The European Central Bank raised interest rates for the first time in almost three years, concluding it can no longer ignore the upswing in inflation caused by the Iran war. The deposit rate was lifted to 2.25% from 2%. Bloomberg's Oliver Crook reports from Frankfurt. (Source: Bloomberg)
The House rejected a short-term extension of a government spy program set to lapse in just one day. The House voted 198-218, with 19 Republicans joining nearly every Democrat against the three-week patch of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill would have needed a two-thirds majority to pass under an expedited […]
Members of Congress are scrambling to jump on the growing anti-data center fervor sweeping through local communities across the country. Why it matters: Where there is this kind of intense grassroots uproar, there is also political opportunity — and lawmakers know it.The latest example is legislation from Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) to restrict companies' ability to sue municipalities for rejecting applications to build data centers.The bill — called "the Local Control Protection Act" — would also require developers to file a legally binding "community benefit agreement" or lose out on federal tax incentives, per legislative text first shared with Axios.State of play: Growing public anxiety about the rapid growth of AI is fueling bitter fights at the local level to stop data centers from being built, Axios' Madison Mills reported.Objections include alleged environmental damage, high energy usage and resultant utility cost increases, and noise, air and water pollution.More than 350,000 people signed a petition opposing a proposed data center bordering the Nashville Zoo, according to Axios' Nate Rau.In Seattle, local officials have moved to ban new large data centers for a year, Axios' Melissa Santos wrote.By the numbers: Legislative proposals to restrict data center construction were fairly rare on Capitol Hill before this year. Now, Republicans and Democrats alike are flooding the zone.In the last three months alone, more than a dozen bills have been introduced to either investigate data centers' impacts or restrict their proliferation in some way.Between the lines: It's not just toothless bills to commission reports and studies — though there are those too, looking at resource consumption, environmental ramifications and the effects on communities of color.Several proposals aim to protect consumers from any energy cost spikes that result from data center production.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has introduced a bill to impose an outright moratorium on new data center construction "until legislation is enacted that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence."What they're saying: "We should never let billion-dollar corporations supersede the voices of those who live in the community," Bresnahan, one of Republicans' most endangered incumbents, said in statement."The people who live here, work here, and raise their families here are the ones who know what's best for our communities."Reality check: The prospect of any of these bills passing is slim — Congress has notoriously made scant progress in passing any guardrails on AI.And as Axios previously reported, AI and AI-adjacent companies are spending big through super PACs in the 2026 midterms to curry favor with sitting lawmakers and get allies elected to Congress.
China turned to new tactics to press its claims in the waters east of Taiwan, sending maritime agency ships on a multi-day patrol that for the first time questioned foreign commercial boats in the area.
The beautiful game has a long, ugly history with autocrats. But there's something about soccer that the authoritarian mind cannot comprehend.
EXCLUSIVE — Border Patrol’s South Florida region for the first time rivals regions across southern border states, such as Texas, Arizona, or California, for the most illegal immigrant arrests. As illegal immigrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border have slowed to historic lows under President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security has focused its […]
Nearly 18 months after the Palisades Fire left a trail of destruction across one of Los Angeles’ most affluent neighborhoods, Pacific Palisades is preparing to host its first major car show since the disaster in an effort to help revive the battered community. The inaugural Pacific Palisades Motor Classic will take over the Palisades Village...
Vance Boelter, the suspected assassin who killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.According to The New York Times, "The Justice Department’s letter to the judge described 'a proposed plea agreement' and asked for a hearing in which Mr. Boelter could change his not guilty plea." While the letter did not give details on the nature of the agreement, the letter "said that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty."Boelter was also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who survived the attack.The assassination of Hortman sparked political fears around the country, including worries that more such killings could happen in an elevated climate of anger.