings appeared first on The Intercept.

• Israeli striker scored, then gestured at CF Montréal fans

• Revolution ‘strongly condemn’ the chants

The New England Revolution have denounced chants they deemed “antisemitic” and “discriminatory” from CF Montréal fans during Saturday’s MLS matchup between the sides in Quebec. The specific chants were directed towards New England’s Israeli striker Dor Turgeman, with broadcast microphones capturing fans chanting “free Palestine” shortly before he scored a goal.

MLS on Monday confirmed it was “aware of reported antisemitic and discriminatory language directed at a New England Revolution player” and that the matter is under investigation.

A foldable iPhone could be coming soon, but CNET readers would make other changes instead.

Microsoft reportedly plans to let developers bring Xbox 360 games to PC and next-generation Xbox devices, with a gradual rollout expected between 2027 and 2028. A separate disc-to-digital program would also give players transferable digital licenses tied to their physical Xbox discs, preserving the ability to resell or trade them. The Verge reports: With 360 games, developers can opt into making them backward compatible, and they will have control over things like a game's price and if it's available on Game Pass. The feature is expected to have a "gradual" rollout between 2027 and 2028 "across next-gen devices." The "full launch" of original Xbox games on PC is also set for October 2026; the initial program announced in July included just four games. The document also includes details about a way for players to get a digital version of a game that they already own on a physical disc, which The Verge's Tom Warren reported on in July. The document says that if a player puts an Xbox One or Series game on disc into an Xbox One or Series X console with a disc drive, they'll be granted a digital license that's bound to "that disc and the player's account." The license will stay with a player across Xbox devices, but if the disc "changes hands," the license will transfer to the new person. That should mean that gamers can still trade and sell discs; once the original owner of a disc does so, they can't play the digital version they got from that disc anymore. According to the document, a public beta for the disc-to-digital program was set for July with general availability set for August. We understand Microsoft had originally planned to test its disc-to-digital program with Xbox Insiders in July, but the beta was delayed. It's unclear if the timeline of August general availability is still accurate.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Two Michigan residents who had "significant underlying health conditions" have died after contracting cyclosporiasis, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.

• Berg is a senior partner at private equity firm 26North

• Commissioner will take over on 1 January 2027

The Major League Soccer board of governors has voted to install Los Angeles FC co-managing owner Larry Berg as the league’s next commissioner.

Berg will succeed Don Garber as the head of the 30-year-old league, with a term starting on 1 January 2027. He will be the third commissioner in MLS history.

The CDC has tracked reports of illness in 45 states, and Michigan has reported two deaths.

The post Video Appears to Show Worms in Water at California ICE Facility appeared first on News Facts Network.

theodp writes: During Microsoft's 2026Q4 earnings call, CEO Microsoft Satya Nadella took time to tout a dashboard he personally created using AI from a Morgan Stanley analyst's PDF research report, which suggested a rosy payback for the so-called MAG7's ('Magnificent 7' companies) massive capital expenditures on AI (to which Nadella later added a "not financial advice" disclaimer). "It would be fun for you, Adam. I think one of your colleagues put out an ROIC [Return on Invested Capital] document. I took that document to Copilot, which is a PDF, and I said, 'Build me a new Power BI dashboard, essentially.' But here is the thing. It built a rich semantic model that went into my Fabric with OneLake that brought all the data in from the external sources. In fact, it was current with all the SEC filings of all the MAG7. And then on top of that, the repo itself is in GitHub, but the artifact is sitting in my Copilot as a site. That, to me, is a classic example of an enterprise-wide workflow. I, as a knowledge worker, could go create a dashboard. The data engineer can go to Fabric and find the artifact. The professional developer can go to the repo and find it in GitHub. And by the way, it's all registered with Agent 365. That's a little bit of what Amy is describing as the coming together of a new way to work, even while at the same time, bringing IT, security and manageability of it." After Nadella's show-and-tell drew an underwhelming response during the call ("That's very helpful. Thank you." said the Morgan Stanley analyst whose team's work Nadella scraped with AI), Nadella turned to social media with posts on LinkedIn (12M followers) and Twitter/X (8M followers) to make the case for why his DIY project was such a brilliant demonstration of how AI enables governance, controls, security, development, testing, deployment, maintenance, data analysis/modeling, visualization, usability, and value. "Some more detail on the ROIC Intelligence App I built yesterday and mentioned on today's earnings call," Nadella wrote on LinkedIn. "I took the PDF that Brian Nowak at Morgan Stanley put together for Hyperscale ROIC this week and used Copilot code (coming in our new superapp) with a single prompt + skill (/drill-me) to create the plan, then used autopilot in auto to create the full app (with history, lookups, scenarios, what-ifs, etc). And /rubber-duck to test. And the best part is that all the artifacts are in my enterprise environment. My app is in Copilot, my code is in GitHub Enterprise; all my data pipelines/lake/semantic models are in Fabric. And everything is under Agent 365 IT/Sec/FinOps control! So this is not about Tokenmaxxing or vibe coding. Every step of the way the rails are engineered to create value, making everything a long-term reusable asset, with governance/security, and cost controls. This is the full system to drive business value. Disclosures: This is all pulled from public sources, and for illustrative purposes only...not financial advice! :) Here is the app and architecture..." Not unexpectedly, the accompanying screenshot of a splash page for the BI app and a buzzword-laden complicated architecture diagram drew universal praise from LinkedIn fans, but also a few barbs from less-than-impressed commenters on Nadella's Twitter/X post, some of whom suggested Nadella's project might even represent a jump-the-shark moment for AI mania. "That he doesn't see whats wrong with saying 'My app is in Copilot, my code is in GitHub Enterprise; all my data pipelines/lake/semantic models are in Fabric' is exactly why MS is failing at AI,'" replied @PassingPixels on X/Twitter. "Dude is having to run 5 different systems to emulate babies first vibe code." @zigmund_ignatov added, "Why do we call glorified slide show an app?" @Mathupiriyan quipped, "Looks like Copilot just turned a PDF into a profit crystal ball." Unimpressed, @Markusndnb remarked, "So you created a web page using tons of proprietary MS tools." And @FishyAccounting called on Nadella to show-his-work, saying "Post the prompt or it didn't happen." (btw, Microsoft President Brad Smith similarly declined to provide the prompt for his own self-described amazing AI DIY reporting project that he touted at Microsoft's Shareholder Meeting last December). So, does Nadella's self-promoted AI reworking of someone else's PDF research report strike you as an amazing example of everything that's good about AI, or does it conjure up memories of The Emperor's New Clothes?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

US president expects negotiations to begin in next day or two but Iran says it is not reviving talks with Washington

New talks between Washington and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country, Donald Trump said on Monday.

Trump said he expected negotiations to begin in the next day or two to reopen the strait of Hormuz and create a pathway for Iran to address the US’s concerns about its nuclear programme.

Updated framework aligns Axelera’s product names with its scalable AI architecture, making it easier to identify products optimized for embedded, edge and server deployments

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, Aug. 3, 2026 — Axelera AI, a leading provider of purpose-built AI acceleration technology, announced a new product naming framework for its AI acceleration products, bringing the entire portfolio under the Axelera master brand. Products are now identified by what they are optimized for: Axelera Embedded, Axelera Edge and Axelera Server, followed by a short number that signals silicon generation, optimization point and relative performance at a glance.

The updated naming reflects the strategy Axelera has followed from the start: building an AI architecture optimized for the constraints of embedded and edge environments, then scaling that same architecture across servers. The new naming provides a more intuitive way for customers to understand how products relate to one another while reinforcing the common architecture that connects them.

Importantly, this is a naming update rather than a product change. The new naming convention does not impact the silicon, products or software tools built on the company’s Metis architecture, which is already in-market and used by hundreds of customers.

For customers, the product descriptors identify how each product is optimized, not where it must be deployed. Customers remain free to deploy any board wherever it best solves their business problem, including, for example, using an Axelera Embedded card inside a server when it’s the most efficient fit.

Axelera’s underlying architecture names, Metis, Europa and Titania, continue to designate the company’s silicon generations for developers and technical audiences, while the customer-facing Edge, Server and Embedded naming provides a clear framework for the product lineup. The Voyager software platform is unchanged.

Full details, including the complete old-to-new name mapping and a guide to reading the new names, are available on the Axelera AI blog: https://axelera.ai/blog/same-amazing-products-updated-naming.

About Axelera AI

Axelera AI is a hardware and software company purpose-built for AI inference acceleration. The company’s products are built on Digital In-Memory Computing (D-IMC), delivering high performance and energy efficiency across every segment of compute, at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions. Through a technology platform that scales across use cases, Axelera AI supports multiple industries, from healthcare to industrial automation, from retail to security, from robotics to enterprise AI. Axelera hardware is built on an AI processor roadmap that spans single-digit watt options optimized for embedded and edge, and rack-level deployment for servers. The Voyager toolkit is a single software stack spanning the entirety of Axelera’s hardware, which simplifies adoption and maximizes end-to-end performance. Axelera’s team spans more than 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia and raised over $450 million in financing. Working with more than 500 customers, Axelera AI is solving real-world problems and unlocking future possibilities. For more information, visit axelera.ai.

Source: Axelera AI

The post Axelera AI Introduces New Product Naming to Reflect Embedded-to-Server AI Strategy appeared first on HPCwire.

Don’t want your chatbot conversations to be used for AI training? Here’s what to do.

Apple's practice of mixing employees' work files with personal iCloud accounts reportedly left some former staff with continued access to confidential documents, messages, and even new updates after leaving the company. "The former employees said many Apple files they had been shared on over their careers at the company -- including planning documents for product launch events -- continued to sync to their personal devices through the iCloud storage service after they left Apple," reports The Information. "In some cases, they even received notifications about fresh updates to the documents. Some former employees said they were petrified to delete the files for fear that doing so would attract Apple's attention." MacRumors reports: Apple files get mixed in with employees' accounts because the company encourages them to use their personal Apple Accounts with their work iCloud account. Employees are given a 2TB iCloud plan and are able to merge the storage with their existing Apple Account or create a new account. Since only one primary account can be signed in at a time, most opt to use their existing account to avoid having to carry two iPhones. Apple has a managed folder for workplace files that it revokes access to when an employee leaves, but some internal documents aren't saved there automatically and shared files end up mixed in with personal content. Employees can also retain access to iMessage chats and files shared via the Messages app. Lingering access to Apple systems is central to Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI. In its filing, Apple alleged that former employee Chang Liu breached Apple's systems using a "rare, previously unknown authentication bug" to download files while he was working at OpenAI. Apple told The Information that the OpenAI lawsuit is unrelated to any files left available on iCloud and that it does not pursue legal claims against former employees who accidentally have Apple documents in their personal iCloud accounts. "This case is about OpenAI employees wrongfully taking Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products. Nothing in the filing relates to documents shared by, or stored in, iCloud."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2026 — Fabric.AI, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, and Kopin Corporation, a leading developer of microdisplay and MicroLED technology — joint developers of the Neural I/o MicroLED-based optical interconnect technology — today announced the publication of a jointly authored white paper, “Optical Interconnects as a Critical Enabler for Next-Generation AI Infrastructure,” examining why data movement — not compute — has become the primary constraint on AI infrastructure, and how MicroLED optical interconnects address it.

The publication follows the companies’ ongoing collaboration to commercialize Neural I/o, a MicroLED-based optical interconnect platform designed to address the growing bandwidth and energy demands of next-generation AI infrastructure. The white paper outlines the technical and architectural principles underpinning that platform and explains why MicroLED-based optical interconnects may offer a more scalable and energy-efficient alternative as conventional interconnect technologies approach their physical limits.

The white paper is available here.

AI clusters now link tens of thousands of accelerators, and cluster performance is increasingly set by the interconnect rather than the processor. The white paper presents an architectural comparison of copper, laser-based optical, and MicroLED optical interconnects, and details how the MicroLED approach — moving data over hundreds to thousands of simple, low-power parallel channels instead of a few high-speed serial lanes — enables sub-picojoule-per-bit efficiency while scaling aggregate link bandwidth toward 20 Tb/s and beyond on published industry roadmaps.

Key topics covered in the white paper include:

• Why electrical interconnects face hard physical limits in bandwidth, power, reach, and heat as AI clusters scale
• How MicroLED’s massively parallel architecture achieves per-bit energy consumption a fraction of the energy required by conventional interconnects — with direct implications for data center power, cooling, and capital costs
• How MicroLED arrays scale bandwidth by adding emitters within the same physical footprint — without redesigning data center cabling, connectors, or topology
• A roadmap analysis showing how channel count and per-channel speed compound toward 20+ Tb/s links

“The industry has spent decades making individual lanes faster, and that era is ending,” said Michael Murray, Kopin Chief Executive Officer. “MicroLED technology changes the axis of scaling entirely. Kopin has spent years advancing the performance and manufacturability of MicroLED technology, and this paper lays out clearly why that foundation matters for the largest infrastructure buildout in computing history.”

“Every conversation about AI infrastructure eventually arrives at the same bottleneck: moving data between chips,” said Josh Silverman, Fabric.AI Chief Executive Officer. “We wrote this paper with Kopin to give investors, operators, and engineers a clear, honest framework for understanding why interconnects have become AI’s primary bottleneck — and why an architecture built on parallelism rather than lane speed is the path through that bottleneck. It reflects the thesis behind Neural I/o, the platform we are developing together.”

About Fabric.AI, Inc.

Fabric.AI (Nasdaq: FBIC) is developing next-generation AI infrastructure technologies designed to overcome the bandwidth, latency, and power limitations of conventional computing architectures. The Company’s proprietary Neural I/o platform leverages MicroLED-based optical interconnect technology to enable ultra-high-speed, energy-efficient communication between AI accelerators, processors, memory, and networking systems, supporting the growing demands of large-scale AI training and inference.

Through strategic collaborations with industry leaders and a focus on scalable, high-performance connectivity solutions, Fabric.AI is advancing technologies that have the potential to improve the efficiency, performance, and economics of next-generation AI data centers and high-performance computing environments.

About Kopin Corporation

Kopin Corporation (Nasdaq: KOPN) is a leading developer and provider of innovative display, Optical Interconnect devices and application-specific optical solutions sold as critical components and subassemblies for defense, enterprise, professional and consumer products. Kopin’s portfolio includes microdisplays, display modules, eyepiece assemblies, image projection modules and vehicle mounted and head-mounted display systems that incorporate ultra-small high-resolution Active Matrix Liquid Crystal displays (AMLCD), Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal on Silicon (FLCoS) displays, MicroLED displays (µLED) and Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays, a variety of optics and low-power ASICs and optical interconnect devices for data centers.

