Major AI data center builders have doubled their debt in five years. read more
A federal judge in California Friday awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages in his defamation dispute against former Overstock.com CEO and 2020 election denier Patrick Byrne.
In January, while still threatening to seize Greenland, President Trump announced the formation of a "Board of Peace," proclaiming it "the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place." The United Nations Security Council endorsed the board as part of a "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict," but the board's charter claims a far broader mission: securing"peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict."
China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, Japan, the Philippines, the United States and 11 other countries said in a joint statement on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of a landmark international tribunal ruling. The Philippines won the 2016 case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration that found China's sweeping claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea had no basis under international law, a decision that Beijing continuously rejects.
Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prestigious law firms in the world, has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with President Donald Trump -- rankling some of the firm's top talent in the process. The elite firm represents Trump in a variety of his personal legal matters, including an appeal of his criminal conviction on 34 counts of business fraud in the Manhattan hush money case, his effort to move that case to federal court and his appeal of a New York state civil fraud verdict.
Update ...
The US launches more strikes on Iran as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalates
apnews.com
... The United States launched several waves of strikes on Iran into Monday morning over an Iranian attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz that set it ablaze and left a crew member missing over the weekend. Iran retaliated by targeting countries across the Middle East.
Missile alert sirens sounded at dawn Monday in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. There was no immediate word on damage.
Iranian state media acknowledged the latest attacks on its soil early Monday, describing explosions in several locations with at least one person being killed.
Iranian attacks on Sunday stretched Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and even Oman " whose territorial waters with Iran make up the strait. The narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, which once saw a fifth of all oil and natural gas pass through it, has become the key issue challenging an interim deal between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran and the U.S. are nearly at the midway point of the 60-day period of that deal, which was supposed to set up talks for a permanent end to the war. Instead, it has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait and its future, worrying world leaders the Iran war could resume. ...
@#14 ... Cost of AI token is NOT the cost per transaction. ...
The AI token is what is being used to charge companies for their usage. Maybe it is a single transaction, maybe it is a request. Regardless, rising token costs have emerged as a major pain point for businesses and put a strain on AI budgets, leading some CEOs to question whether or not the use of AI is worth it.
The question in my mind currently is...
Will AI's huge CapEx debt ever be recovered?
And then, debt aside, there are things like ...
Data centres account for almost a quarter of Irish electricity usage in 2025
www.irishtimes.com
So, aside from the increasing debt burden, then is also the operational cost burden.
@#4 ... he paid his child support five years ago ...
Oops, my error. It was three years ago...
Hunter Biden settles child support case with Arkansas woman (2023)
apnews.com
@#12 ... They are not necessarily losing money on every transaction because defining "transaction" in AI is very complex and involves many different, non-uniform costs. ...
The cost of AI tokens (cost per transaction) has risen significantly.
Palo Alto CEO Arora says AI pricing needs to fall 90% as token costs skyrocket
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/09/palo-alto-ceo-arora-ai-pricing.html
... Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora told CNBC on Thursday that high token costs need to come down as much as 90% to promote enterprise adoption ...
Rising token costs have emerged as a major pain point for businesses and put a strain on AI budgets. The current pricing, he said, makes AI tools increasingly difficult for businesses to implement. ...
... also, related ...
... To put some of these capex forecasts in perspective, I think Amazon is saying that it's planning north of two hundred billion in AI build outs this year. Microsoft's looking at one hundred and ninety billion. Google a hundred and eighty billion. Meta one hundred and forty billion. I mean this is a lot of money being tossed around for potentially no returns, right? ...
How the AI bubble could pop and take down the global economy, according to the BIS
www.theregister.com
... The central bank for central banks is concerned about the eye-watering sums being invested into AI, and it's raising the specter of a global recession should the bubble burst.
In its annual report for 2026, the Bank for International Settlements compared the current craze to historical events, including canal and British railway mania in the 1800s, electrification exuberance of the 1920s, and the dotcom boom of the 1990s.
The report states: "all shared one common trait: a genuine technological breakthrough that attracted capital in excess of what commercial returns could ultimately justify. ...
Will the AI craze burst? I hope not.
But I cannot predict the future ...
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 from aortic dissection, according to medical examiner's preliminary findings
www.cbsnews.com
... Graham's spokesperson said Sunday afternoon the cause of death was aortic dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, according to preliminary findings by the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia. ...
Meanwhile, back at the Kennedy Center...
Democrat announces whistleblower allegations of construction problems at Kennedy Center
apnews.com
... A Democratic senator on Saturday alleged that whistleblowers have detailed several problems stemming from rushed or improper reconstruction of the Kennedy Center, adding a new layer to the travails of the arts complex as President Donald Trump tried to seize control of it and its name.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a release on Saturday that he had received a whistleblower disclosure from the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower protection group, alleging that "the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President's aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December."
"The Center's subservience to the President's desires and its corner-cutting contracting practices have resulted in steel columns that are rusting through fresh paint, a reflecting pool that may have to be torn out and rebuilt, and a brand-new bathroom floor torn out over an offending tile color," Whitehouse continued. "This is waste, and it treats a national memorial to President Kennedy as if it were a private renovation project." ...
@#7 ... Probably because it would be unconstitutional. The feds can provide guidelines, standards, funding and assistance in implementing any new policies, but they must still be run by the states. ...
ArtI.S4.C1.2 States and the Elections Clause
www.law.cornell.edu
... By its terms, Article I, Section 4, Clause 1, referred to as the Elections Clause, contemplates that state legislatures will establish the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate subject to Congress making or altering such state regulations (except as to the place of choosing Senators).1
The Supreme Court has interpreted the Election Clause expansively, enabling states "to provide a complete code for congressional elections, not only as to times and places, but in relation to notices, registration, supervision of voting, protection of voters, prevention of fraud and corrupt practices, counting of votes, duties of inspectors and canvassers, and making and publication of election returns." 2
The Court has further recognized the states' ability to establish sanctions for violating election laws3 as well as authority over recounts4 and primaries.5
The Elections Clause, however, does not govern voter qualifications, which under Article I, Section 2, Clause 1, and the Seventeenth Amendment must be the same as the "Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislatures." 6 ...
Another view ...
China rejects South China Sea ruling on 10-year anniversary
theprint.in
... China renewed its rejection of the South China Sea arbitration ruling and criticized a joint statement by the US and its allies marking the 10th anniversary of the decision.
China's Foreign Ministry said the ruling was "illegal and invalid" and carried no binding force, reiterating in a statement on Sunday that Beijing neither accepts nor recognizes it. ...
It seems as if Pres Trump's war is stuck in a Schrödinger's cat type of place.
We don't know if it is a full-out war or a cease-fire.