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Iran Leverages Hormuz Strait to Shape a Trump-era Deal
1 day ago•Source: Financial Times
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12.45 min•1 day ago
Denver anti-vax dating effort canceled amid measles concerns
Denver Post columnist Krista Kafer critiques the Unjected anti-vaccine dating app after a Denver mixer was canceled, highlighting the public health stakes as measles cases rise and arguing vaccines have dramatically reduced disease while anti-vax movements threaten that progress.
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Court's Callais ruling unsettles decades of Black voting gains
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Are travel bans effective? A public-health FAQ on Ebola and hantavirus
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Ukraine as Europe’s Catalyst for a Post-American Security Era
The authors argue Europe must awaken to a post-American security order by embracing Ukraine’s example, forging a coherent, crisis-tested strategy that leverages Europe’s strengths—rule of law, a large market, and advanced industries—while reducing dependencies and strengthening its defense base, so Kyiv’s experience can help Europe deter threats and remain indispensable to its allies in a shifting global landscape.
Global energy crunch looms as Gulf disruptions drain stocks
An FT editorial warns that an energy crunch is approaching as Strait of Hormuz disruptions and the Iran war drain crude inventories to near-record lows. Even with record reserve releases and some output boosts, global consumption is running far higher than production, leaving refined products like jet fuel and diesel tight—especially in Europe, where inventories are at five-year lows. Brent sits around $109 a barrel after peaking higher, and it could take months to normalise shipments. With emergency measures spreading across about 80 countries, governments and consumers may need to tighten demand and accelerate energy conservation while the supply situation stabilises.
AI surge could thaw the market's de-equitisation shield
A Financial Times opinion argues that this bull market has ridden a de‑equitisation backstop—shrinking public equity supply via buybacks and privatisations. Now an AI boom, led by players like OpenAI, Anthropic and SpaceX, could bring sizable public-market supply as these firms explore IPOs with valuations potentially up to $4 trillion, possibly expanding the US equity base by about 6% and weakening the de‑equitisation ‘put’ that has supported prices. Meanwhile, Big Tech’s shift toward heavy AI investment is dampening buybacks, suggesting more public issuance could emerge in coming years.
Polis's clemency for Tina Peters: defending free speech amid election misinformation
Denver Post editors argue Gov. Polis was right to reduce Tina Peters's 9-year election-interference sentence to time served, emphasizing the importance of upholding free speech under the First Amendment even when Peters promoted debunked election conspiracies; while Peters' courtroom behavior and charges are noted, the piece contends clemency balances justice with constitutional rights and avoids letting politics overshadow fundamental freedoms.
Space as a Service: Invest in Networks, Not Just Rockets
The article argues that space is shifting from one-off hardware bets to a networked, service-based model. With thousands of satellites and fleets like Starlink, space infrastructure now provides ongoing connectivity, Earth observation, and secure communications. Investors should focus on companies that own or operate space networks and deliver recurring revenue (not just single-component suppliers), diversify across the value chain to reduce risk, and push for clear regulatory rules to enable long-term planning as the space economy could reach trillions by 2035.
Xi’s Long Game: Trump’s Beijing Visit Exposes Waning U.S. Leverage
Gideon Rachman argues that Trump arrives in Beijing weakened by Iran and a tough trade fight, while Xi Jinping has the leverage—chiefly through rare earths and critical minerals—and is playing a long game. Beijing may give Trump a few 'wins' via big-ticket purchases or investments, but real leverage lies in Taiwan and incremental concessions. The piece suggests China’s strategy is to win slowly rather than risk broad multilateral failure.
Blocking AI Datacenters: A Grassroots Crusade for Democracy
This op-ed argues that the anti-datacenter movement is a crucial, cross-partisan fight to curb AI infrastructure's power and defend democracy, not mere “nimby” activism. Local moratoriums and community organizing from North Carolina to New Jersey show how residents can push for safety, energy and water safeguards, jobs, and transparency, challenging backroom deals by big tech and investors. Proposals from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, including state moratoriums and potential federal regulation, are highlighted as ways to leverage public pressure for meaningful AI governance. The authors counter liberal critiques that frame the movement as elitist, insisting that blocking datacenters creates political leverage to rein in tech giants and spur accountable, democratic control of AI. They warn that tech PR, dark money, and aggressive tactics will intensify, but view this resistance as an opportunity to build a broad, populist coalition that can shape a safer, more democratic AI future.
Failure Isn’t Final: Normalizing Setbacks to Accelerate Science
An editorial arguing that failure is intrinsic to science and must be normalized within funding, publishing, and career systems. It calls for reforms such as recognizing work in progress and unsuccessful experiments, adopting formats like Registered Reports, and expanding institutional support to help researchers learn from setbacks; it also criticizes policies like the ERC’s discouragement of reapplications, urging a culture that treats doubt and failure as essential to scientific progress.
Trump’s Bible-Reading Verse Sparks Christian-Nationalist Narrative
A Religion News Service opinion column argues that Trump’s selection of 2 Chronicles 7:14 for the 'America Reads the Bible' project is a deliberate move to align him with Christian nationalist aims, highlighting how the verse has been used to promote a 'God and country' agenda, while noting Trump’s sparse church attendance undermines claims of national revival.
Utah’s AI-prescription experiment sparks regulatory questions
Utah's collaboration with Doctronic to empower an AI to refill prescriptions substitutes machine decision-making for clinicians, raising urgent regulatory and safety questions about accountability, patient protection, and how quickly policymakers should adapt as AI enters medical practice.