Source: Fabric.AI

The post Fabric.AI and Kopin Outline MicroLED Path to Higher-Bandwidth AI Interconnects appeared first on HPCwire.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Several popular Samsung smart TV apps contain code that share the owner's internet connection with strangers, potentially putting millions of Samsung smart TVs at risk of hijacking, according to new security research published on Monday. Some of these apps claim to have been installed on hundreds of millions of smart TVs in people's homes, per the app developers. At least one of the smart TV apps was a simple Pac-Man game that Samsung had endorsed and prominently featured in its "Editor's Choice" section on customers' TV screens. These apps contain software that funnels outsiders' web traffic through ordinary home and office internet connections, known as residential proxy networks (or "resproxies"), which are increasingly being linked to cybercrime. When opened, apps with resproxy code can turn the smart TV into an always-on tunnel for outsiders to funnel their web traffic through, known as an exit node -- even when the app is no longer open. The security research by Norwegian cybersecurity company Mnemonic describes a perfect storm of problems that allows low-quality apps to proliferate across Samsung's app store, containing code that puts users at risk of having their internet connections tapped by a rogue app. Many of these apps are bare-bone shells, made from only a few lines of code, and are designed solely to load content from another website, such as a game. While such smart TV apps load content from another server, any review of these apps sees only the few lines of code within, and not necessarily the content itself. "What was reviewed is not necessarily what is running," wrote Harrison Sand, an offensive security consultant at Mnemonic. After TechCrunch contacted Samsung with a request for comment about the research, the electronics giant said in an emailed statement that it was banning apps that share their users' internet connections, and will remove apps that contain the functionality. "We have already restricted new app registrations that incorporate such proxy functionalities on our Smart TV platform," said a Samsung spokesperson. "We are currently implementing strict platform-wide developer policies explicitly banning residential proxy SDKs, and we are working to identify and remove all apps currently available in our store that contain these components." LG also recently announced plans to suspend apps containing ResProxy software after a security firm found that roughly 42% of apps in its TV app store allowed unknown third parties to route internet traffic through users' televisions without their knowledge.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

European Commission president says work needed in five areas of migration control including returning more people

The president of the European Commission has called for action to strengthen Europe’s borders after tens of thousands of people arrived and quickly left the Spanish territory of Ceuta, triggering a furious row between Madrid and other European countries.

In a letter to Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Monday, Ursula von der Leyen said: “From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points, including vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed.”

The Home Office has made a fresh request for ‘back door’ access to encrypted iCloud data belonging to British users

Apple has launched a new legal challenge against a UK government demand to access its customers’ highly encrypted data, a year after the Home Office agreed to abandon its previous request.

The US tech company launched the legal complaint last month at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court that has the power to investigate claims that the UK intelligence services have acted unlawfully.

Investigators in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie released two ransom notes, including one contradicting what the Arizona sheriff overseeing the case told CBS News.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman criticized Google's AI Overviews for summarizing publishers' content without delivering the traffic benefits of traditional search, arguing that users increasingly value Reddit's human perspectives and firsthand experiences. Ars Technica reports: First, there was a letter to investors (PDF), wherein Huffman spun his narrative about Reddit's value proposition and general strategic direction amid the proliferation of AI tools. He wrote: "As the internet becomes flooded with synthetic content, people are craving real human perspective. We are the antidote to an automated web. AI compresses the internet into summaries. Reddit delivers the opposite: deep discussions, passionate debates, and lived experiences. People don't want a summary of Reddit; they want Reddit." The letter also said: "As AI makes information more abundant, the challenge is no longer finding content -- it's finding context, personal opinion, and first-hand accounts. Everything online feels flat, polished, generated, or sponsored, so consumers are overwhelmed and increasingly skeptical. We've never had more information, but we've never trusted it less." And then, in comments around the earnings report, he added: "What we see is, 10 blue links has driven tremendous value and growth to the broader ecosystem... from where we sit, AI Overviews has yet to make a similar level of positive impact, and I think that's consistent across the broader landscape, right? As businesses, publishers, retailers, we're still looking for that win-win." Reddit shares nevertheless fell more than 20 percent as investors worried that unstable Google referrals could undermine its growth, even after a strong earnings report.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In giving the head coach another World Cup cycle, US Soccer is tempting fate for negligible benefit

Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer enjoyed their time together.

Or, rather, they enshoyed it, as Pochettino would pronounce it in his thick Argentinian accent, which charmingly carries over when he speaks English.

Proposed $400bn tie-up with Bristol Myers Squibb would create world’s fourth-largest drugmaker but analysts question rationale

More than £17bn was wiped off the value of Britain’s biggest drugmaker, AstraZeneca, on Monday after a report that it was in discussions to take over its US rival Bristol Myers Squibb in a deal that would create a near $400bn (£300bn) pharmaceutical group.

AstraZeneca, run by Pascal Soriot, its longtime chief executive, had been worth nearly £196bn before the news broke. BMS, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, and known for its cancer treatments, was worth $133bn (£98bn).

Dozens of people died attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after an estimated 50,000 crossed from Morocco last week. The incident has led to a political crisis in Spain and criticism from EU countries.

Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s European community affairs correspondent, Ashifa Kassam – watch on YouTube

Ariana Grande had been due to star alongside her "Wicked" co-star Jonathan Bailey in a production of "Sunday in the Park with George" in 2027.

South Korea recorded its highest temperature since modern observations began in 1904, with the city of Yangsan reaching 42.5C as temperatures exceeded 40C for a fifth consecutive day. Authorities warned residents to "immediately stop all outdoor activities." The Guardian reports: More than 20 localities in South Korea were under emergency heatwave alerts on Sunday -- a new warning category introduced this year to better address rising temperatures. An emergency alert is issued when areas experiencing a heatwave are forecast to hit perceived temperatures of 38C or an actual temperature of 39C for the day. Issuing a heat warning, the weather agency urged people to "immediately stop all outdoor activities," adding that "indoor spaces without air conditioning are dangerous." "Move immediately to a cool place, such as a designated cooling centre or a shaded area, and stay hydrated while resting," it advised. Fearing for those people most vulnerable to heat, the prime minister, Han Seong-sook, ordered local officials to strengthen safety checks on residents and to ensure a stable power and water supply was maintained. [...] Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) data show the average annual number of heatwave days in the country has more than doubled to 19 in the past five years.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Heat damage to a phone battery accumulates silently all summer and shows up as reduced capacity by fall. Taking these steps interrupts that cycle.

US president lashes out on Truth Social after Iran denied it was in negotiations

• Iran in talks with Oman over shipping route but not US, says Tehran

People walk near a billboard depicting Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, earlier today.

Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days amid threats from the Iran-aligned Houthis, Reuters reports.

The best operating system in the world, 9front, released its latest version, “THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN”. As I’m sure you know, 9front is a fork of plan9, and one that’s actually consistently maintained and developed. It brings an improved affinewarp API for scaling and zooming, a new Synaptics driver, and a new driver for UPSs. There’s also a new tool called gdbfs, which allows you to mount a remote gdb at /proc. Of course, there’s much more than this, including the usual list of bugfixes and small changes.

Few of us are worthy of using 9front, but if you are, you already know where to get it and how to update.

Family update on GoFundMe page says child, who was six when badly injured in 2019 incident, is now back at school

A boy thrown from the viewing balcony in the Tate Modern art gallery has a “smile back on his face” after being discharged from hospital, his family have said.

The French youngster, who name remains undisclosed for privacy reasons, was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by then teenager Jonty Bravery at the London attraction on August 4 2019.

GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina formally announced their support on Monday for Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

Move comes after Blanche gives senators written assurance he will drop Trump’s $1.8bn anti-weaponization fund

Two Republican senators who threatened to block Todd Blanche’s bid to permanently become attorney general announced they will advance his nomination after he confirmed in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead.

The US Senate judiciary committee is due to vote on Tuesday on whether to approve the nomination of Blanche, who is already acting attorney general, and send it to the wider Senate for a vote.

Rupert Lowe says no talks have taken place after the Reform UK leader said he was ‘open to conversation’ on some sort of electoral deal

Zia Yusuf said under the plan Reform will create an “integrated surveillance command”, which he claims will “unify” military and intelligence surveillance, making “ours the most surveilled maritime border in the world”.

“Any vessel attempting to cross illegally will be intercepted by our armed forces who will return them back to France,” he said, adding that emergency legislation would be given to the armed forces to equip them with the “necessary powers”.

Advancing concrete initiatives toward the realization of a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer and accelerating real-world implementation

Aug. 3, 2026 — OptQC Corp. and NTT, Inc. have signed a capital and business alliance agreement toward the practical application of a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer.

Under the alliance, NTT plans to invest in OptQC. The two companies will strengthen a medium- to long-term collaboration framework that covers not only research and development, but also commercialization, use case development with prospective users and industry partners, supply chain development, and real-world implementation. Through this framework, the companies will enhance their talent base and research and development environments, and accelerate system design and the development of key component technologies needed to realize a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer.

Through the real-world deployment of optical quantum computers as a next-generation computing platform, the two companies aim to contribute to solving social challenges in areas including finance, manufacturing, medicine development, new materials development, energy optimization, and the advancement of AI technologies.

In recent years, expectations for quantum computers have been growing worldwide as a means of addressing complex challenges that would require enormous amounts of time to solve using conventional computers. Such challenges include risk analysis in the financial sector, advanced production planning and logistics optimization in the manufacturing sector, medicine development, new materials development, and the optimization of energy use.

Among the various approaches to quantum computing, optical quantum computers are attracting attention as a next-generation computing platform because of their high affinity with optical communications technologies, as well as their potential for future scalability and energy efficiency.

In November 2025, OptQC and NTT entered into a collaboration agreement toward the realization of scalable, reliable, and practical optical quantum computers, and have since been conducting studies toward the realization of a one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer. Following the agreement, NTT established a research and development hub for optical quantum computers at the Atsugi R&D Center. OptQC has also begun operating “MoQuren,” its first optical quantum computer, at The Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT) of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

In addition, a research team in which OptQC and NTT participate has succeeded in realizing the world’s highest-quality quantum light source, which is essential for improving the performance of optical quantum computers. This achievement represents one of the key foundational technologies toward the realization of reliable and practical optical quantum computers.

At the same time, in order to put quantum computers capable of contributing to solving social challenges into practical use, the following technical challenges must be overcome:

• Realization of fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC)
• Scaling to the one-million-qubit class
• Development of a practical software platform
• System integration for real-world implementation

Overview of the Initiative

OptQC and NTT have entered into a new capital and business alliance agreement and have commenced joint research that further develops the joint studies conducted under their previous collaboration agreement. Through these efforts, the two companies will accelerate integrated initiatives spanning research and development, commercialization, and real-world implementation of optical quantum computers.

1. Capital and Business Alliance Agreement

OptQC has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with NTT. Going forward, NTT plans to invest in OptQC. Through this alliance, the two companies will strengthen their collaboration framework that covers not only research and development, but also commercialization, use case development together with prospective users and industry partners, supply chain development, and real-world implementation.

By combining OptQC’s optical quantum computing technologies with NTT’s expertise in optical communications technologies, networks, data centers, quantum information processing technologies, and IOWN-related technologies, the two companies aim to accelerate the practical application and commercialization of optical quantum computers.
In addition, OptQC and NTT will promote collaboration with prospective users, research institutions, and other partners in Japan and overseas, and will advance initiatives toward the development of use cases for optical quantum computers, future market development, and real-world implementation.

NTT’s planned investment is positioned as a strategic investment to connect research outcomes in optical quantum computing to real-world implementation, and will further strengthen the medium- to long-term collaboration between the two companies.

2. Joint Research Agreement‍

As the first phase, the two companies have entered into a joint research agreement running through fiscal year 2027(Note) and have begun research and development toward the realization of a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer. This joint research aims to complete the design of the architecture and key component technologies required for the one-million-qubit-class system.

Specifically, the joint research will address the following themes:

• Scaling the number of qubits by using wavelength-division multiplexing technologies
• Designing a fault-tolerant optical quantum computer
• Designing the system architecture for a one-million-qubit-class system

After the completion of the joint research, the companies plan to pursue new joint research toward the next phase of actual system implementation based on the design outcomes.

Business and Technology Roadmap

OptQC and NTT will promote initiatives toward research and development as well as real-world implementation, with the aim of realizing a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer by fiscal year 2030.

As part of the business roadmap, beginning in fiscal year 2026, the two companies will start co-creation activities with prospective users, industry partners, and research institutions that share an interest in developing use cases for optical quantum computers. In fiscal year 2027, they will begin building a supply chain with a view toward future practical application. In fiscal year 2028, they will start Proof-of-Concept (PoC) projects with users based on a 10,000-qubit-class optical quantum computer system. In fiscal year 2029, they will further expand application development and verification activities, and advance initiatives toward real-world implementation.

As part of the technology roadmap, by fiscal year 2027, the two companies aim to complete the design of the system architecture and key component technologies required to realize a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer. In parallel, by fiscal year 2027, they aim to realize a practical 10,000-qubit-class optical quantum computer system and begin verification using the system in fiscal year 2028. In fiscal year 2029, they will develop a software platform for the integrated use of optical quantum computers and classical computers, and advance verification using real-world applications. Through this phased approach, the companies will advance research and development toward the realization of a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer.

Through these initiatives, OptQC and NTT aim to realize a fault-tolerant, one-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer by fiscal year 2030. At the same time, the two companies will promote the real-world implementation of representative use cases across a wide range of fields, including risk analysis and optimization in the financial sector, advanced production planning and logistics optimization in the manufacturing sector, medicine development, new materials development, and the optimization of energy use.

More from HPCwire: NTT and OptQC Sign Agreement to Realize a 1M Qubit Optical Quantum Computer by 2030

About OptQC

OptQC is a deep-tech startup aiming to provide a next-generation computing platform using optical quantum technology.
Built upon over 25 years of research at the Furusawa Laboratory of the University of Tokyo, we accelerate the practical application of quantum technology in the global market through an approach that simultaneously promotes research, development, and business.

‍About NTT

NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and businesses as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $90B in revenue and 340,000 employees, with $3B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers.

Source: OptQC

The post OptQC and NTT Advance 2030 Optical Quantum Computing Goal with New Strategic Alliance appeared first on HPCwire.

Boris Nadezhdin, who gained prominence after standing against Putin in 2024, says he is now in France

The prominent Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin has fled to Paris as Moscow tightens its grip on dissent before parliamentary elections later this year.

Nadezhdin, a veteran liberal politician, gained international prominence during Russia’s 2024 presidential election when his long-shot campaign against Vladimir Putin unexpectedly gathered momentum before electoral authorities barred him from running.

Nigel Farage has promised that Reform UK would call in the navy to tackle small boat Channel crossings. Will this familiar-sounding immigration policy distract from the party’s internal problems? Plus – as we learn more about Andy Burnham’s plans for devolution, is this the biggest rewiring of the UK state since the second world war?

Read about Richard Tice being investigated by parliament’s standards watchdog here

You can read Alexandra’s report on Andy Burnham’s trip to Dover here and about constitutional reform here

Please keep sending your comments and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com

You can watch Politics Weekly on our YouTube channel here

England and Wales provisionally record driest July in nearly 200 years, Met Office says

July 2026 was the driest month in southern England since records began nearly 200 years ago, the Met Office has said.

England and Wales also provisionally recorded their driest July since records began in 1836. Wales had its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature, and England recorded its second warmest July.

