Jay Keller. • Editor & journalist, Gazette copy desk. • Formerly: Washington Post, AP, US News, CPR. • Grammarian; politics, rhetoric, forensic analysis, news. • Rugby | Literature | Science • Colorado news.flingjore.com
Judge to Pentagon: "I don't see additional evidence ... justifying what it did. If anything, it seems like the record, in some ways, has gotten worse for the government." Judge Rita Lin sees no evidence that Anthropic could alter the model after it was delivered or flip some kind of kill switch.
Judge says government's case got "worse" in Anthropic fightA federal judge on Thursday signaled she's become even more skeptical of the Pentagon's decision to blacklist Anthropic.www.axios.comKennedy Center resembles a dead mall with a lingering food court, offering a dark main theater and tarped signs. While political feuds gut national arts programming, visitors must hunt down a side pavilion just to hear a single live trumpet tune
Dead-Mall Vibes at the Kennedy CenterThere’s just one sign of life.www.theatlantic.comMinnesota water systems suffer temporary operational shutdowns over a 48-hour period after hackers exploit monitoring technology. Federal agencies investigate the strikes as municipalities work to restore remote controls without compromising local drinking supplies.
Cyberattacks on Minnesota water systems investigated as officials warn about Iranian hackersAuthorities say cyberattacks targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota earlier this week. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems.apnews.comMajor oil company profits climb in second-quarter reports as Exxon and Chevron leverage $100 crude prices. War with Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, driving U.S. gas to $4.10 per gallon as domestic refiners earn record margins on constrained global supplies ahead of congressional tax debates.
Oil companies are expected to reap big profits because of US-Iran conflictAnalysts are expecting major oil companies to report large profits while fighting between Iran and the U.S. impeded petroleum shipments.apnews.comCarlos Cordeiro resigns from FIFA in disgust over a plan to sell 20% of the World Cup to a Kushner-linked private equity firm. A former Goldman Sachs banker says an investment deal is too greedy — organization seeks $4.2 billion — which Cordeiro says is unjustified given massive cash reserves.
FIFA adviser on White House's World Cup panel resigns to protest Infantino private equity planSenior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, has resigned in protest at its private equity plan.apnews.comRFK Jr. launches a plan to discourage SSRI prescriptions and push antidepressant de-prescribing. Psychiatrists warn the effort ignores a worse crisis: one in three severely depressed adults currently receives no medical treatment at all. Data show 17% of American adults take antidepressants.
The Real Antidepressant CrisisRobert F. Kennedy Jr. says Americans overuse SSRIs. In fact, too many people who need depression treatment aren’t getting any.www.theatlantic.comGerman authorities expand deportations to Kabul by returning a non-criminal Afghan national alongside convicted felons from Leipzig. The enforcement action relies on technical arrangements with the Taliban, triggering fierce opposition criticism and airport protests over human rights standards.
Germany widens deportations to AfghanistanFor the first time, Germany has deported a man with no criminal record to Kabul. Faridoon Tofan, who is currently in deportation detention, fears the same fate.amp.dw.comAmazon CEO Andy Jassy looks past the retail horizon, steering his massive tech ship into deep artificial intelligence waters. As memory chip prices surge, the company hikes its capital spending to a staggering $220 billion, fueling a booming cloud segment while sacrificing its free cash flow today.
Amazon stock soars 9% on 'booming' cloud growth, revenue beatAWS sales expanded 37% year over year, which trounced analysts' expectations for 31% growth.www.cnbc.comCafes on Tehran's Sanayi Avenue sit empty after police destroy public benches, erasing rare spaces where citizens find peace amid ongoing foreign wars. The stark scene highlights the Iranian regime's ruthless domestic clampdown as it executes dissenting youth and violently enforces hijab strictures.
Iran’s War WithinThe Islamic Republic’s ultimate target remains its own people.www.theatlantic.comRussian fuel shortages force Moscow to outsource oil refining to Kazakhstan, a move that threatens to keep global diesel prices elevated. Persistent Ukrainian strikes on infrastructure compel Russia to export crude across the border and subsequently import the refined gasoline back into the country.
