A new populist fever is coursing through the midterms, forcing campaigns to retreat and recalibrate as they confront a groundswell of hostility toward AI data centers.
Why it matters: Grassroots pressure is breaking the bipartisan consensus that enabled America's AI buildout. Candidates in both parties are now racing to distance themselves from projects their own leaders spent years courting.
Data centers have become the face of AI backlash, with celebrities, politicians and protesters pushing to slow their growth.
Why it matters: America's sharply rising public opposition to data centers — which fuel our everyday use of the internet — could pose an existential threat to AI's growth.
A rendering of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Image: NASA
NASA is calling off an attempt to save a space observatory falling out of orbit, dooming it to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere.
Why it matters: The Swift Boost Mission was an ambitious effort to rescue the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and demonstrate the concept of grabbing onto and moving a satellite.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's (D) newly hard line on data centers says plenty about the evolving politics of AI and the tech industry's challenge to build the energy and computing power it needs.
Why it matters: He's in the 2028 presidential mix, leads a critical swing state, and faces November reelection in one of several governor's races where data centers are taking center stage.
Solar energy and batteries are making it easier for utilities to meet surging electricity demand during extreme heat, but prolonged high temperatures are exposing other vulnerabilities in the grid.
Why it matters: Electricity demand rises as air conditioners work harder in extreme heat, while high temperatures can make parts of the system less efficient and put additional stress on equipment.