Coverage for gender-affirming care is no longer covered by federal plans, and workers must pay out of pocket

US federal employees and their families are joining a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration for blocking insurance coverage of gender-affirming healthcare.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) and the DC-based law firm Correia & Puth filed the lawsuit on Monday morning against the federal office of personnel management (OPM), arguing that the prohibition violates Title VII, which protects against sex discrimination.

Benjamin Lewis, who believed drinking blood would prolong life, will be kept in hospital for treatment

A man fascinated with vampires and graveyards who apparently believed he would live for ever if he drank blood has been detained in hospital after being caught dumping animal corpses outside churches in a British forest.

Benjamin Lewis, 48, left the bodies of sheep and deer on the doorsteps of churches in the New Forest in Hampshire, frightening parishioners and upsetting farmers whose livestock he stole and slaughtered.

The host tore into ‘wildly invasive’ cameras, microphones and license plate readers that police use to track Americans

John Oliver discussed the tools that police are using to keep track of Americans on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight.

In recent years, the use of surveillance technology has exploded among local police forces due to decreasing prices and federal funding, with one local mayor comparing modern systems to “Big Brother on steroids”.

More than 60,000 people have been evacuated and at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures destroyed, authorities said. The Spokane Area fire, which contains three separate blazes, has not yet been contained

Customers report getting some compensation for the recent service outage, but it requires some work on your part.

Nearly two-thirds of current and retired U.S. government workers said they wouldn't re-enter public service, according to a recent survey.

Internal inquiries also opened after two suicides and two attempted suicides of staff in departments connected to PM’s office

The Paris state prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged workplace bullying after the attempted suicide of a staff member in a department connected to the French prime minister’s office, France Inter radio has revealed.

The public radio station reported on Monday that two government workers in different departments had ended their lives in the past year, and two others had attempted suicide. The radio station said complaints of alleged workplace bullying had been made.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is tightening aluminum import restrictions and offering tariff relief for new domestic investment, even as his administration acknowledges that U.S. production remains insufficient after eight years of protectionist policy.

Trump first imposed aluminum tariffs in 2018, arguing that dependence on foreign metal threatened national security. The original 10% levy has since expanded into a complicated system that includes a 25% tariff on primary aluminum and duties reaching 50% on many aluminum-heavy products.

Despite those steadily escalating costs, the White House reported last year that U.S. primary aluminum production fell 30% between 2020 and 2024. The administration said domestic output met only about half of national demand.

A July 20 proclamation again declared domestic supply inadequate. Trump ordered the Commerce Department to establish a program allowing companies that commit to building or expanding U.S. smelters to qualify for reduced tariffs. Participating companies must document construction schedules, raw-material sources and project milestones.

Supporters contend the tariffs protect an industry essential to defense manufacturing. Critics note that Canada supplies most imported U.S. aluminum and argue that higher duties have raised costs for automakers, beverage companies and consumers without delivering the promised production surge.

The latest policy effectively concedes that tariffs alone have not produced the domestic aluminum revival Trump promised.

Sources:

• Reason – MBFC Rating

The post Trump Expands Aluminum Tariffs as Domestic Production Remains Weak appeared first on News Facts Network.

Explosives used to move a large rock and let more water flow to cool nuclear power plant

More must be done ⁠to strengthen the European Union’s borders at critical points, ⁠European Commission president ⁠Ursula ​von der Leyen told Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez ⁠in a letter.

In the carefully-calibrated letter, first reported by Reuters and a number of Spanish media, von der Leyen was quoted as congratulating Spain for swiftly handling the incident and “successfully preventing” the onward migration to mainland Spain and the EU.

His legal strategy was apparent from the very first. Jones will, it was explicitly stated, seek to undermine the ‘credibility and reliability’ of his accusers

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Alan Jones has enjoyed decades as the centre of attention, as the wielder of power.

The booming voice, the vast radio audience, the bully pulpit of an eponymous TV show, the great and the good on speed-dial, a staffer in the prime ministerial office dubbed the “minister for Alan Jones”: these were not ancillaries peripheral to the Jones empire, they were central to it.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Following 404 Media's reporting that book database company ISBNdb claimed to source printed books to then sell to AI companies for AI training, the company deleted the part of its website offering the service and walked back claims that it would train AI models, and instead called it "a test of market interest." On July 30, nine days after 404 Media's reporting, ISBNdb added a note to its homepage and an update on its news page about the change. "We've seen the recent coverage about a marketing landing page on our site, and we understand the concern it raised. The facts: ISBNdb has never purchased, scanned, or sold a book -- for AI training or anything else," ISBNdb wrote. "We don't train AI models, and we never have. The page was a test of market interest; no such service was ever brought to life. We've taken the page down. Our job is helping people find books. For more than two decades, ISBNdb has been the card catalog of the book world -- the data behind how bookstores, libraries, and reading apps connect readers with titles. Data about books, not the books themselves. That hasn't changed." ISBNdb removed the landing page for "Printed Books Sourcing for Your AI LLMs Dataset Needs" on July 28. "It was part of exploring demand, and we've chosen to pivot away from that direction. Our main ISBNdb (book metadata API) services are unaffected and running as usual," the site says. According to 404 Media's previous report, ISBNdb had pitched pre-2022 printed books as premium AI training material because they contained curated human knowledge without contamination from AI-generated text or modern data-poisoning techniques. "The world's best AI training data is sitting on a shelf," the company had argued, while offering discreet bulk book acquisition under NDAs and acknowledging the potential backlash if AI firms were seen destroying millions of books for scanning.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Debt collectors are required to validate that a debt is legally owed, so what are the repercussions if they refuse?

Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output

• Europe live – latest updates

Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, while neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant.

Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region.

It is believed that 30 to 40% of the 50 remains so far discovered at the site were children.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the wildfires burning through the area the "worst natural disaster our region has faced."

Don't assume that you'll automatically lose in court if a creditor is suing you over your unpaid debt.

Police credited Jordan Salinas with limiting number of victims in attack on restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho

A healthcare worker returning fire on a 24-year-old gunman who killed three people and wounded several others an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, has said his impulse to confront the attacker was “automatic” and “mechanical”.

That description from 35-year-old Jordan Salinas came in an interview with the Idaho Statesman that was published on Sunday, providing a detailed account of actions that police credited with limiting the number of victims in the attack a day earlier.

Juan Jesús Vivas says influx seen as ‘at least encouraged or permitted’ by Rabat, as Spain demands EU solidarity

• Explainer: why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?

A growing chorus of voices has accused Morocco of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week’s border crossings as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity that was seen as being “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco”.

Spanish officials ⁠said on Monday that an estimated 69,500 people who had arrived late last week in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa, had returned to Morocco in recent days. About 2,500 people who had made the crossing were believed to still be in Ceuta.

A new book, Homes for Our Time, by Philip Jodidio, showcases the quiet revolution in green residential architecture

Columbia University had just resumed classes for the first time since a major crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations roiled campus throughout the first half of 2024.

Seeking to highlight ties between Columbia University and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the campus protest movement had culminated in a building occupation that ended with dozens of arrests, sparking activism on campuses across the country. At Columbia, classes went virtual or used a hybrid model.

On the day classes resumed their regular scheduling in September, one protester splattered the university’s famous Alma Mater statue in red paint.

Following the incident, New York Police Department investigators deployed an extensive array of high-tech surveillance and investigative tools to identify the alleged vandal, according to documents from the court case provided exclusively to The Intercept. Police leveraged networks of surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to pinpoint a suspect.

In July 2025, Jakhi Isaiah, a New Jersey-based activist whose legal last name is McCray, was charged for the incident.

As the nationwide protest movement against Israel’s genocide in Gaza became a national lightening rod and the Trump administration began to throw its weight against activists, authorities at all levels began to expend tremendous resources against pro-Palestine demonstrators. Using intensive surveillance tools in response to relatively minor crimes became typical in cases against pro-Palestine protesters.

“I think it deliberately sends a very chilling message that you better not dissent,” said Bina Ahmad, a civil rights and criminal defense attorney has represented pro-Palestine protesters but is not working on Isaiah’s case. “How many [resources] they used for such a small charge kind of says they will go to any length to grab who they want to grab and charge what they want to charge.”

The documents obtained by The Intercept also detail how NYPD investigators appeared to have abandoned the case, before being spurred to reopen it by federal officials. Both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the documents, were participating in a separate federal investigation into Isaiah.

Facial Recognition

Columbia claimed that the paint protest had caused thousands of dollars in damage to the statue, but maintenance crews were able to clean it up almost immediately. Photographs taken by students show that, by the end of the day, all the paint had had been removed.

The hunt for the alleged vandal soon got underway.

In the days following the incident, NYPD detectives used 21 different camera angles and tracked the person that they allege is Isaiah as he moved both inside and out of Columbia’s campus.

“If you go around New York, there’s fucking cameras literally everywhere,” Isaiah told The Intercept. “That’s freaky as hell.”

Related

Police Raid Pro-Palestine Students’ Home in FBI-Led Graffiti Investigation

Investigators claim to have followed Isaiah’s movements using surveillance footage for more than two continuous hours surrounding the incident, tracking him even after he entered a university building and changed clothing. The person on video footage during the vandalism was masked and wore a hat. (Neither the NYPD nor Columbia responded to requests for comment.)

A camera eventually captured someone dressed in similar clothing with their mask removed while running down a nearby city street, according to the discovery documents. NYPD detectives then took the maskless image and used facial recognition tools to generate a hit on Isaiah.

Following the facial recognition ID, a probable cause to arrest notice was issued, meaning that officers Isaiah encountered would have discretion on whether or not to bring him into custody and charge him with the vandalism offenses.

Months later, Isaiah was arrested at an unrelated anti-ICE protest. Despite being in custody, he was not charged or arraigned on any offenses relating to the Columbia University incident, suggesting that the NYPD investigation against him had stalled.

Later, internal communications obtained by The Intercept revealed that while Columbia’s public safety department eventually asked the NYPD to terminate the investigation, they reversed course less than a day later, citing a “miscommunication” between university officials and the NYPD.

Newfound Attention

In June 2025, some 10 months after the paint incident, Isaiah received newfound attention from law enforcement. He was accused of being the perpetrator behind a multi-car arson carried out against NYPD vehicles at a Brooklyn precinct.

The NYPD investigation seemed to have languished, Isaiah said. Despite the police’s probable cause to arrest notice tied to his identity, Isiah said he had several run-ins with NYPD, including the ICE protest arrest, where officers stopped Isaiah, but opted not to charge him with any offenses related to the Columbia investigation.

After the federal investigation into Isaiah for arson, however, the NYPD detectives seemed to revive the case against him related to the Columbia vandalism.

Internal communications obtained by The Intercept from one week after the arson investigation began show NYPD detectives saying that “due to recent incident that occurred in the confines of the 83 Precinct involving wanted perpetrator, case has become federal and the federal authorities will continue to follow up.” Two wanted posters — one for the arson, and one for the vandalism — were attached to the email.

Following a weekslong manhunt by federal law enforcement related to the fires, Isaiah surrendered to police. (He has since pleaded guilty to one count of arson in federal court.) Following his detention by federal authorities, prosecutors in New York charged him in the Columbia paint incident.

Related

Trump’s Communist Boogeyman Playbook: Charging Protesters as Terrorists

Federal cooperation with local law enforcement agencies has ramped up in the wake of the national protest movement against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spurred in part by initiatives like Donald Trump’s National Security Memorandum-7 and his executive order that designated “antifa” as a domestic terror group. Highly politicized federal agencies are now more regularly working hand in glove with local police departments, who now have a mandate to pursue politicized cases, said Brendan McQuade, a criminologist at the University of Southern Maine.

“This is collaboration institutionalized,” said McQuade.

When Isaiah was finally arraigned for the Columbia paint charges, an NYPD report featured a list of 41 different “associates” — people police suspected to be contacts or who he’d been arrested alongside at protests. Isaiah believes the list is part of a wider pattern of repression and investigation of pro-Palestine protesters. He wonders whether if he had not turned himself in, the list may have been used against people in his community.

“It’s just very obvious network mapping,” he said. “If they hadn’t found me, they probably would have kept going through that list.”

Isaiah is expected to stand trial for three vandalism and graffiti-related charges in August but says that he sees his case as emblematic of larger trends in American society.

“The repression on the movement, the surveillance on the movement is often just a microcosm of the larger repression of communities as a whole,” he said.

He nonetheless remains hopeful: “Communities are still finding a way to prosper and live their lives, despite this intense level of omnipresence.”

The post NYPD Used High-Tech Surveillance to Find Gaza Paint Splatter Protester, Docs Show appeared first on The Intercept.

Morocco is blaming a massive surge of migrants​ into Ceuta on various factors, including "malicious exploitation of digital platforms" and the spread of misleading information.

The Senate is moving ahead with a plan to keep the government funded and avoid another shutdown before the midterm elections.

State supreme court rules in case of two bishops who were silent about three children abused by Mormon parents

Clergy members in Arizona who learn of child abuse in the context of religious confession are not required to report it, the state’s supreme court has said in a ruling that protects what church leaders call the “seal of the confessional”.

The panel’s ruling ends a long-running case in which three children who were sexually abused by their parents sued the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormon church, and two bishops who became aware of the crimes but remained silent.

In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International

The order came after Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn threatened to block Blanche's confirmation for Attorney General if the fund was not rescinded in writing.

Erica Fox left Lovers Point near Monterey in December alongside group of swimmers but never made it back

A single, devastating shark bite was fatal for an ocean swimmer whose body was found on a California beach in December, a new autopsy report confirmed.

Erica Fox, 55, drowned after that shark bite broke her pelvis and severed a major artery, according to the findings of the autopsy, which were first reported on by California’s Monterey Herald newspaper.

The EU’s panic and the lack of solidarity emboldens smugglers and the far right – and makes Spain even more vulnerable

For the European hard right and the White House, it seemed almost too good to be true: left-liberal Spain punished with a migration crisis of its own making.

The histrionics came right on cue. As thousands of mainly Moroccan citizens streamed into the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the tip of north Africa, Spain’s far-right party Vox decried a migrant “invasion”, blaming Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s regularisation and leftist politics. The Trump administration did the same. A senior Israeli diplomat goaded Madrid over its “colonial” territories while Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen area. Denmark and Finland backed Italy’s move and, by the weekend, 22 EU leaders had penned a letter pointing an implicit finger at Madrid over its presumed failure to “relentlessly combat illegal migration”.

By agreeing to disarm, Hamas is trying to call Israel’s bluff in Gaza Expert comment thilton.drupal 3 August 2026

The move may lead to more pressure on Israel to implement Trump’s 20-point plan, but both sides are likely to keep dragging out the process while avoiding any real commitments.

Since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, the Board of Peace has focused predominantly on Hamas’s disarmament as the key to unlocking other elements of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan. These include the entry into Gaza of the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), and the start of desperately needed reconstruction.

