Jul 31, 2017

Major nuclear power project halted in South Carolina

Alayna Treene

Jeffrey Collins / AP

South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper, a state-owned power provider, announced Monday that they are pausing all construction work on two partially-completed nuclear reactors in the Midlands, effective immediately, which could cost the state nearly $9 billion, per The Post and Courier.

  • Santee Cooper executives said they plan to preserve what has been built so far, and will look for potential buyers to take over the remainder of the $14 billion project. CEO Lonnie Carter said the work is now estimated to cost roughly 75 percent more than the company originally anticipated.
  • Why it matters: The decision is a mortal wound to years-long industry hopes of a U.S. nuclear "renaissance" that would see a wave a new reactors built for the first time in decades. It also comes amid uncertainty over the fate of two reactors that power giant Southern Company is building in Georgia.
  • Go deeper: Axios' Amy Harder on America's nuclear failure.

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Axios

Coronavirus kills 2 Diamond Princess passengers as South Korean cases surge

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's

Two elderly Diamond Princess passengers have been killed by the novel coronavirus — the first deaths confirmed among the more than 600 infected aboard the cruise ship.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed more than 2,100 people and infected over 75,000 others, mostly in mainland China, where the National Health Commission announced 114 new deaths since Wednesday.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 52 mins ago - Health
Rebecca Falconer

Massive MGM data breach: Guests' personal details posted on hacking site

The MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

An MGM Resorts security breach last summer resulted in the personal details of 10.6 million guests published on a hacking forum this week, ZDNet first reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: Federal government employees and high-profile guests were affected by the breach, according to analysis by data breach monitoring service Under the Bridge and ZDNet — including officials from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Microsoft staffers and singer Justin Bieber.

Go deeperArrow1 hour ago - Technology
Rebecca Falconer

George Zimmerman sues Buttigieg and Warren for $265M

George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, in November 2013. Photo: Joe Burbank-Pool/Getty Images

George Zimmerman filed a lawsuit in Polk County, Fla., seeking $265 million in damages from Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, accusing them of defaming him to "garner votes in the black community."

Context: Neither the Massachusetts senator nor the former Southbend mayor tweeted his name in the Feb. 5 posts on what would've been the 25th birthday of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen Zimmerman fatally shot in 2012. But Zimmerman alleges they "acted with actual malice" to defame him.

Go deeperArrow3 hours ago - Politics & Policy