The debate whether to regulate artificial intelligence is dividing leaders in both Silicon Valley and Washington. Senator Bernie Sanders and Stephen K. Bannon set aside partisanship to demand tighter regulations.

At an event in Washington, partisanship took a back seat as elected officials, religious leaders, parents and artists called for reining in artificial intelligence.

What began as a philosophical question — how dangerous might artificial intelligence become? — has hardened into increasingly entrenched rival camps.

Mr. Trump called Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, while Mr. Huang was onstage in Los Angeles and criticized calls to slow down and regulate A.I.

The landmark legislation, known as the Clarity Act, stalled in the Senate as Democrats raised concerns about President Trump’s personal investments in crypto.

Federal prosecutors said proceeds from the sale of Iranian oil flowed through Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to finance terrorism.

A plan to halve the agency’s sprawling work force was illegal, a judge ruled. But the court is not blocking other FEMA cuts.

A plan to halve the agency’s sprawling work force was illegal, a judge ruled. But the court is not blocking other FEMA cuts.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

A Reform council has hired private security guards in three town centres to ward off "gatherings of male migrants" after reports they were intimidating locals and making the town centre a 'no-go' zone for women.

The post Reform Council Hires Private Security Guards to Counter Male Migrants Who Make Town Centre a ‘No-Go’ Zone for Women appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Alex Bores, who lost a congressional primary contest that revolved around A.I. regulation, is trying to position himself at the center of the conversation for the next presidential election.

President Trump recently blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for causing a spike in diesel prices, but analysts say the Iran war is probably a bigger factor.

© Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

"Californians just made it through the hottest August on record without having to endure any rolling power outages," reports the Los Angeles Times. In fact, the state hasn't implemented rotating power outages since 2020. Because "Over the last few years, California has quietly but dramatically increased the resiliency of its electrical grid through a significant expansion in battery energy storage." These batteries hold onto solar energy captured during the day, so it can be sent to the grid as demand peaks in the evening and morning, when most people are at home running air conditioners and other appliances. During the August heat wave of 2020, the California Independent System Operator, which manages the flow of electricity for most of the state, declared a Stage 3 Emergency and hundreds of thousands of households lost power in rolling outages. At the time, the system had less than 100 megawatts of battery storage available, according to system spokesperson Jayme Ackemann. Today, it has more than 17,000 megawatts available.... According to Ackemann, the system seeks to add 20,000 to 25,000 megawatts of battery storage capacity by 2045 — the same year it has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality. That means the state would remove as many carbon emissions from the atmosphere as it emits. In recent years, California has steadily grown the share of electrical power generated by renewable sources — such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower — which bolstered the resiliency of the grid by increasing the overall amount of energy available. An uptick in people installing rooftop solar panels has provided an additional power boost, Ackemann said. In May, California became the first known large-scale power system in the world to have relied on more than 50% solar power for an entire month.... California's grid is also now integrated with electrical systems across much of the Western United States. This means that if there is an extreme heat event in Southern California, energy from a cooler area such as the Pacific Northwest can be imported to help meet regional demand. All of this has collectively helped the state's electrical system weather this year's long-lasting heat. "Southern California continued to break temperature records this week when Long Beach and Anaheim reached a blistering 107 degrees and Escondido hit 112 degrees..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The 64-year-old Michigan power plant was set to retire. Then the Trump administration intervened in a way that overstepped its authority, a court ruled.

© Julián Trejo Bax/Associated Press

Hospitality businesses are warning of a jobs bloodbath as Andy Burnham launches a huge 'tourist tax' raid, with England's mayors and local councils given new powers to impose uncapped levies on overnight stays.

The post Fears of ‘Jobs Bloodbath’ as Burnham Launches Huge ‘Tourist Tax’ Raid appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Two lawsuits seek to reverse the Trump administration’s moves to open the habitats of imperiled wildlife to commercial activities.

Their warnings echo concerns that other artificial intelligence experts have voiced in recent months, as calls increase for a slowdown in the pace of development.

The state is considering extending the life of its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, and allowing construction of new reactors to help meet its clean energy goals.

The state is considering extending the life of its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, and allowing construction of new reactors to help meet its clean energy goals.

Like most of the rest of his frontbench, Andy Burnham has never had a proper job outside politics. No wonder his policy agenda – the little we know of it – is so unbearably light, says Madeleine Gillies.

The post The Unbearable Lightness of Being Andy Burnham appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

No company in the United States has ever restarted a reactor that was seemingly closed for good, but there are now three major efforts underway to do so.

© Nick Rohlman/The Gazette, via Associated Press