Most crucially, the emphasis on disarmament has precluded any discussion of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Instead, Israeli control of the territory has increased significantly since the start of the ceasefire, from about 53 per cent of Gaza in October (delineated by the so-called ‘Yellow Line’) to nearly 70 per cent today.

President Trump’s recent announcement that Hamas has agreed to his disarmament plan may change that dynamic. By essentially calling Israel’s bluff, Hamas’s move could potentially put external pressure on Israel in Gaza for the first time in months. The question is whether the Board of Peace in general, and Trump in particular, are willing to put the necessary pressure on both parties to move past the current stalemate.

Swift change unlikely

In reality, it is unlikely that a timeline for decommissioning weapons or drawing down troops will be agreed anytime soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely seek to drag out any further negotiations as much as possible; the last thing he wants as he goes into October’s elections is US pressure to withdraw from Gaza. Any public suggestion from Netanyahu that Israel would reduce its control in Gaza or make concessions to Hamas would likely lose him his voter base. (Far from accepting Israel’s withdrawal from the enclave, right-wing Israeli ministers have already announced plans for new settlements in Gaza.)

Dragging out the process also suits Hamas. Agreeing to Trump’s plan is likely a pragmatic move by new Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya. It keeps the group in the conversation about Gaza’s future and may improve its position in relation to the Board of Peace – potentially even shifting the onus of intransigence to Israel. But Hamas knows that the actual decommissioning of its weapons will not be immediate.

Indeed, both actors will likely double down on sequencing demands that have stymied previous attempts to reach agreements in Gaza: Israel will likely require full Hamas disarmament before withdrawal, while Hamas will likely insist on Israeli withdrawal before decommissioning weapons.

Already, Israeli officials have said they will not pull back without ‘genuine disarmament’ by Hamas and have expressed ‘serious security concerns’ about the deal to the White House.

Israel reportedly insisted to the Board of Peace that it reserved the right to strike areas set to be handed over to the ISF and objected to Qatar and Turkey (both central mediators in the agreement with Hamas) being involved in the roadmap’s future verification stages. It also reportedly demanded that Hamas’s weapons be destroyed rather than stored after confiscation.

Hamas is also hedging. It has stated that its moves will be contingent on Israel ending ‘all forms of aggression’, as well as withdrawing to the October ceasefire’s ‘Yellow Line,’ facilitating the entry of the ISF and NCAG, and meeting humanitarian aid obligations.

Hamas has also rejected Israeli demands that weapons be destroyed, and has intentionally avoided the language of disarmament or surrender. Indeed, the term ‘disarmament’ does not appear anywhere in Trump’s roadmap, relying instead on ‘decommissioning,’ modelled in part on Northern Ireland’s process.

Furthermore, Hamas will likely resist full decommissioning without a broader negotiated process to realize a Palestinian state. The disarmament plan does not mention Palestinian self-determination directly, but it does refer (in Article 8) to the completion of the ‘remaining commitments under [the] Sharm [el] Sheikh Protocol,’ Trump’s initial 20-point plan for Gaza. Point 19 of that plan refers to a ‘credible pathway for Palestinian self-determination and statehood.’ Netanyahu has fully rejected the notion of Palestinian statehood, while Hamas will insist upon it.

US and Board of Peace officials have stressed the ‘zero trust’ nature of the roadmap, emphasizing that it will proceed based solely on externally verified steps and conditions. But even reciprocal processes require one side to take the first step. It is more likely that both sides will buy time by telling the Board of Peace at least some semblance of what it wants to hear. Meanwhile, they will both likely avoid any real commitments by objecting to any one of the myriad thorny details required to actually implement a plan.

External pressure

In this context, external commitment and pressure are crucial. For Hamas, the mediating efforts of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar have been essential in getting the group to publicly accept the agreement. But these regional states will have less leverage in getting Hamas to implement it, as they are not physically on the ground in Gaza to enforce commitments or to provide security guarantees.

On the Israeli side, it remains unclear the extent to which the US – and by extension, the Board of Peace – will be willing to impose substantive pressure on Israel to even discuss withdrawal.

There are several factors to consider here. First is the question of Trump’s personal commitment to shepherding the agreement beyond the fanfare of the initial headlines. If the past year is any guide, the disarmament roadmap could easily become yet another casualty of Trump’s slapdash approach to diplomacy, in which a numbered plan is released with bravado, but then flounders without the long, arduous subsequent work required to make it operational. 

Bayreuth festival theatre, Bayreuth
For the festival’s 150th anniversary, the creative team have turned to AI to generate visuals reflecting Wagner’s tetralogy’s past, present – and future. The hyperactive result is a dismal, mindless mess

Unveiled the same week in which tech company Anthropic admitted that its AI model Claude had gone rogue during testing, Bayreuth festival’s new AI-generated staging of Wagner’s four-part Ring of the Nibelungen is at least timely. But anyone who assumes that the cycle’s obsession with knowledge, power and possession might make it an ideal forum for reflection on AI as a major contemporary frontier will be disappointed, as will anyone hopeful about AI’s creative potential within opera.

Commissioned to mark the festival’s 150th anniversary, the production is “curated” – emphatically not “directed” – by a team led by German stage director Marcus Lobbes. He apparently spent weeks in dialogue with AI models about possible interpretations of the Ring. According to the programme book, “power structures, capitalism, mythology, gender roles, nationalism”, all came up. So far, so mainstream Wagner reception. But if these human-machine exchanges were revelatory, you wouldn’t know it from the resulting staging, which uses AI “as an extension of a cultural memory that is never complete”.

Nadezhdin was prohibited from running in parliamentary elections in September. He posted a video from Paris, saying, "I'm alive and free."

Collaboration aims to advance quantum-hybrid application development for machine learning to address financial crime detection

PALO ALTO, Calif. and NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2026 — D-Wave Quantum Inc. and Nasdaq Verafin announced today an agreement designed to evaluate the use of quantum computing to improve financial crime detection.

The collaboration will begin with the development of a proof-of-concept (PoC), with the potential to expand to pilot applications for key anti-financial crime use cases. The effort will focus on how quantum-hybrid technology may be used to support the development of predictive systems that can identify unusual behavioral patterns associated with fraud, scams, and money laundering.

As part of the agreement, Nasdaq Verafin will explore the use of D-Wave’s annealing quantum computing technology to uncover complex relationships across account activity, transaction patterns, and counterparty networks that conventional approaches may overlook. The initial PoC will use D-Wave’s technology to analyze hundreds of potential data signals in an effort to strengthen predictive models for detecting unusual account behavior.

“This agreement with Nasdaq Verafin provides an important opportunity to explore quantum computing’s potential in addressing some of the financial services sector’s most complex problems,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “By applying D-Wave’s quantum-hybrid technology to machine learning and other application development efforts, Nasdaq Verafin is reinforcing its role as a technology-forward organization helping shape the future of financial services innovation.”

About D-Wave Quantum Inc.

D-Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. It is the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the first and only to offer dual-platform quantum computing products and services, spanning both annealing and gate-model quantum computing technologies. D-Wave’s mission is to help customers realize the value of quantum today through enterprise-grade systems available on-premises and via its Leap quantum cloud service, which offers 99.9% availability and uptime. More than 100 organizations across commercial, government and research sectors trust D-Wave to address complex computational challenges using quantum computing. Learn more about realizing the value of quantum computing today and how D-Wave is shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow: www.dwavequantum.com.

About Nasdaq Verafin

Nasdaq Verafin provides Financial Crime Management Technology solutions for Fraud Detection and Management, AML/CFT Compliance and Management, High Risk Customer Management, Sanctions Screening and Management, and Information Sharing. More than 2,800 financial institutions, representing $13 trillion in collective assets, use Nasdaq Verafin to prevent fraud and strengthen AML/CFT efforts. Visit www.verafin.com to learn more.

Source: D-Wave

The post D-Wave and Nasdaq Verafin Explore Quantum Computing for Financial Crime Detection appeared first on HPCwire.

MANCHESTER, England, Aug. 3, 2026 — PEAK:AIO, a leader in high-performance storage for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), today announced that executives from both PEAK:AIO and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will present at the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) Conference 2026, taking place August 4-6 in Santa Clara, California. Building on the momentum of the launch of pNFS Lattice in June, the sessions will examine how open source pNFS (parallel Network File System) is helping overcome longstanding scalability limitations in AI and HPC storage environments.

On Thursday, August 6 at 1:00 PM, John Harechmak, Worldwide Vice President of Systems Engineering at PEAK:AIO, will join Gary Grider, Senior Director of Computing Technologies at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and other industry leaders for the pNFS panel discussion, “Bringing Stability to Hyperscale Storage.” The panel will examine the future of parallel file systems and the architectural innovations required to support hyperscale AI infrastructure.

Immediately following the panel, at 1:20 PM, Roger Cummings, President and CEO of PEAK:AIO, will present “From Bottleneck to Backbone: The Rise of pNFS in AI and HPC Infrastructure.” The session will explore how open source pNFS is evolving to meet the performance and scalability requirements of AI and HPC environments.

Future of Memory and Storage’s mission is to help accelerate the move towards a world where advanced memory and storage technologies enable AI systems, data centers, hyperscalers and enterprises to operate at unprecedented scale, speed and efficiency while supporting the engineers and architects building the infrastructure of the future. FMS is a multi-faceted event experience providing the most comprehensive and technically credible memory and storage event on the planet, carefully curated by an experienced team plugged into a global network. Presenters are visionary industry leaders, engineers and architects from all disciplines selected for their relevance, dynamism and insight.

Attendees are invited to meet with the PEAK:AIO team during the conference to discuss pNFS, pNFS Lattice and learn more about the future of scalable AI and HPC storage.

About PEAK:AIO

PEAK:AIO is a Manchester, UK-based software-defined AI storage company. Its platform delivers high-performance AI storage from a single server to exabytes on any industry-standard hardware. PEAK:AIO is deployed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, NHS AIDE, Oxford Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Liverpool, the University of Strathclyde MediForge Hub and the Zoological Society of London. Learn more at https://peakaio.com.

Source: PEAK:AIO

The post PEAK:AIO and LANL to Highlight pNFS Storage at FMS 2026 appeared first on HPCwire.

• Pochettino joined US national team in 2024

• Coach led US to last 16 at 2026 World Cup

US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino and the US Soccer Federation have agreed to a contract extension that will keep Pochettino attached to the program through 2030, US Soccer announced on Monday.

The two sides had been actively engaged in discussions on a contract extension for several months, long before the USMNT’s disappointing, last-16 exit in this summer’s World Cup, with the federation making it clear it desired Pochettino to stay. Conversations picked up in the weeks following the World Cup, with the Guardian reporting last week that the sides had been in the “final stages” of agreeing to a deal. Financial details of the contract extension were not released, but Pochettino is expected to get a raise on top of the $6m per year he earned under his previous deal with the federation – already the largest outlay for a US head coach.

Raids on the Glass House Farms in California became a ‘litmus test’ for how much violence agents could inflict during Trump’s deportation campaign

On a sunny morning last July, hundreds of heavily armed immigration agents in camouflage stormed a greenhouse complex in Camarillo, an hour north of Los Angeles. They came with face masks, guns, chemical munitions and armored tactical vehicles, blocking access along a road lined by produce fields.

What unfolded next would irreversibly transform the lives of many there that day.

Cameron Kaiser’s articles are always a right treat, and this one’s no different. It’s about running MkLinux on the Apple Workgroup Server, the regular Mac rebadged into a server product and predecessor to Apple’s first real server product, the Apple Network Server running AIX. The Workgroup Servers were originally marketed with Apple’s UNIX variant, A/UX, but with this operating system not surviving the transition to PowerPC processors, Apple started offering other options.

A/UX ultimately didn’t survive the 1994 68K transition to PowerPC, but in 1996 Apple publicly offered another option: run Linux, using the Mach microkernel. Although MkLinux emerged after the 9150’s discontinuation, it’s still just an overgrown NuBus Power Mac, so between more RAM, a beefier CPU upgrade and various video cards, by the end of this article we ought to have a configuration that gives us the best of two worlds — classic MacOS and MkLinux — in one server.

↫ Cameron Kaiser

I never really stopped to think that MkLinux really was, but it’s a lot more interesting than just an early Linux port to PowerPC Macs. In fact, it ran the monolithic Linux kernel as a userspace process on top of the Mach microkernel, which made it a valuable testing ground for Apple’s later XNU efforts. It’s wild that Apple had an official, blessed Linux operating system as early as the mid ’90s, even if its performance was apparently not particularly great – due to the overhead of running it atop Mach – and Jobs canned it as soon as he came back to the company.

Whenever the EU steps in to regulate the big technology companies, the response from news outlets and bloggers (often funded or outright owned by right-wing extremists) is to claim it’s just a bunch of dumb , tech-illiterate bureaucrats telling the vastly more intelligent and superior technology companies what to do. Of course, this is just propaganda. Case in point:

Something big just happened. As the Open Home Foundation’s Android developer for Home Assistant, I was invited by the European Commission (EC) to consult on Android interoperability. The call for feedback was part of the Commission’s work under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). For anyone unfamiliar, the DMA is an EU law that defines and regulates “gatekeeper platforms” – those that offer “core” services like search engines, app stores, and messaging platforms – to make digital markets fairer and more open to competition. As you might imagine, I had plenty to say about Google’s restrictions on Android, especially the tech giant limiting wake word detection to its own Gemini assistant, a concern I surfaced in our Home Assistant 2026.3 Release Party. To put it plainly, Google had no grounds for limiting Android interoperability in the first place, other than to give itself the upper hand. We knew our community deserved better, and that’s what we told the Commission.

The result? The EC listened to us and all the other organizations that contributed. On July 16, 2026, the European Commission adopted a decision under the DMA that requires Alphabet (Google’s parent company) to open up eleven Android features, including always-on wake word detection, ambient sensor access, and screen automation – to all assistants, on equal terms.

↫ Timothy Nibeaudeau

What’s really interesting is just how deeply technical and detailed this new EU decision really is. Timothy Nibeaudeau laid out the technical details of how wake word detection on Android works for the European Commission – in short, a DSP runs a really tiny model in a process isolated from the network to detect just a specific wakeword, and only once that wakeword is detected does it hand things off to a larger model running on the actual main SoC – and the EC’s new decision accurately and precisely describes this method and wrote their decision to take every detail into account.

When I was invited to share these limitations (and others) with the Commission, I didn’t hold back. Which is why we were thrilled to discover an impressively precise and technically accurate decision from the EU: it correctly describes the two-stage wake word architecture, the DSP, the isolated process, and the role coupling. The report went down to details we only figured out by reading Android’s source code ourselves. […] ↫ Timothy Nibeaudeau

The idea that the European Union and Commission are a bunch of dumb, illiterate bureaucrats imposing impossible, unworkable, unrealistic demands on poor, hardworking, honest technology companies is a bunch of propaganda paid for by these very same companies, and every decision and ruling by the EU around the Digital Markets Act further confirms this by having strong technological underpinnings and being based on the actual workings of the technologies they cover. The EU does a lot of dumb things – as any government body does – but you don’t get to enjoy a nearly two-thirds approval rating for nothing, especially not in the face of the state of the world today.

