Today's headlines are dominated by AI's booming power and water demands straining the grid and turning data centers into a political flashpoint ahead of the 2026 midterms, alongside election news like Musk's $150 million boost to the Texas GOP race and One Nation's baby subsidy pitch.

😆 Dad Joke of the Day

When you have a bladder infection, urine trouble.

📰 News

AI threats demand Kash Patel fix FBI counterintelligence

FBI counterintelligence is under-resourced at a time of major Chinese and Russian espionage threats, particularly around artificial intelligence, putting pressure on Kash Patel to fix the problem.

FBI counterintelligence is under-resourced amid major Chinese and Russian espionage threats on matters such as Artificial Intelligence.

Google says it needs the grid. The grid can’t keep up. - POLITICO

Google's head of energy and sustainability policy said the slow pace of connecting to U.S. power grids is the company's most threatening test as it builds out AI data operations.

For a company that is driving the future of artificial intelligence, the slow pace of tapping into U.S. grids to power its data operations is its most threatening test, Marsden Hanna, Google’s head of energy and sustainability policy, told POLITICO’s Energy podcast.

AI data centers: US midterms 2026: Why AI data centres, power bills and water use are becoming local election issues - The Economic Times

AI data centers are becoming a major issue in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections as voters worry about electricity bills, water consumption, and local development, with surveys showing strong opposition to new facilities.

The 2026 US midterm elections are on the horizon and data centers for artificial intelligence are becoming a big issue Voters are worried about the effect on their electricity bill, water consumption, the environment and local development.Surveys show a strong opposition to new facilities in ...

Musk contributed more than $150 million to bolster GOP in Texas Senate race, filings show | CNN Politics

FEC filings show Elon Musk contributed more than $150 million to support the GOP in the Texas Senate race, revealing his heavy influence on the 2026 midterms.

New filings with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday are shedding light on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s heavy influence on the 2026 midterm elections, especially the blockbuster Senate race in Texas.

News 12 Investigates: AI’s growing demand for power and water

An investigation examines how the growing use of artificial intelligence is fueling debate in Eastern Carolina over the power and water consumed by data centers.

The growing use of artificial intelligence is fueling debate in Eastern Carolina over the data centers that power the technology.

One Nation proposes $2,000 baby subsidy in Victoria but says it won’t touch state abortion laws | One Nation | The Guardian

One Nation proposed a $2,000 baby subsidy in Victoria while pledging not to change state abortion laws, a day after the Liberal and Labor parties said they would cover out-of-pocket abortion care costs.

Announcement comes a day after Liberal and Labor parties say they will cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care

📜 History Fact

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were crushed by Chinese military force, killing hundreds and drawing global condemnation.

Modern · Politics — Source

🟠 Hacker News

1.	Muse Spark Open (research.meta.ai) 823 points · 412 comments
2.	Neural networks are clean (already-clean.goodfire.com) 698 points · 261 comments
3.	Wayland desktop for Linux with skeuomorphic design (github.com) 616 points · 241 comments

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