Desperate for Fuel, Russia Looks to Kazakhstan for Refining Capacity | OilPrice.comRussia is running short of undamaged oil refinery capacity, and it’s looking to Kazakhstan for help.oilprice.comChina proudly announces its coal power share finally drops below 50 percent, a supposed victory for renewable energy. The only problem is that surging electricity demand ensures the country will still actually burn more total coal this year than it did last year.
China, the world’s largest coal consumer, generated less than 50% of its electricity from the fossil fuel in the six months to June, marking a first for the country which has been promoting the use of renewable energy, officials said.China, the world’s largest coal consumer, has been promoting the use of renewable energy, with a deadline for coal consumption to peak no later than 2030.www.nbcnews.comSouth Korea's Kospi index hits unprecedented 17.9% single-day surge to 6,695.45 driven by a massive rally in chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix. Sudden rebound, triggered by robust Microsoft earnings, reverses a three-day selloff sparked by AI bubble fears and intensifying Chinese market competition.
South Korea’s Kospi index jumps nearly 18% on a surge in chipmaking stocksSouth Korea’s Kospi index has jumped nearly 18% as artificial intelligence-related stocks bounce back after losses earlier this week.apnews.comState Department confidently asserts its commitment to African health initiatives at a global conference, using an AI-generated map that mislabels every single country on the continent. For lazy US bureaucrats, basic geography an optional upgrade when fighting global pandemics.
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conferenceState department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Brazilwww.theguardian.comBalkan construction material imports face a potential European Union probe over suspicions they serve as a backdoor for cheap Chinese glass fiber to dodge tariffs. If tariffs expand, European builders and homeowners risk higher costs for thermal insulation and open mesh fabrics.
EU expected to probe Balkan mesh imports over Chinese tariff-dodgingThere are growing suspicions that certain open mesh fabrics are being made with Chinese glass fibre already hit by EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties for unfair pricing and state support. #EuropeNewswww.euronews.comA Super El Niño will alter North American and European weather from August through winter 2027. Atmospheric models confirm extreme tropical Pacific warming bends global jet streams to force split-flow storm tracks and severe temperature swings.
Super El Niño Drives an August Weather Shift as Fall and Winter Signals StrengthenSuper El Niño is strengthening its atmospheric grip, with forecasts shifting weather across the United States and Canada, amplifying the pattern from late Summer into Fall and especially Winterwww.severe-weather.euThousands of migrants breach the Spanish border in Ceuta, triggering a military deployment and leaving at least nine dead. The sudden surge escalates European border tensions and impacts travel and security protocols as forces scramble to restore order along the North African enclave.
Spain deploys military to Ceuta after thousands of people breach Morocco’s border and at least 9 dieVideo footage showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads.apnews.comMonarch butterflies show an unexpected population increase this year, driven by intensive reforestation efforts. Scientists track the migration using micro-solar transmitters, mapping how climate shifts and illegal logging in Mexico threaten the species' long-term viability across North America.
The Return of the MonarchAfter years of decline, butterfly populations are rising—for now.www.theatlantic.comJobless claims hit 197,000 last week amid low overall layoffs. With PCE inflation at 3.7% and economic growth slowing to 1.5%, rising energy costs from the U.S.-Iran war present significant risks for future employer headcounts.
US filings for jobless benefits rise to 197,000 last week, but layoffs remain historically lowThe number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but layoffs remain in the historically healthy range of the past few years.apnews.comSquat silver robots silently slide beneath storage shelves, swiftly sorting stock for Britain's biggest brands. Seeking a secure solution to severe staff shortages, sluggish retail sectors now rely on rapid robotic fleets from China to fix fundamental productivity problems across the United Kingdom.
The Chinese robot army transforming the UK's retail industryBritain's weak productivity growth and labour shortages are creating an opportunity for China's robotics firms.www.bbc.comRFK Jr. launches a plan to discourage SSRI prescriptions and push antidepressant de-prescribing. Psychiatrists warn the effort ignores a worse crisis: one in three severely depressed adults currently receives no medical treatment at all. Data show 17% of American adults take antidepressants.
The Real Antidepressant CrisisRobert F. Kennedy Jr. says Americans overuse SSRIs. In fact, too many people who need depression treatment aren’t getting any.www.theatlantic.com