The Digital Markets Act has already proven to be incredibly effective, and this is exactly why the right-wing propaganda against it is reaching an ever crazier fever pitch. When basic consumer protection legislation makes the most powerful companies, right-wing media empires, and even the most powerful country in the world throw tamper tantrums like toddlers, you know you’re doing something right.

Brent crude drops by 5% after US president claimed talks on Middle East peace deal would resume

Crude oil prices fell sharply while stocks and government bonds rallied on Monday after Donald Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran and claimed peace talks were about to resume.

Brent crude was trading 5% lower at $83.47 a barrel by lunchtime, after falling as much as 7.3% to $81.55 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate dropped more than 5% to $79.47 a barrel.

Why Should Delaware Care?
Government works best when its citizens are knowledgeable and engaged. Delaware’s government has scores of commissions, working groups, agencies and legislative committees. All must hold meetings that are open to the public. Below we highlight a few of those minutes that are happening this week.

Here is a look at some of the most important or interesting public meetings happening around the state this week.

• Rehoboth Beach elections are Saturday
• PSC to vote on interim Delmarva rate

Rehoboth Beach elections are Saturday

After an acrimonious year for city hall in Rehoboth Beach, voters will head to the polls Saturday for the annual municipal election.

Commissioner Suzanne Goode, who has waged a solo campaign against the city’s hiring of Manager Taylour Tedder, is running to succeed Mayor Stan Mills, who is stepping down after nearly six years at the helm.

Goode is running against her colleague, Commissioners Susan Stewart and Criag Thier, along with resident Will Raak.

Meanwhile, her husband, Jeffery Goode, is running to oust one of two incumbents, Patrick Gossett and Mark Saunders, who are looking to retain their seats on city council.

Polls will be open at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, located at 229 Rehoboth Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. To be eligible to vote, residents must be at least 18, a resident or freeholder (for at least 30 days) or 10-year leaseholder (for at least six months), and registered in the city’s Book of Registered Voters.

PSC to vote on interim Delmarva rate

The Public Service Commission, the regulatory body that hears utility requests, is scheduled to vote on higher interim rates for Delmarva Power electric customers.

Delmarva Power had filed a request for a rate increase with state energy regulators that would raise an average homeowner’s utility bill by 4%.

It is the third rate hike request filed by Delaware’s largest energy provider in five years, drawing criticism from the state’s Public Advocates and legislative leaders. The new request also seeks to raise the maximum profit the regulated utility could earn by about $9.4 million.

But after political pressure, the utility voluntarily lowered the request in June to $28.6 million, reducing the average rate hike to $3.39 per month.

The Public Service Commission will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Cannon Building, located at 861 Silver Lake Blvd. in Dover. For more info and a link for remote viewing, click here.

The post Get Involved: Rehoboth elections this weekend, Delmarva rate vote appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

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The Greeks learn at Troy that breaking the rules works, then carry the lesson home. Nolan’s film shows how an exception becomes a habit of power

• This article contains spoilers for The Odyssey

I had not read The Odyssey since I was a student. Stories change when we return to them later in life, or perhaps we are the ones who change. Christopher Nolan’s film made me want to find out what I had missed.

More specifically, it made me want to read Emily Wilson’s translation. Her scathing essay about the film nearly stopped me from buying her translation. I bought the book anyway.

Thousands of budding US novelists enlist in courses each year, hoping to gain credentials that often influence who gets published

Thomas Pynchon was known to avoid the press and refuse interviews. There are only two official photographs of the Gravity’s Rainbow author available publicly – one taken at high school, the other during his time in the navy. He is the embodiment of the American image of a great writer: a mysterious recluse who works in a turret alone.

These days, the writerly lone wolf is more a myth than it is a reality. Most of today’s celebrated authors are trained in the profession and their qualification is the MFA (master of fine arts). Percival Everett received his from Brown, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie studied at Johns Hopkins University, and Jhumpa Lahiri went to Boston. Great writers, now, are less rare animals discovered in the wild and more elite thoroughbreds, meticulously trained and set up for the race ahead.

Shock and fury as Trump administration holds back Medicaid funding to states over alleged caregiving fraud

By now, when Shannon Rosa hears about cuts to Medicaid and misinformation from the Trump administration about disabled people and their families, her predominant feeling isn’t fear or sadness.

It’s fury.

John Sayles’s 1987 film, which dramatizes a 1920 labor conflict, shows how class solidarity can overcome prejudice

When John Sayles, a student at Williams College taking time off from his summer factory job, was hitchhiking during the summer of 1970 in West Virginia, it was often coalminers who picked him off the main interstate highways.

At the time, miners were amid the wake of a contentious union election within the United Mine Workers of America. Fierce tensions had led to the murder of the union reform candidate Joseph Yablonski and his wife in December 1969.

I tried the new Knockoff extension to filter out all the cheaply made junk I don’t want to buy.

Why Should Delaware Care?
The Delaware State Fair, which ended on Saturday, is an annual 10-day festival highlighting the state’s rich agricultural community. But what exactly goes into raising some of the livestock on display? For one young farmer, raising a grand champion steer was a year-long effort.

For Goose, the Delaware State Fair was about putting his best foot – or hoof, rather – forward. 

And the 1300-pound steer, a male cow raised for beef production, did exactly that. Goose, alongside his handler Catherine Maguire, took home the state fair’s top prize: a 2026 Grand Champion designation.

Being crowned grand champion, Maguire explained, is indicative of Goose’s overall quality — how much muscle he has while still being functional and mobile, or “a complete package deal.”

But the road to becoming a champion was no cakewalk. It was paved with early mornings, late nights and lots of feeding. 

“Every day, no matter what it is, I’m in the barn,” Maguire told Spotlight Delaware last week. “I’m washing [him], I’m just keeping [him] clean, cleaning [his] stall to keep [him] healthy, just making [his] quality of life as high as I can possibly make it.”

Goose’s road to the Delaware State Fair

At just more than a year and a half old, Goose spent the majority of his life living with Maguire and her family at their farm in Hartly. 

He was born in January 2025, and Maguire said she has raised him since Goose was about 6 months old. 

“It’s full throttle from there,” she said.

Maguire, 15, has raised cattle her entire life. She has been showing them at competitions since she was around seven. 

Catherine’s dad, Mark Maguire, explained that unlike some other animals shown at the state fair, raising steers for competition takes an entire year of work.  

For Catherine, the competitions have been cyclical. Cattle are usually auctioned off or directly sold to buyers after the state fair. That money is then used to purchase and raise a new steer, she said. 

Like many of the competitors at the state fair, Maguire takes part in Future Farmers of America, an organization dedicated to developing youth agriculture skills in schools and rural communities across the state. She currently serves as a leader within her local FFA chapter. 

The organization, she said, has given her a greater appreciation for the importance of the agriculture industry.

Goose’s day at the fair

During the 10-day-long Delaware State Fair, which takes place each summer in Harrington, most of Goose’s time is spent on display. But the work does not stop.

The fair is a time for Maguire to showcase the work she put into raising Goose as attendees mull about the cattle pens. But it also is a time for preparation.

Their mornings begin at 5:30 a.m., when Maguire first arrives at the fairgrounds. During the fair, Goose stays there overnight with the other livestock.

The day is full of washing, feeding and blow-drying, all to ensure Goose remains in primped, primed and in tip-top shape for his two competitions.

Those competitions took place last Tuesday, July 28. During the first showing, Goose competed against other steers in the same market, or weight class. 

After winning there, he advanced to the second competition, which Maguire called the extravaganza. There, Goose competed — and won — against the top steers across every market class.

Goose’s win this year marked Maguire’s third grand champion steer in a row. And she said she is not finished yet.

“I have six more years left of showing, so I’m really excited to continue my show career,” Maguire said.

When Spotlight Delaware spoke to Maguire last Wednesday, she was preparing Goose for auction, where he was set to be sold to the highest bidder. 

As a steer, Goose was ultimately raised for beef production. That means after the fair, Goose likely will be slaughtered by his new owner. 

That reality was not lost on Maguire, but it also is the way of life in the industry, she said. 

“Some goodbyes are tougher than others,” Maguire said. “ You just have to think that they know what they’re here for. They’re here to grow food for your community.”

The post Goose, a grand champion steer, makes hay at the Delaware State Fair appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

"AI's decimation of call center jobs has begun," reports Bloomberg: Companies including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Microsoft Corp., Uber Technologies Inc. and Hyatt Hotels Corp. are using automated chat and phone systems to handle work that previously required humans. In some cases, they've already wiped out sizable chunks of their customer service operations, together representing thousands of workers. The specter of automation has long loomed over the call center industry, which employs millions worldwide from the U,S, to India to the Philippines. But until recently, generative artificial intelligence wasn't good enough to move the needle. Now, AI advancements — and pressure on executives to show they're embracing the new technology — have prompted corporations to deploy the tools more widely. Customer service employment in the U.S. is declining and will likely continue to do so as more tasks are automated, Forrester analyst Kate Leggett wrote in a report earlier this year. While it's impossible to determine the future job losses, she estimated that almost half of customer service roles will be affected by 2030. Globally, the steepest job cuts are expected to hit countries like the Philippines, where many Western companies have outsourced their most easily automated work. Salespeople at multiple tech companies told Bloomberg that they routinely pitch call center AI tools as a way of lowering labor costs, undercutting a common industry claim that AI is primarily a way to help workers become more productive rather than kill their jobs... Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the nation's largest lender, has shed hundreds of workers from its chat support line as it wove AI into the system, according to people familiar with the work. This amounted to tens of millions of dollars in savings per year, one of the people said... Microsoft is both one of the largest vendors and adopters of customer service automation tools. This has helped the software giant trim its customer service workforce — a mix of contractors and full-time staff — from about 50,000 to 40,000 in recent years, according to a person familiar with the operations. "If something happened with little Johnny's Xbox in the middle of the night, we can now solve that with AI," Judson Althoff, who runs Microsoft's sales and service operations, said in an interview. Althoff said in April that AI is saving the company about $750 million per year in customer service costs. More complex problems still require human support, but the company is constantly expanding what can be fixed automatically, he said in the interview. Two examples from the article: Last year Hyatt fired 30% of its in-house customer support staff for the Americas, according the hotel-industry news site Hotel Dive. Last week Bloomberg reported Uber had cut 10% of its customer service jobs as part of effort to "embrace artificial intelligence," according to the article. "Today, Uber pushes users to submit support requests through their apps, where they're met with an AI chatbot."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally eliminated the Justice Department’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after two Republican senators threatened to block his permanent confirmation.

Blanche signed an order Sunday declaring that the May directive establishing the fund “is rescinded and shall have no force or effect.” The department said no board members had been appointed, no money transferred and no claims processed.

The fund emerged from the administration’s settlement of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax records. It was intended to compensate people claiming politically motivated mistreatment by the federal government, potentially including pardoned participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina demanded written assurances that the fund was permanently dead before supporting Blanche. Their opposition had delayed a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on his nomination.

Blanche also narrowed disputed tax-audit protections included in the settlement. The revised language applies only to matters already open when the agreement was reached and does not shield Trump, his family or businesses from future examinations.

The committee is scheduled to reconsider Blanche’s nomination Tuesday, with the rescission removing its largest Republican obstacle.

Sources:

• Mediaite – MBFC Rating

The post Blanche Ends Anti-Weaponization Fund to Secure GOP Support appeared first on News Facts Network.

Meeting follows years of questions over wellbeing of detained former leader, who was ousted by coup in 2021

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the aid organisation has confirmed.

The meeting on Monday ⁠followed years of questions over the wellbeing of the 81-year-old, whose whereabouts and health condition have been largely unknown since the elected civilian government she led was ousted by a military coup in February 2021.

Police say the suspect transported the body to an abandoned site in a suitcase and subsequently used her bank cards to withdraw money.

Factories in upbeat mood despite fears over economic impact of US war on Iran, poll finds

• Business live – latest updates

UK manufacturers ramped up production last month for the fourth consecutive month and at the fastest pace in almost two years, according to a leading survey of the industry.

The S&P Global poll of manufacturers found them in upbeat mood in July, though anxious about the prospect of a long war in the Middle East that would block supplies of oil and gas, and raise the cost of production.

Foreign ministry accuses Kyiv of carrying out attack reports say may have been aimed at air force chief

• Europe live – latest updates

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a bombing at a restaurant in central Moscow that killed five people, amid growing speculation that a senior Russian military commander was the intended target.

The explosion occurred on Saturday evening near the entrance to an upmarket Italian restaurant in one of the city’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers on Kudrinskaya Square.

Environment minister says Australia has ‘long and difficult journey’ and says more mass mortality events likely

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Aerial surveillance has detected mass bird deaths in a second Australian state in another suspected escalation of the spread of deadly H5 bird flu.

The environment minister, Murray Watt, said on Monday Australia had begun “a long and difficult journey” as CSIRO analysis confirmed Australia’s first mass mortality event at Baudin Rocks off South Australia’s coast.

The post Virginia PAC Pays $1 Million for Smearing LGBTQ Advocates appeared first on News Facts Network.

The president’s methods, from ‘flooding the zone’ with scandals to prioritizing loyalty over competence, could ultimately weaken rather than strengthen him

The pattern is by now all too familiar: with every power grab Trump tries – from a fraudulent speech about voter fraud to appeals to his supreme court to let him rig the midterms – a debate kicks off about whether these moves are signs of strength or of desperation. Maybe we keep getting caught in this debate because the question is badly posed. So much of what is distinctive about Trump’s governance during his second term can serve the consolidation of an autocratic regime and at the same time create particular vulnerabilities for the regime. We have to become better at identifying these weaknesses, as opposed to being shellshocked by Trump’s brazenness every single time.

Aspiring autocrats operate differently in the 21st century; in previous eras, they had little hesitation about unleashing violence and committing massive human rights violations. Today, they try to fool both domestic and international audiences into thinking that democracy and the rule of law still exist. The recently deposed Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, was a master of this technique; he spent many years performing what he called “the peacock dance” to convince the European Commission (and Chancellor Angela Merkel) that he wasn’t creating a kleptocratic autocracy.

Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University

After visits by US ambassador Mike Huckabee to the nearby Israeli settlement of Shilo, Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya have witnessed a terrifying rise in attacks

No man’s land in Turmus Ayya lies where the US flags end and the Israeli flags begin. It is a few hundred metres of soil scorched by molotov cocktails where Israeli settlers have placed a boulder to tell the Palestinian villagers: this is our land now.

On one side of that boulder are the white-stoned mansions where the Palestinian residents of Turmus Ayya live. About 80% of them are US citizens, members of the diaspora in New York, Chicago and Paterson, New Jersey, who return for the summers and bring their children here to experience Palestinian culture and learn Arabic. Many call themselves proud American patriots and fly the stars and stripes from their balconies.

Exclusive: court records reviewed by the Guardian show medical procedures included force-feeding, intravenous forced hydration and involuntary blood draws

Homeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in US immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found.

