Good morning, and a warm welcome to all our new subscribers. In today’s edition:

• 🤖 Data center backlash
• ⚾ LA Angels sale
• 🤔 How long is the “perfect hang”?

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.86-minute read (1,027 words).

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“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

–Albus Dumbledore (1881-1997)

The rapid buildout of AI data centers is drawing growing resistance across the US, with communities raising concerns about electricity bills, water usage, and new projects in their neighborhoods as data-center construction hit a record high in July.

But some lawmakers and analysts are pushing back against this framing, and argue the surge of data-center opposition is a combination of misinformation and misplaced anxiety about the future.

• In a Truth Social post on Monday, President Trump said locations that reject data center construction risk becoming “backwards and poor,” arguing they bring jobs and investment.
• He also noted the importance of US data centers in the global AI race, saying China “could not be happier” with America’s growing anti-data-center movement.

At the same time: A report last week from X identified 200,000 accounts the social media platform suspected were connected to Chinese influence operations, including ~200 postings about US AI and energy policy.

Their posts focused on concerns already circulating in the US, including higher utility bills and pressure on the electrical grid, though X hasn’t established how widely the posts were seen or whether they meaningfully affected public opinion.

What supporters are saying

Data-center proponents argue the facilities are being singled out for resource use that isn’t unique to their industry, pointing to manufacturing and other industrial operations that also consume significant amounts of electricity and water.

• They argue communities would give up economic benefits by keeping data centers out, including investment, construction work, and tax revenue that can fund local services.
• Supporters also say slowing data-center construction could hurt America’s AI ambitions, since developing and running AI models requires beefing up the amount of available computing capacity.

On the flip side…Leaders across party lines are at the forefront of recent data-center pushback. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has called for slowing the pace of data-center development, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) recently halted approvals of ~1,800 new data centers over concerns about their impact on the state’s power and water supplies, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is requiring developers to pay for new electricity infrastructure and receive local approval for state permits.

What do the polls say? Some 60% of Americans oppose building a data center in their community up from 49% earlier this year, per a University of Pennsylvania survey published last month. Just under a quarter (24%) said building more data centers is good for the country, compared with 47% who said it’s bad, a recent YouGov survey found.

On Capitol Hill: Congress is currently considering several proposals to regulate data centers, including bills that would prevent some utility costs from being passed on to consumers, and require data-center operators to disclose their energy and water use. All such measures remain in committee.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, which of the following should be prioritized when it comes to data center construction?

• Improving AI development in America
• Ensuring data centers don’t harm local communities
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 Government bond yields jump across major global markets including the US, UK, Japan, Germany, and France; the US 10-year Treasury note yield rose to 4.788%, a 20-month high.
• 🤖 OpenAI to limit access to its new Astra model’s most advanced cyber tools after internal testing found Astra can execute automated cyberattacks against difficult targets with only limited human input.
• 🖥️ Dell reports significantly better-than-expected earnings and revenue, and also forecasts AI server revenue to triple in the full fiscal year; shares rise as much as 9% after-hours.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 Duane 'Keffe D' Davis found guilty of first-degree murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, 30-years after the 1996 killing. | 🖼️ Metropolitan Museum of Art cancels its planned exhibition slated to honor British designer John Galliano following intense public backlash.
• ⚾ Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno agrees to sell the team to LA Rams/Denver Nuggets/Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke for a reported MLB record $4 billion (including the Angels’ regional sports network).
• 📺 The Kelly Clarkson Show airs its final episode following a seven-year, Emmy-winning run. | 🎶 Miley Cyrus announces her 10th album, Bass Persuades, will be released on September 18th.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌀 Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall Tuesday afternoon along the Texas-Louisiana border, bringing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph; meanwhile, several storms are brewing in the Pacific Ocean—including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength Tuesday morning near Hawaii.
• 🤖🖼️ Google launches new suite of creative design tools for Workspace users called Google Pics, which aims to help with editing and generating “professional-grade” AI images for businesses.
• 📸 Action camera company GoPro is being acquired by Starman Optical in a $285 million merger that will leave existing GoPro shareholders with a 10% combined stake.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 💥 US military launches “large and powerful” strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, President Trump says in social media post; Trump says strikes were retaliation for Iran’s “failed attempt” at adding mines to the strait, as well as its missile launch at a US base in Jordan, and threatens additional strikes if Iran retaliates.
• ⚖️ Jurors in trial of Lindsay Clancy—a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her kids who’s arguing she isn’t responsible due to postpartum psychosis—tell judge they can’t reach a verdict after ~24 hours of deliberations across four days; judge instructs jury to keep trying, with deliberations continuing today.
• 🏛️ House approves new short-term government funding bill through December 11, avoiding a pre-election shutdown fight. | Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) censured by House vote after Ethics Committee found he failed "to adhere to the spirit of rule” against sexual harassment and unwanted advances to staffers.

☝️ The TSA has officially crowned its top dog for 2026. Bolt, a 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer who sniffs out explosives at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, won the agency’s annual Cutest Canine Contest after beating out 84 other very good boys and girls.

🤔 Did you know? Your body replaces an estimated 3.8 million cells every second, or roughly 330 billion per day. Most of that turnover comes from blood cells, which account for ~86% of that daily cell replacement figure.

📰 Worth a read: How do Necco wafers, paper receipts, and farmers almanacs still exist?

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• How long is the “perfect hang” with friends?
• What do Abe Lincoln, Elmo, and the Lizard Man all have in common?
• Solar storm made GPS glitch up to 33 feet—and scientists had no idea

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We took a common saying and translated it into emojis. Can you decode the message?

• 💰🚫🌳

(keep scrolling for the answer)

🏔️ When 91-year-old Dale "Grey Beard" Sanders summited Mount Katahdin in Maine on Monday, he officially became the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. The nongenarian fell 71 times over the course of the year-long 2,193-mile journey, but nothing deterred him from crossing the finish line. 

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