Independence City Council member John Perkins has been ousted in a recall election after voting to approve over $6 billion in tax breaks for a Nebius data center. Perkins is the third local official to lose office over the project. The result reflects growing nationwide pushback against data centers, with over 500 bans and moratoriums emerging across the country.

Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a rare earth oxide nanoparticle medication that could provide a comprehensive treatment for gout. In animal trials, the drug successfully lowered uric acid levels, reduced joint crystal formation, eased inflammation, and prevented cartilage damage. The approach could offer a long-lasting solution for more than 55 million people worldwide suffering from the painful inflammatory condition.

Eufy has announced the Window Camera E10 and Video Doorbell S4. The $70 Window Camera E10 mounts on interior window glass to capture 2.5K outdoor footage using anti-reflection optics and on-device detection. Meanwhile, the $300 Video Doorbell S4 features a 3K camera with a 180-degree field of view alongside a VR mode for navigating wide-angle video.

A new United Nations Environment Programme report urges global preparation for exceeding 1.5°C of warming, noting that current policies project at least 1.8°C. To minimize irreversible climate damage, the report emphasizes keeping the temperature peak as low and brief as possible through combined mitigation and adaptation. It also highlights that carbon dioxide removal is necessary to stabilize temperatures but cannot replace rapid, sustained emissions cuts.

Sony has dismissed legal demands from PS5 owners to return part of its expected $500 million in U.S. tariff refunds. In response to legal action, the company argued that customers voluntarily purchased consoles at advertised prices and that price hikes stemmed from inflation and broader market factors rather than tariffs alone.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has experienced a major outage, causing disruptions across the platform, its Codex programming tool, and third-party apps relying on its technology. OpenAI acknowledged the issue and attempted a fix, though it noted that it was still experiencing degraded performance. Some users also reported minor problems with rival services such as Claude and Grok.

California lawmakers have passed SB 868, a bill allowing residents to install plug-in solar systems generating up to 1,200 watts through standard electrical outlets. The legislation replaces costly utility interconnection fees with a free online registration process to make small-scale solar more accessible. If signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the measure could offer an affordable renewable energy option for renters and apartment residents by spring 2027.

New York City officials have announced a one-year ban on generative AI for students in grades 2-K through 8th grade, taking effect during the 2026-27 school year. The sweeping policy impacts nearly 600,000 students while establishing strict screen time limits and introducing AI literacy lessons for high schoolers. City officials aim to protect classroom human connection while a coalition studies the technology's educational impact.

According to JPMorgan, humanoid robots could soon cost just $10 to $12 per hour to operate, significantly undercutting human manufacturing labor costs of around $30. While two robots are currently required to match one human worker's output, efficiency gains are expected to narrow this gap by 2030. Companies including BMW, Meta, and Hyundai are already advancing industrial deployments to help address worsening factory labor shortages.

The Department of Homeland Security has utilized an obscure customs statute to demand user records from tech and telecommunications companies without judicial oversight. The agency targeted journalists, unions, and non-profits, issuing administrative summonses to firms including Google and T-Mobile after judges rejected standard warrants. Privacy experts warn this practice bypasses constitutional safeguards to secretly monitor protected speech and uncover confidential sources.

MapQuest has surged to the No. 1 free app spot on Apple’s App Store after refusing to rename Lake Ontario following an executive order from President Donald Trump. While rivals Google Maps and Apple Maps updated the lake's name to Lake America, MapQuest reported its app usage increased roughly 50 times. The digital mapping service has also introduced a tool letting users rename the lake to whatever they want.

Tim Miller spoke with author and Tulane professor Nathaniel Rich regarding the increasing political backlash against data centers. The discussion explored climate change, privacy concerns, and security risks associated with the expanding infrastructure, as well as Rich’s new novel, Cloudthief.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated he dislikes smart glasses, finding it uncomfortable to talk to people wearing devices with cameras and lights. His comments contrast with rival Meta, which is seeing strong sales from its Ray-Ban AI eyewear despite privacy concerns. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues working with designer Jony Ive on alternative AI-enabled hardware designed for tables, pockets, and bodies.

The Oklahoma Attorney General's office ordered the city of Claremore to drop over $17,000 in public record fees demanded from a resident arrested at a data center meeting. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Sykes stated that the city violated state open records laws by charging for unjustified legal reviews without a publicly posted fee schedule. Consequently, officials directed the city to provide prompt access to the requested arrest records and bodycam footage.

Facing public backlash and privacy concerns, several communities are canceling contracts with Flock Safety and replacing their license plate readers with Axon systems. While city officials argue the new contracts provide stricter local data controls and limits, privacy advocates warn that changing vendors leaves widespread vehicle tracking and surveillance intact.

Prominent tech leaders including Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Sam Altman have shaped the industry by treating classic science fiction as technical blueprints rather than cautionary tales. By pursuing concepts like advanced artificial intelligence and planetary colonization, these entrepreneurs risk turning fictional dystopias into functioning reality. Critics warn that failing to heed the ethical cautions embedded in these stories could result in profound societal consequences.

The Florida Department of Transportation is revoking permits for automated license plate readers on state highways, requiring devices to be removed within 30 days. Following the decision, several sheriff's offices across Florida announced they will discontinue using Flock cameras entirely amid resident concerns. The move follows growing national scrutiny over Flock Safety systems misreading license plates and contributing to wrongful arrests.

Dyson has launched its first electric toothbrush, the Dyson CameraJet, priced at $499. The device features a built-in macro camera that streams live footage to the MyDyson app and uses AI to automatically detect tooth gaps and shoot targeted flossing jets. To address privacy concerns, Dyson noted that the video feed is only streamed live and never stored.

Solar power now requires equal or less upfront capital investment than coal or gas plants to produce the same annual electricity, according to an Ember analysis. Driven by an 87% plunge in solar installation costs and a 93% drop in battery storage costs since 2010, firm solar-plus-storage is now cost-competitive with new fossil generation. This economic shift eliminates a key financing hurdle, especially for emerging economies facing surging energy demand.

HMD Global has introduced the Nokia 300 Charge, a new feature phone equipped with a 3,700 mAh battery that doubles as a 10W power bank to charge other devices. The retro handset features a 2.4-inch display, an ultra-bright LED flashlight, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and expandable microSD storage. Offering over 40 days of standby time, the device is initially available in the Philippines for approximately $32.

Sony has filed a legal response to a proposed class-action lawsuit in California that accuses the company of failing to properly disclose that digital purchases are licenses rather than owned products. The publisher argues that reasonable consumers understand they do not obtain true ownership of digital games. Sony is using these arguments in an effort to have the court send the dispute to private arbitration.

Tests show that NVIDIA's upcoming DLSS 5 Neural Rendering can unofficially run on older GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs. However, enabling the feature on an RTX 3080 resulted in a severe 97% performance drop, with frame rates plummeting from 138 FPS to 4 FPS. Currently, the RTX 50 series remains the only lineup officially scheduled to receive DLSS 5.

Standard GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards are approaching and exceeding $5,000 in the United States, with models like the ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5090 OC listed at $5,099. Other models, including the Gigabyte AORUS Master and Zotac Solid OC, are currently listed near the $5,000 mark. Despite these soaring retail prices surpassing even limited-edition collector models, NVIDIA's official MSRP remains unchanged at $1,999.

A global clinical trial published in JAMA Dermatology found that the arthritis drug upadacitinib can effectively reverse hair loss caused by alopecia areata. Within 24 weeks of daily treatment, roughly half of the participants taking the medication regained at least 80 percent of their scalp hair.