In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and probably subjected two more to the forced treatment – widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as force-feeding procedures loomed.

One Kurdish asylum seeker and hunger striker detained at the privately run Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, was subjected to force-feeding for nearly eight months, according to a series of filings in the southern district of Texas federal court, beginning in May 2025 and ending only when he was deported.

Another hunger striker at the same facility was subjected to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, for nearly six months between September 2025 and March 2026, filings in the same court show.

Someone detained at the Krome service processing center in Miami, a privately run ICE jail, was subjected to forced medical procedures for nearly three months, filings in the southern district of Florida federal court show. DHS seemingly began the forced practices three days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration for a second term, then continued.

Two other hunger strikers, one at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state and another inside the Montgomery processing center on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, were probably subjected to forced medical procedures, according to filings in the western district of Washington and in the southern district of Texas federal courts.

In at least five cases, hunger strikers detained in Texas, Arizona and Florida, ended their hunger strike right before officials began with the forced medical procedures, filings in the southern district of Texas, district of Arizona and southern district of Florida federal courts show.

The forced procedures were performed inside the detention centers.

In six cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings granting the involuntary medical procedures.

The DHS and ICE have conducted these procedures throughout the years, regardless of which presidential administration is in power. In 2024, under Joe Biden, the Guardian found that the DHS attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in ICE detention to forced medical treatment. It definitely proceeded with at least two people, and probably subjected at least four more people to them. However, since the return of Trump to the White House and the dramatic increase in immigration arrests and detention, medical experts and advocates worry more hunger strikes will occur and strikers will be subjected to the practices.

Look out for Force-fed by ICE parts two and three in the coming days

Two government watchdog groups have demanded investigations into whether Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics requirements by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount as the company sought government approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The complaints filed by Democracy Defenders Fund and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington cite a recent ProPublica investigation that detailed how CBS or its parent company, now Paramount, have for years given FCC commissioners tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala, which the television network sponsors. The commissioners accepted the gifts even as the FCC was reviewing or about to review major Paramount business decisions, including two megamergers.

Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s most recent financial disclosure said Paramount gave her two tickets to the December 2025 honors gala that together were worth more than $12,000. Trusty was one of two commissioners who voted last year to approve Paramount’s merger with another media company, Skydance.

ProPublica’s investigation found FCC members had long enjoyed a night out at the Kennedy Center courtesy of CBS or its parent company. Seven of the 10 commissioners who served since 2016 accepted tickets worth more than $260,000, according to a ProPublica analysis of ethics disclosures.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.

Carr, who also voted in favor of the Paramount-Skydance merger last year, sat with his wife in a private skybox at the December gala with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other executives from Paramount and CBS. Such seats sold for $125,000 a ticket, according to Kennedy Center guidelines.

Carr disclosed on his latest financial statement that he accepted tickets from Paramount for himself and a guest to the 2025 gala and reception worth $12,390. Carr did not respond to a request from ProPublica to clarify the apparent difference in value between those tickets and the skybox seats. 

The FCC only released Carr’s disclosure late on Friday, more than a month after ProPublica had first requested it. The document says the agency certified it on June 22. 

Federal ethics rules ban employees from taking gifts from any entity that does business with, is regulated by or seeks official action from their agency.

“The federal gift regulations and the gratuities statute exist to ensure that government decisions are made on the merits, free from the influence of private benefits,” the Democracy Defenders Fund said in its complaint. “The public must have confidence that the FCC’s merger review process is not compromised by self-dealing or the appearance of impropriety.”

Carr, Trusty and the FCC did not respond to requests for comment. The agency’s inspector general declined to comment. An FCC spokesperson previously told ProPublica that agency ethics officers have for years cleared commissioners to accept the tickets, finding it consistent with ethics law. And Paramount’s chief of communications said it was a decades-long “CBS practice to invite government officials from both parties” to the Kennedy Center show. Carr last year defended the FCC’s approval of the Paramount merger with Skydance, saying it “advances the public interest.”

Read More

FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals

The FCC’s review of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is one of the final federal hurdles facing a historic consolidation of two of the five largest film studios in Hollywood. The deal would unite Paramount Skydance with Warner Bros., bringing under the control of one company Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services; CBS and CNN; and scores of other major broadcast channels, cable networks and digital platforms.

Four ethics experts told ProPublica that by accepting the tickets, Trusty and Carr had compromised the FCC’s impartiality and should not take part in any upcoming decision on Paramount’s proposed merger.

The Democracy Defenders Fund — led by Norman Eisen, former ambassador to the Czech Republic and White House ethics czar under President Barack Obama — filed its grievance on Thursday with the federal Office of Government Ethics, the FCC’s inspector general and the FCC’s ethics office.

The group said the investigation should examine whether Carr and Trusty broke rules on accepting gifts or broke criminal laws prohibiting federal officials from accepting illegal gratuities.

Carr and Trusty should be required to repay Paramount the “fair market value” of any improper gifts and the federal ethics agency should refrain from certifying Carr’s annual disclosure report until he can prove that he has complied with ethics laws, Democracy Defenders Fund wrote. Its letter to the FCC and the Office of Government Ethics also requests that Carr be disqualified from further participation in the commission’s decision on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

The nonprofit organization noted that hours after last year’s honors gala ended, Paramount announced it was launching its hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that would later result in a merger agreement that requires FCC approval. About three months later, Carr publicly endorsed the deal on CNBC, promising swift approval.

“The facts that have been reported raise serious questions about the integrity and impartiality of FCC Chairman Carr in particular matters involving Paramount,” including the attempted merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, the letter said.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the other group that filed a written protest, requested an FCC inspector general probe of the luxury gifts.

“The reported gifts to FCC officials from businesses that are not only subject to agency regulation but presently engaged in billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions that must be approved by the commissioners themselves are extremely concerning threats to the integrity of FCC operations,” the CREW letter stated.

CREW, founded in 2003 as a nonpartisan organization dedicated to government accountability and ethics, is headed by Donald K. Sherman, a former House Ethics Committee attorney and special assistant to President Joseph Biden.

“Government officials have the power to make decisions that impact huge swaths of the American people,” Sherman said in a statement about the organization’s demand for an inspector general investigation. “With this tremendous power comes a higher ethical standard that apparently wasn’t met. The IG can and must get answers for the public.”

The proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has drawn a flurry of legal opposition.

California, New York and 10 other states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger under federal and state antimonopoly laws. The Writers Guild of America, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Public Interest Project filed similar court challenges in recent weeks.

Paramount has recently agreed to pause its merger until the litigation is resolved or until June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

The post FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount appeared first on ProPublica.

Dorms deserve these smart upgrades for lights, security, sound and more.

Pacific nation is latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past with return to its traditional name

The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.

The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero.

A renewable energy developer has pulled its controversial permit application to build an industrial-scale solar facility on an Eastern Washington mountain sacred to Indigenous nations.

Avangrid, a powerful player in the Northwest’s push for green energy development, sought for at least five years to build a solar plant on Badger Mountain. The project site straddled private as well as public lands. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation have protected rights to practice cultural traditions, such as food gathering and ceremonies, on Badger Mountain and other ancestral public lands.

A 2024 investigation by High Country News and ProPublica found that Avangrid and a consultant it retained, Tetra Tech, had omitted key archaeological and cultural information from a state-mandated review of the site, which would have been used for a solar farm. Avangrid continued pushing the project despite a state archaeologist’s warning that the planned development would threaten significant historic sites and current ceremonial activity. An elected member of the Colville Tribal Business Council told the newsrooms at the time that the project would destroy roughly half the root vegetable harvest in the area.

An Avangrid spokesperson said then that the company had followed “all relevant law and regulation” with regard to the Badger Mountain solar project and had “taken additional steps to accommodate stakeholder feedback where possible.”

It’s unclear whether the company’s decision to cancel the project had anything to do with Indigenous rights. Avangrid declined to clarify its reasoning to HCN.

The Colville Tribes chair, Cindy Marchand, praised the decision in a statement last week. “While the Colville Tribes certainly appreciates the value of renewable energy such as solar power, sacred sites must remain pristine to pass down to future generations.”

After the publication of HCN and ProPublica’s investigation, some members of the Wenatchi-P’squosa, one of the 12 Confederated Colville Tribes, held a demonstration on Badger Mountain, saying that while they support renewable energy, they’re against facilities being built on important cultural sites. Following the demonstration, Avangrid announced that it would pause development to reconsider tribal input and public response. The public comment process is one of the only avenues available for tribal nations to advocate for their rights regarding land development.

At a meeting of the state’s permitting authority council in July, an Avangrid senior director sought a continued pause of the permitting work, pointing to anticipated construction delays affecting the power grid. At the same meeting, the council chair, Kurt Beckett, characterized concerns over the project’s environmental and cultural impacts as “noise,” but he also said tribal objections should be considered in the state’s permitting decision.

Read More

Washington State Is Leaving Tribal Cultural Resources at the Mercy of Solar Developers

Five days later, Avangrid filed a request to completely withdraw its proposal. And last week, the permitting council formally announced the withdrawal and said it was “closing out existing financial arrangements and notifying interested and agency partners.” It did not provide further comment, referring questions to the developer. The state Department of Natural Resources, which owns the public parcel on Badger Mountain, said it had not received any other requests to develop it for clean energy projects at this time, and a spokesperson did not have additional information about future plans for the site.

No matter the reason for the project’s cancellation at Badger Mountain, the outcome is a good one, said Steven Wynecoop, vice chair of the Wenatchi Advisory Group, an independent body that advises the Colville Tribal Business Council and that organized the 2024 Badger Mountain demonstration.

The mountain is a “very sacred site to us,” said Wynecoop, grandson of the Wenatchi Advisory Group founder Matthew Dick. “Generations, we’ve been going to that mountain for plenty of reasons: medicines, foods like roots and berries.”

The post Solar Developer Cancels Washington State Project on Sacred Indigenous Land appeared first on ProPublica.

Rising premiums forced many people in Affordable Care Act plans to give up their coverage. But the Trump administration claims a huge drop in enrollment is almost entirely due to its fraud crackdown.

US and Japanese governments confirm they carried out a rare joint intervention late last week

• Why has Trump stepped in to prop up Japan’s currency?

• Business live – latest updates

The yen has hit its highest level in three months after Japan and the US launched a combined operation to support the Japanese currency.

The yen strengthened to ¥155 to the US dollar on Monday, its highest level since early May, after Tokyo and Washington confirmed they had carried out a rare joint currency intervention late last week.

Soaring temperatures continue to sweep parts of Europe, while Okinawa faces powerful winds and storm surges

• Europe live – latest updates

Unbearable, record-breaking heat has dominated the summer of 2026 across much of Europe. New records were set in central Europe last week, with Wieselburg in Austria registering a new July peak of 40.3C (104.5F). This is particularly significant as it is just 0.2C behind the all-time high, set in the August of 2003.

However, not all of the northern hemisphere has experienced extreme heat and aridity. Vancouver recorded its wettest July since 2016 and the third wettest since 2008, with 33.6mm of rain. While that total may not appear exceptional, it is only a touch above the 1991-2020 climate average, highlighting how unusually dry July has been in the Canadian city over the past decade.

Online multiplayer changed the trajectory of games, but the cost of keeping servers running means every virtual world is doomed to die – sooner or later

Nevan Hagarty had an idea. If he and other Halo 3 players stayed online the night of 13 January 2022, they could delay the impending server shutdown. Players knew this was coming: it had happened to Halo 2 when its Xbox Live servers were turned off in 2010, and a group managed to stay logged into the multiplayer servers for weeks.

And so, players gathered online before the server shutdown to pay homage and to mourn the game they loved so dearly. And, maybe, to keep it online for a little longer. “I must have played ’til about 4am the night of the shutdown, trading stories with so many players about their love of the game and their experiences over the last 15 years,” says Hagarty, 22. “It was a really wholesome experience I won’t forget.”

Slashdot reader prisoninmate shares this report from 9to5Linux: Coming ten days after the previous Linux kernel security update, which only fixed 12 vulnerabilities that may lead to a privilege escalation, denial of service, or information leaks, the new Debian 13 Linux kernel security update is a massive one, and it patches no less than 68 security vulnerabilities in the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel. ebian 13 "Trixie" kernel security update are CVE-2026-64530, a use-after-free in the traffic-control subsystem leading to remote denial-of-service with potential for remote code execution, and CVE-2026-64531 (a.k.a. OVSwrap), a local-root vulnerability in the Open vSwitch datapath leading to local privilege escalation to root... All Debian 13 "Trixie" users are urged to update their installations to Linux kernel 6.12.100-1 as soon as possible.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The president’s pretext of stopping forced labour is only a ruse – he is trying to grab a share of global trade for the US

Here he goes again. The US President, Donald Trump, is increasing and decreasing tariffs willy-nilly, violating international agreements that he himself signed and almost surely violating federal law. The only difference this time is that he has a new pretext for abusing tariffs: stopping forced labour.

Of course, the administration is right that too little is being done about forced labour. But its stated concern is a ruse. With the new tariffs closely tracking the ones that Trump imposed on the basis of trade balances, are we supposed to believe that bilateral trade deficits just so happen to be highly correlated with the use of forced labour?

You can enable, disable or revert Siri through a few quick steps in the Settings menu.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 3, No. 679.

Even as Hollywood performers protest and Hollywood studios sue "in their war on AI," reports the Los Angeles Times, "the entertainment industry is deepening its dependence on it." Among hundreds of job postings in late June, more than one in 10 was likely connected to AI. The top studios' public postings suggest they have been recruiting people to build AI tools. They are also recruiting teams to defend their intellectual property against unauthorized AI use. "There are plenty of studios that are hiring [for AI] but never talk about it in public," said Yoland Yan, a co-founder of ComfyUI, a company that helps studios juggle different AI tools. Companies have been hesitant to detail how they use generative AI in film production — partly because they are concerned about consumer and union backlash. Some in Hollywood described AI use as the new cosmetic surgery, where everyone knows it is happening, but few will admit to it... Although some companies may be shy about sharing their AI plans, big stars who don't have to answer to others have been more open about their embrace of the new technology for storytelling. Rejecting AI is like picking a horse and buggy over a car, said "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. "Artificial intelligence means it's much easier for us to make movies," he told a trade magazine earlier this year. "There's nothing you can do about it. That's progress. It's the future." Some in Hollywood have a softer stance on artificial intelligence, with studios cutting deals with AI companies, and filmmakers like Martin Scorsese backing AI companies. Ben Affleck launched an AI film tech company then sold it to Netflix for half a billion dollars. When launching InterPositive, Affleck said he wanted to keep "storytelling human" by building AI tools that could fix lighting, generate missing shots and other things while "keeping creative decisions in the hands of artists...." Disney, Netflix and Amazon had job postings that were about using AI on the creative side of the business. Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Sony had job ads suggesting they were also using AI but for marketing, distribution and audience analytics. The postings suggest the Disney, Netflix and Amazon studios are building repeatable AI workflows for visual effects, animation, sound and dubbing. The companies also seem to be building in-house teams to develop custom generative-AI models, while also using third-party software. None of the jobs advertised were to create AI that wrote scripts or created AI actors. Ironically, the Times used Claude Code to build a scraper to identify the job postings, their article acknowledges. Three Disney jobs were for "content security," assessing AI tools and guarding against piracy, watermarking and rights-protection work. But Disney is also hiring PhD-level talent "to study 'computer graphics and AI' for Pixar and Disney films," according to the article, and "people to 'bridge the gap between research and practical studio application.'" Disney-owned visual effects shops Industrial Light & Magic "was searching for supervisors to 'explore emerging technologies (including AI/Machine Learning)' to develop new production workflows." Audio post-production unit Skywalker Sound "seemed to be recruiting to build proprietary AI models for soundtracks, voice separation, and voice transfer, the process of taking a speaker's tone and pitch, and applying it to new content." Amazon "was hiring a principal AI executive to drive AI-tool adoption across production, plus roles in operations automation and LLM content classification."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Here are hints and the answers for today’s Connections for Monday, Aug. 3.

