How the spiraling Iran conflict could affect data centers and electricity costs
How the spiraling Iran conflict could affect data centers and electricity costs

Soon after the Trump administration launched its war on Iran, I called up Reed Blakemore, director of research and programs at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, to talk about the consequences. While oil and gas prices were already on the rise, there was still more hope then that the impact of the conflict might […]

Listen to the Live Nation CEO’s alleged threats to a concert venue
Listen to the Live Nation CEO’s alleged threats to a concert venue

Was it a threat or a reality check? That’s a key question in the government’s anti-monopoly case against Live Nation, which is currently in limbo after the Justice Department reached a settlement with the company and as dozens of states push ahead. The Verge obtained the audio of a 2021 call at the center of […]

Google and Tesla think we’re managing the electrical grid all wrong

The duo have teamed up with other companies to launch Utilize, which seeks to change how the grid is used and regulated.

States’ trial against Live Nation could move forward as soon as next week
States’ trial against Live Nation could move forward as soon as next week

The Live Nation trial is not over yet. Several states look to be headed to trial on their own as soon as Monday unless they hash out a settlement in the next few days. On Tuesday, a day after the Justice Department revealed in court it had reached a settlement with Live Nation that a […]

Judge orders Perplexity to stop AI agents from shopping on Amazon
Judge orders Perplexity to stop AI agents from shopping on Amazon

A federal judge has issued an order blocking Perplexity’s web browser-based AI agents from placing Amazon orders on a user’s behalf, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. In a ruling on Monday, US District Judge Maxine Chesney writes that Amazon has “provided strong evidence” that Perplexity’s Comet browser accesses user accounts “without authorization” from the retail […]

Every influencer eventually becomes a merch store
Every influencer eventually becomes a merch store

Tucker Carlson’s online store sells right-wing apparel and home goods, like hoodies in the Supreme streetwear style mocking Somali people or mugs with The Godfather puppetmaster iconography edited to feature AIPAC. But last week, a handful of other products caught the attention of those outside Carlson’s typical audience: one is a red and yellow “NY […]

‘Age Verification’ could force trans people to out themselves to use the internet
‘Age Verification’ could force trans people to out themselves to use the internet

In 2026, a photo ID is not just paperwork – it essentially grants you permission to exist in society. Last month, Kansas legislature passed a law categorically invalidating trans people’s driver’s licenses and IDs overnight, requiring them to obtain new IDs with incorrect gender markers. Now, with a slew of online “Age Verification” laws requiring […]

The twist in the Ticketmaster antitrust fight
The twist in the Ticketmaster antitrust fight

A lot of people are mad at Ticketmaster, and have been for a long time. (Did Swifties directly create an antitrust trial? Discuss.) The US government’s case against Live Nation-Ticketmaster appeared poised to lay bare some of the strangeness of the music business, and maybe even change the way the company works. And then, well, […]

YouTube is expanding its AI deepfake detection tool to politicians and journalists
YouTube is expanding its AI deepfake detection tool to politicians and journalists

Public officials and journalists will soon be able to keep track of AI-generated deepfakes of themselves on YouTube through the platform’s likeness detection feature. The tool is already available to millions of content creators on YouTube, but beginning Tuesday, it will expand to a pilot group of journalists, government officials, and political candidates. (At a […]

The government shutdown is hitting airports — but not ICE
The government shutdown is hitting airports — but not ICE

Chaos reigned at airports across the country last weekend, with thousands of travelers reportedly waiting in hours-long security lines thanks to staffing shortages. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Coast Guard workers have turned to food banks for assistance after weeks without pay. But amid a partial government shutdown aimed at curtailing the Department of Homeland […]