Todd Blanche issues formal order terminating measure widely derided as a ‘slush fund’, in move that could clear path for his nomination as attorney general

Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche issued a formal order late on Sunday terminating Donald Trump’s $1.8bn “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate his political allies, a move that follows weeks of negotiations with two Republican senators who were blocking his nomination to become attorney general.

While Blanche has repeatedly said publicly that the fund was dead, the justice department had resisted formally confirming that in writing. That had drawn concern from lawmakers that it could be revived in some form, especially after Trump expressed continued support for the idea.

The US has bought up yen to strengthen the currency for the first time in almost 30 years, with the moves raising questions about America’s motives

The US has launched a bid to prop up the value of the yen, marking an extraordinary coordinated intervention with Japan’s government to halt the currency’s fall as it approaches 40-year lows.

Japan has been struggling to stop an accelerating slide in the yen, which has been piling pressure on its already flailing economy. Japan is reliant on imports for both energy supplies and food, and a weak yen makes the cost of those imports more expensive for businesses and consumers.

Passing of bill gives English same status as Māori and sign language but, with it already spoken by 95% of country, critics call it ‘a pointless exercise’

Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand has been passed by parliament, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts and a now-viral broadside from a Māori MP who called it “pathetic”.

The English language bill became law on 30 July giving English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language.

SACRAMENTO, California — The California Democratic Party has endorsed Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax on the state’s billionaires, despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other influential Democrats.

The party’s executive board narrowly approved the endorsement Sunday after supporters secured the required 60% threshold. Rep. Maxine Waters reportedly attended the San Diego meeting and helped proponents gather enough votes.

Proposition 40 would impose a 5% tax on the net worth of approximately 200 California residents worth more than $1 billion. Supporters estimate it could raise about $100 billion over five years, primarily for health care programs affected by federal funding reductions, with smaller portions directed toward education and food assistance.

The measure is supported by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna. Union leaders argue that California’s wealthiest residents can afford to help preserve medical services for lower- and middle-income families.

Newsom opposes the state-level proposal, warning that wealthy residents can relocate and leave California with reduced long-term tax revenue. He has instead advocated a national billionaire tax. Other opponents argue the temporary revenue would not provide a sustainable solution to ongoing health care costs.

California voters will decide Proposition 40 in the Nov. 3 general election.

Sources:

• The Hill – MBFC Rating

The post California Democrats Endorse Wealth Tax Despite Newsom Opposition appeared first on News Facts Network.

Overcoming the enrichment dilemma in the Saudi deal.

Small projects, big influence.

The trailblazing Republican served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth and spent 28 years in Congress, rising to lead the Appropriations Committee.

British band say they are ‘proud to have made this impromptu expression with our fans in Singapore’, where open display of all foreign flags is banned

Massive Attack have called being banned from Singapore a “surreal experience” after displaying a Palestinian flag during their show.

On Wednesday, the English trip-hop collective – whose current lineup includes Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall – played a show at the Star theatre.

A woman found her police officer ex-boyfriend cop had used Flock's camera system 600 times to look up the location of her and her daughter, reports the Washington Post (Alternate URL here). (She found out through Have I Been Flocked, described as "a website that aggregates police search logs made available through public records.") But it turns out dozens more police officers have also misused Flock... Authorities have charged or accused at least 50 law-enforcement officers of using license-plate readers for unauthorized purposes, including to stalk women without their knowledge or consent, a Post analysis of police and court records found. In 26 of these cases, police investigators and prosecutors said the officers used the technology to spy on their wives, their girlfriends, their exes, their exes' new partners or women they wanted to meet. In other cases, police or prosecutors have not specified the alleged surveillance targets. Flock's system was used in 46 of the cases analyzed by The Post, while the other cases involved competing products... After The Post relayed its findings to Flock, the company said in a statement it "will soon be announcing better filters and tools to stop abuse before it happens...." In April, the company rolled out a new voluntary "audit assistance" feature, which agencies can choose to enable, that automatically scans officers' searches for suspicious activity, such as queries repeatedly targeting the same vehicle or run by officers off the clock. In an interview with The Post, Flock chief executive Garrett Langley said misuse of its systems is inevitable and that the company is focused on providing tools to catch perpetrators after the fact... "We're not going to change humans, and humans make bad decisions," Langley said. "What we can do is make sure that they know if you use this tool, you will be held accountable...." Through automated license-plate reader systems, or ALPRs, officers could trace the rhythms and travels of their subjects' daily lives, leading in some instances to violent confrontations, moments of psychological manipulation, and threats of coercion and control, the analysis found. - In Wisconsin, a police officer allegedly used Flock to check whether his ex-girlfriend had gone to an abortion clinic, according to a police affidavit for a case set for trial this month. - In Kansas, a police chief who tracked his ex through Flock sneaked up on her while she was intimate with another man, a state police certification body alleged, leading to his firing. - In Florida, a deputy speeding to stop a young actress he'd added to a watch list for a license-plate tool called Guardian nearly caused a head-on crash, according to a police report and video from his dashboard camera. The deputy was arrested in March, and his attorney declined to comment. - And in California, prosecutors said a former deputy, Alexander Vanny, used Flock as part of a months-long campaign of "stalking" and "humiliating" his former fiancée that also involved following her around town and installing a hidden camera in her roommate's bathroom, according to a sentencing brief... While some of the searches resulted in officers' firings, prosecutions and prison sentences, police departments in other cases allowed officers to continue using the systems even after receiving warnings that they were being misused... An array of privacy advocates has argued that Flock could deter bad actors by making simple changes to its product, such as requiring officers to label every search with a criminal case number. Some policing experts also warned that agencies' inconsistencies in developing and enforcing standard procedures for license-plate readers could lead to further misconduct. With no federal laws governing use and only a patchwork of state laws, many of the country's roughly 18,000 police agencies are left to decide their rules on their own... Langley, Flock's chief, has dismissed pushes by activists for the company to further limit how officers use its product. "No one elected me the police chief of America," he told Forbes last year, adding, "I don't think it's our job to police the police." The Post also got this quote from an officer was fired and sentenced to probation after pleading no contest to charges of computer-system misuse, stalking and battery. "Pretty much everybody uses that computer system" improperly in the department, he said, and "they don't audit it [nearly] as much as they should." Flock told The Post it now has over 120,000 cameras in more than 6,000 communities, recording 20 billion license plate scans every month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Long-time Slashdot reader pyroclast shared this report from Linux Journal: After years of requests from the Linux gaming community, GOG has officially confirmed that it is developing native Linux support for the GOG Galaxy launcher. The announcement marks one of the biggest shifts in the company's history and signals a stronger commitment to Linux as a first-class gaming platform. While GOG has offered DRM-free Linux game downloads since 2014, its Galaxy launcher has remained exclusive to Windows and macOS — until now. Although the company has not announced a release date, GOG says Linux has become a major area of investment, with development already underway... Unlike the web-based game downloads that Linux users already have access to, GOG Galaxy serves as a full-featured game management application. The launcher currently offers features including: — Automatic game installation and updates — Cloud save synchronization — Achievement tracking — Playtime statistics — Game library organization — Integrated storefront browsing — Friends lists and social features — Cross-platform launcher integration Today, Linux users typically access these capabilities through community projects such as Heroic Games Launcher, Lutris, or Bottles. A native Galaxy client would provide an officially supported alternative with direct integration into GOG's ecosystem... For GOG, supporting Linux more fully aligns with its philosophy of giving users greater control over their purchased games. The article argues this news shows Linux growing in importance for game publishers. After the rapid adoption of Valve's Steam Deck, there's also been continuous improvements to Proton and Vulkan, increasing hardware compatibility, and native Linux game development efforts. "As more companies recognize the platform's growth, Linux users can expect broader support from game publishers and software developers alike."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Authorities issue alert saying indoor spaces without airconditioning are ‘dangerous’ as temperatures pass 40C for fifth straight day

South Korea has registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, as authorities warned people to “immediately” stop all outdoor activities in affected areas.

The south-eastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5C on Sunday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said, the highest temperature reported since modern weather observation began in 1904.

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,871 for Monday, Aug. 3.

When voter eligibility can't be confirmed at the polls, a provisional ballot can be cast and counted after verification.

Researchers found enterprises are spending time troubleshooting cloud connectivity due to increased AI workloads, reports Computer Weekly. More than 400 IT and infrastructure decision-makers (US and UK) were surveyed for internet/cloud/AI exchange operator DE-CIX by market researchers Censuswide. But despite 96% of respondents claiming their enterprise networks are ready for cloud/AI loads, the average IT team still spends more than 11 hours each week resolving cloud connectivity problems Other leading concerns included downtime or reliability issues (26%), latency or slow performance (28%), and security vulnerabilities/DDoS attacks (27%). Cost of connectivity, staff expertise and lack of visibility/control over data flows were also cited as major challenges... As a result, as indicated in the study, many businesses are now turning to private interconnection, which enables enterprises to connect directly to cloud providers over dedicated infrastructure rather than routing traffic across the public Internet. Designed to deliver lower latency, greater resilience, enhanced security and more predictable performance, private interconnection has become an increasingly important way of supporting modern cloud and AI workloads. Specifically, the data showed that 61% of companies are already using private connectivity to clouds, while another 31% are actively considering it... [And 71% of enterprises with 1000 or more employees] Only 8.62% of the smaller companies were spending 21 to 40 hours per week dealing with connectivity issues, while just 2.53% of the largest companies in the sample do. Summing up these findings, DE-CIX said that together they suggest direct interconnection is rapidly becoming a core component of enterprise cloud and AI infrastructure and a competitive advantage for companies, though optimising interconnection strategies clearly remains a pressing challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises... "Every AI application depends on data moving quickly, securely and predictably between users, clouds and AI infrastructure. Our research suggests that far too many enterprises are still spending valuable time trying to maintain that kind of connectivity, with more than a third spending between 11 and 20 hours per week, and just under one in 10 spending between 21 to 40 hours per week. This confirms what we already knew — that that network architecture can make or break AI adoption." Elsewhere The Register reports that cloud infrastructure services "grew at their fastest for eight years during the second quarter of 2026, thanks to the AI craze and continued demand for flexible and scalable IT infrastructure." According to the latest figures from Synergy Research, enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure passed $143 billion in Q2, a year-on-year growth rate of 43 percent. This followed 11 successive quarters of increasing growth rates, during which the market has now doubled in size... "AI has, of course, driven most of that incremental growth, and we now see year-on-year growth rates of 165 percent for AI-specific cloud services...." And the top three global players continue to dominate the market, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud together accounting for 67 percent of all the cloud revenue during the quarter. That percentage has increased since the third quarter of last year, when the triumvirate made up 63 percent of enterprise cloud infra spending.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Researchers found enterprises are spending time troubleshooting cloud connectivity due to increased AI workloads, reports Computer Weekly. More than 400 IT and infrastructure decision-makers (US and UK) were surveyed for internet/cloud/AI exchange operator DE-CIX by market researchers Censuswide. But despite 96% of respondents claiming their enterprise networks are ready for cloud/AI loads, the average IT team still spends more than 11 hours each week resolving cloud connectivity problems Other leading concerns included downtime or reliability issues (26%), latency or slow performance (28%), and security vulnerabilities/DDoS attacks (27%). Cost of connectivity, staff expertise and lack of visibility/control over data flows were also cited as major challenges... As a result, as indicated in the study, many businesses are now turning to private interconnection, which enables enterprises to connect directly to cloud providers over dedicated infrastructure rather than routing traffic across the public Internet. Designed to deliver lower latency, greater resilience, enhanced security and more predictable performance, private interconnection has become an increasingly important way of supporting modern cloud and AI workloads. Specifically, the data showed that 61% of companies are already using private connectivity to clouds, while another 31% are actively considering it... [And 71% of enterprises with 1000 or more employees] Only 8.62% of the smaller companies were spending 21 to 40 hours per week dealing with connectivity issues, while just 2.53% of the largest companies in the sample do. Summing up these findings, DE-CIX said that together they suggest direct interconnection is rapidly becoming a core component of enterprise cloud and AI infrastructure and a competitive advantage for companies, though optimising interconnection strategies clearly remains a pressing challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises... "Every AI application depends on data moving quickly, securely and predictably between users, clouds and AI infrastructure. Our research suggests that far too many enterprises are still spending valuable time trying to maintain that kind of connectivity, with more than a third spending between 11 and 20 hours per week, and just under one in 10 spending between 21 to 40 hours per week. This confirms what we already knew — that that network architecture can make or break AI adoption." Elsewhere The Register reports that cloud infrastructure services "grew at their fastest for eight years during the second quarter of 2026, thanks to the AI craze and continued demand for flexible and scalable IT infrastructure." According to the latest figures from Synergy Research, enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure passed $143 billion in Q2, a year-on-year growth rate of 43 percent. This followed 11 successive quarters of increasing growth rates, during which the market has now doubled in size... "AI has, of course, driven most of that incremental growth, and we now see year-on-year growth rates of 165 percent for AI-specific cloud services...." And the top three global players continue to dominate the market, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud together accounting for 67 percent of all the cloud revenue during the quarter. That percentage has increased since the third quarter of last year, when the triumvirate made up 63 percent of enterprise cloud infra spending.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Wildfires in and around Spokane have stretched ability of federal and local agencies to fight blazes

Wildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities said on Sunday.

The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second largest city, burned about 8.2 sq miles (about 21 sq km), but they were among dozens across the western US that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. A total of about 390 sq miles have burned across the state, and some of the fires, including those in the Spokane area, have not been contained.

Singer was due to reunite with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in London production of Sunday in the Park With George

Ariana Grande has announced plans to take a break from public-facing work after her tour ends due to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. She is pulling out of the upcoming London revival of Sunday in the Park With George.

The pop singer was due to appear opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s critically acclaimed musical at the Barbican in 2027.

Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or till

The chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.

While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering.

Decision comes after group of survivors claimed ex-Harrods owner’s associates must have helped facilitate his crimes

At least five victims of the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have been confirmed by the Home Office as victims of human trafficking.

A group of survivors of abuse by the deceased businessman had called for the Metropolitan police to make trafficking the main focus of its investigation, arguing that Fayed could not have committed his offences without a steady stream of women sent to him by associates.

New Order and Simon Armitage among more than 100 signatories to criticise ‘foolish and shortsighted’ cuts

More than 100 artists, writers and scientists have called for the UK government to save the “world’s clearest eyes on the sky”, after funding for thenetwork of radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank Observatory was slashed.

New Order, the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, are among those calling on the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, to save the deep space observatory which includes the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope, prized by astronomers who study galaxies, star formation and planets beyond the solar system.

iOS 26 hid some of its best additions behind menus Apple barely mentioned. Here’s the complete tour of what’s worth finding.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has an office dedicated to investigating claims of miraculous cures to determine if they can be explained by current medical knowledge.

More from the 60 Minutes story on the award-winning show "Ted Lasso."

Anderson Cooper discovers how rare birds, expert guides, and wild landscapes can turn a skeptic into a passionate birder in the mountains of Colombia.

Bill Whitaker reports on the unexplained healings that have occurred at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in the south of France, and the team of world-renowned doctors and researchers who investigate the claims of cures.

Jason Sudeikis and the cast and crew of "Ted Lasso" tell Norah O'Donnell about the show's improbable rise and positive message.

In Colombia, decades of fighting between the government, left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and narco-traffickers preserved bird habitats in Colombia.

Twin Falls police chief believes Chad Williams, 24, was alone in Saturday attack that killed three people

Authorities say the man accused of opening fire at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as investigators say quick action by an off-duty law enforcement officer and an armed bystander helped prevent even more bloodshed.

Speaking on Sunday, Matthew Hicks, the Twin Falls police chief, said investigators are confident 24-year-old Chad Williams carried out Saturday’s attack alone.

President Trump said negotiations with Iran are set to begin Monday after announcing on Saturday that he canceled a pending attack on Iran.

To design invisible drones, researchers have tried camouflage, transparent materials and light-bending optical systems. But engineers at Northwestern University used "motion blur," which an announcement from the school notes is the effect that makes fast-spinning fans seem to disappear. "The drone spins up to 25 times per second, which is too fast for the human eye to see clearly. While it isn't completely invisible, it morphs into a ghostly smudge that seamlessly blends into the background... " To design the drone, the Northwestern team first used a computational model to generate roughly 20,000 drone configurations capable of stable flight. Then, they used artificial intelligence (AI) and optimization algorithms to repeatedly rearrange the drones' major components, including a motor, propeller, circuit board, counterweight and batteries. After sifting through many different configurations, the algorithms determined the ideal placement of the drone's components to minimize its visibility from virtually every viewing angle while allowing for stable flight. After selecting promising candidates, the engineers simulated each drone spinning in flight and overlaid those images a hundred real-world backgrounds. Then, they used a perception model that approximates human vision to determine how noticeable each design appeared. Designs that blended into their surroundings received lower visibility scores. The team selected the 500 lowest-scoring designs and applied the optimization algorithm, which repeatedly adjusted the positions of components to further minimize those scores. "The design process was fully automated," [said Northwestern's associate CS professor Michael Rubenstein, who led the work]. "Then, when we were confident that a drone met all our criteria, we built it." They've named the drone "Phantom Twist"," and plan to design future iterations with more transparent materials or quieter propulsion to make it even less noticeable. The Northwestern team presented the work on July 16 at Robotics: Science and Systems 2026 in Sydney, Australia... Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Register looks at exactly why "It is practically impossible to move any non-trivial Word document out of MS Office to a non-MS suite and back again without it being more trouble than it's worth." OOXML, developed by Microsoft and first standardized by Ecma in 2006, became the ISO/IEC 29500 standard in 2008 after a grueling and adversarial process. Microsoft pursued standardization because it has always been a standards-led organization dedicated to maximizing the options for its customers. Or because it had to at gunpoint, while vowing silently to follow the letter of the law but stymie its intent. You decide... The Document Foundation (TDF) which spends its days worrying about such things, reports that Microsoft has effectively broken the standard by sticking with a transitional version as its default rather than the cleaner Strict variant. The result is that what Microsoft software renders is what Microsoft wants to render, despite nominal compliance... What we need is a test suite that can take any OOXML engine and test its compliance against what Microsoft is actually doing. That means the tooling wrapped around the spec has to account for proprietary dependencies that get smuggled in, such as fonts. It also means actively and continuously tracking the ground truth of Microsoft's evolving products and services. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it absolutely needs to be good enough. Compliant engines have to become good enough for a critical mass of users to coalesce around them. In an earlier article The Document Foundation reminded all software users that they have a choice. "When an institution sends a letter formatted with a proprietary font, embedded in a proprietary format, produced by proprietary software, it is not communicating information but perpetuating a dependency." "Digital sovereignty begins with the recognition that this is a choice: the file format is a choice, the font on the page is a choice, and the software is a choice."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lowe says the two should put ‘personalities and our past disagreements aside for good of the country’

The leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe, has extended an olive branch to Nigel Farage, saying the two should put “personalities and our past disagreements aside for the good of the country”.

Lowe told the Reform UK leader that if he was “prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform and serious government, then so are we”.

Mass deportation of illegal migrants “including women and children”.

Tougher rules on legal migration, a ban on halal and kosher slaughter, the burqa, cousin marriage and sharia courts.

A referendum on the death penalty.

Welfare cuts to fund “self-sufficiency”.

The exclusion of former Tory ministers from any future cabinet.

Toledo police say Ohio Democrat is active and alert after two-vehicle hit-and-run collision on Sunday

Marcy Kaptur is being treated ⁠for non-life-threatening injuries after a car crash in Toledo, ⁠Ohio, on Sunday, ⁠the ​Democratic US representative’s office said.

Kaptur, 80, was a passenger ⁠in the vehicle and on her way to church, her office ⁠said. Toledo police did not ​respond to ‌a request from Reuters for ‌comment.

US president claims delay is also in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region

Donald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of “rapidly” reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz.

The US president paused the strikes in expectation of a breakthrough and in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region, he claimed on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMR

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years.

Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), made his call in the course of a contentious interview with CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning.

GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, shouldn't serve in Congress amid swirling abuse claims, as Miller vowed to stay in the race for another term and strongly denied all allegations of misconduct.

Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a monthly record high for the second Trump administration in July, internal agency data obtained by CBS News shows, as ICE widened its crackdown.

Valve just published the Steam Survey results for July 2026, reports Phoronix, "and they point to a small uptick in Linux gaming use." Back in March Steam on Linux hit a record high of 5.33%, dropped to 4.52% in April, landed at 3.99% in May, and then in June was at 3.69%. The just-published numbers for July put Steam on Linux use at 4.01%, as an improvement over the prior two months but still well off the percentage highs of March and April... The July data puts SteamOS Holo as powering around 22% of Steam on Linux gaming systems. That's also with the Steam Machine now shipping, in addition to the Steam Deck.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur's office said the congresswoman was a passenger and she was on her way to a church service when her vehicle was struck on Sunday.

An artificial intelligence model that was being tested by OpenAI went rogue and hacked the firm Hugging Face on its own, in what Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue called a "very weird and unprecedented" incident.

Greek police say 26-year-old Afghan national is believed to have left Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s body in derelict building

Greek authorities have arrested an Afghan national in connection with the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in central Athens.

Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, a charity worker described as an “angel full of innocence and goodness” by friends, had been in Greece for almost three weeks when she is believed to have died.

Prime minister says UK needs to ‘bring back that control’ and safe routes for refugees are necessary to tackle trafficking

Andy Burnham has pledged to be “relentless” in tackling small boat crossings after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta, and he said “safe routes” for refugees were necessary to tackle trafficking gangs.

Speaking during a visit to Dover, the prime minister said he had been assured by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, that approximately 98% of the estimated 50,000 people who entered Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta last week had now been returned to Morocco.

Senator Bernie Moreno says congressman and former son-in-law should step down after ex-wife’s allegations

Republican senator Bernie Moreno on Sunday publicly called for Representative Max Miller, his ex son-in-law, to step down from Congress amid allegations of domestic and child abuse.

As recently as Friday, the Ohio senator had avoided giving his opinion directly on accusations made by his daughter, Emily Moreno, against the congressman.

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Republican Rep. Mike Turner join Margaret Brennan.

Fire department says two-person crew of one aircraft killed in incident during gale-force winds to west of capital

Two firefighting helicopters have collided west of Athens, killing the two-person crew of one of the aircraft, as efforts to control a massive wildfire barrelling towards the outskirts of the Greek capital intensified.

Footage showed one of the helicopters losing control in the face of gale-force winds that have pushed flames towards settlements on Athens’ western fringes.

"When a group of teenagers set out to hike British Columbia's famed Howe Sound Crest Trail in early July, Google Maps suggested the trek would take about five hours," reports SFGate. "Instead, the hike stretched deep into the night, leaving the group exhausted, dehydrated, injured and in need of a helicopter rescue..." Although the approximately 18-mile route with a 6,000-foot elevation gain can be completed by experienced trail runners in a day, search and rescue officials generally recommend hikers treat it as a two-day backpacking trip. The teenagers, all 17 years old, believed Google Maps' estimate that the route would take about five hours. The printed directions they were carrying, which were shared publicly by Lions Bay Search and Rescue, gave simple instructions for two legs of the trail, but didn't account for the terrain or elevation. "[Google Maps] is calculating the time that you're walking a straight road on pavement," [said Maria Masiar, training officer and search manager with Lions Bay Search and Rescue]. "When you get into outdoor terrain, that no longer holds true." Expecting only a short outing, each hiker carried about half a liter of water and limited food. There are no reliable water sources along the trail, meaning hikers must carry enough supplies for the entire route. As the group climbed, they began suffering from dehydration and muscle cramps but continued onward despite falling dramatically behind schedule. Eventually, the group made the decision to turn back and abandon making it to the end of the trail — and as the sun began to set and the group started to descend, fatigue took its toll. According to Masiar, members of the group had already stumbled and fallen several times while trying to race the coming dark, and only one hiker had a headlamp. Eventually, another hiker slipped about 10 feet off a boulder, injuring his tailbone badly enough that he could no longer continue. Search and rescue crews responded, ultimately evacuating him by helicopter.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Immigration remains President Donald Trump’s strongest issue among Republican voters, even as most Americans express concern about the administration’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.

A new Associated Press-NORC poll found that approximately 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of immigration. About 6 in 10 also support the approach taken by federal immigration agencies, compared with only 4% of Democrats.

Nationally, however, just 39% of adults approve of Trump’s immigration performance. Nearly half said he has exceeded his authority, while majorities opposed tactics such as using routine traffic stops to locate undocumented immigrants and deploying heavily armed federal agents into American cities.

The poll followed a turbulent year of enforcement operations that included deadly encounters involving federal immigration officers. Those incidents appear to have widened the divide between Trump’s loyal Republican base and the broader public.

Immigration still rates better for Trump than other major issues. Only 32% of adults approve of his handling of the economy, while Republican confidence in his management of the war with Iran has also weakened.

The results suggest Republicans remain supportive of Trump’s overall immigration goals, but many Americans believe his administration has crossed acceptable legal and humanitarian boundaries while pursuing them.

Sources:

• Associated Press – MBFC Rating

The post Trump’s Immigration Approval Outpaces Economy and Iran in New Poll appeared first on News Facts Network.

Farmers battle to salvage what they can of their crops as heatwave set to continue

Britain could face shortages of certain foods after punishing drought in parts of England, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned as a heatwave was forecast to continue into next week.

The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts for eight regions of England, with temperatures set to rise above 30C in parts of the country. UKHSA said rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

The following is the transcript of an interview with Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 2, 2026.

Harrison Simpson was subject of arrest warrant for breach of court order 18 months before killing girlfriend’s daughter

Cleveland police failed to arrest a paedophile for breaching a non-molestation order, 18 months before he sexually assaulted and murdered and his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter, a court heard.

Isabelle Welsh died on 14 September 2025 after what police described as a “campaign of violence” against her. The two-year-old collapsed at her home in Teesside after weeks of abuse that left her covered in bruises and with 21 broken bones.

The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over the Psatha area west of Athens, each with a two-person crew.

"A major scientific review is challenging the idea that more protein is always better," reports ABC News: The review, led by pathologist and biomedical researcher Dudley Lamming and published in the journal Cell Press Blue, examined more than 350 studies involving humans, mice, insects, yeast, and other organisms. The review found that eating less protein, or less of certain amino acids that make up protein, may turn on body processes linked to healthier aging, as well as metabolism, the process by which the body turns food and drinks into energy... For adults who already get enough, eating more protein may offer little benefit, while some research suggests that eating less protein could support healthier aging... Lamming reviewed the effect of reducing protein in many body processes. One of the processes involves a hormone called FGF21. "There's an increase in a hormone called FGF21 that promotes energy expenditure [when protein intake is reduced]," Lamming said. "It essentially increases thermogenesis in your adipose tissue, so you don't just store fat, but actually burn it as fuel." This may help explain why some studies connect lower-protein diets with less body fat, better blood sugar control and a healthier metabolism. Eating less protein may also affect signals that tell cells when to grow, repair damage or recycle old cell parts. These jobs may play a role in aging. However, protein restriction is not the same as protein deficiency. The goal is not to deprive the body of an essential nutrient. Instead, the research raises the possibility that avoiding unnecessary excess could benefit some people who already consume enough... Before reaching for another high-protein product, a better question may be: How much protein does my body actually need?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Review goes down to the wire after ministers speak with victims’ representatives and support services

Andy Burnham is focused on preventing the release of child sexual abuse perpetrators as part of the government’s early release scheme, as urgent talks on which serious criminals could be exempted go down to the wire.

Government ministers are understood to have 24 hours to assess which criminals can be released early to free up prison space, with every exemption weighed up against the threat of the criminal justice system’s collapse.

Donald Trump may reject the negotiations, but he cannot veto a global effort to make multinational companies answer to governments

Governments are told that public services must shrink because money is tight. Yet a new Tax Justice Network report says that countries could capture an extra $500bn a year without raising corporate tax rates. The answer is to tax multinational profits where real economic activity happens – known as unitary taxation. No new profit is created. Revenue simply shifts from tax havens where profits are “booked” to the countries where workers produce and customers spend.

Making that principle a global tax standard depends on UN talks opening in New York on Monday. Modelled on the UN climate regime, a fiscal framework convention would create the governing body and procedures, with protocols providing detailed rules. The UN wants agreement by late 2027. Donald Trump’s US walked out last year and urged others to follow. None did.

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GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said critical infrastructure assets "need to be hardened" as investigators are probing whether Iranian hackers are behind malicious cyber activity that affected technology at water systems in U.S. states last week.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 883 for Aug, 3, 2026.

The Trump administration is offering the public less information about the Iran war and its direction, even as the costs continue to mount.

The following is the transcript of an interview with former Sen. Joe Manchin and his daughter, Americans Together CEO Heather Manchin, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 2, 2026.