Elon musk and the xAI logo. Vincent Feuray | Afp | Getty Images The Environmental Protection Agency closed a loophole this week that Elon Musk's xAI had exploited to rapidly stand up its first data center in Memphis, Tennessee. Musk's artificial intelligence startup created a kind of off-grid power plant for its Colossus facility by using a cluster of gas-burning turbines. The company was able to ...
Elon musk and the xAI logo. Vincent Feuray | Afp | Getty Images The Environmental Protection Agency closed a loophole this week that Elon Musk's xAI had exploited to rapidly stand up its first data center in Memphis, Tennessee. Musk's artificial intelligence startup created a kind of off-grid power plant for its Colossus facility by using a cluster of gas-burning turbines. The company was able to avoid air pollution permitting by classifying the turbines, which were mounted on trailers, as "non-road engines." The EPA's updated rule clarifies that those kinds of turbines can't be designated as non-road engines and companies must also obtain Clean Air Act permits before installing them, particularly if their aggregate emissions will go above "major source thresholds" of pollution. The Shelby County Health Department in Memphis previously allowed xAI to designate its turbines as non-road engines, and to start using them without any public comment and environmental impact review, as would have been required in a standard permitting process. Representatives from the county's health department and xAI didn't respond to requests for comment. The move by the federal regulator could slow xAI's expansion in the Memphis area as it builds out facilities, packed with Nvidia's graphics processing units, to develop AI models and services in a booming generative AI market currently led by OpenAI and Google . At the Memphis data center, which first opened in 2024, xAI conducts inference and training for its Grok models and apps, including a chatbot and image generator tightly integrated into the company's social network X. While xAI had previously told Memphis regulators that its turbines would include state-of-the-art pollution controls, known as selective catalytic reduction technology, its supplier, Solaris Energy Infrastructure told CNBC in June that it did not install such controls in xAI's "temporary" turbines. SEI, a Houston-based energy services provider, has seen its stock ...
Medical professionals in Japan are concerned that China could dramatically ramp up trade pressure on Tokyo by adding antibiotics and ingredients for medicines to its list of exports subject to restrictions. Despite efforts over the last three years to increase domestic production of a range of commonly used medicines in Japan, the domestic medical sector still relies heavily on imports from China ...
Medical professionals in Japan are concerned that China could dramatically ramp up trade pressure on Tokyo by adding antibiotics and ingredients for medicines to its list of exports subject to restrictions. Despite efforts over the last three years to increase domestic production of a range of commonly used medicines in Japan, the domestic medical sector still relies heavily on imports from China and restricting or halting imports would cause “huge trouble”, according to the experts. “Japan...
An increasing number of Chinese and foreign banks are launching gold-linked structured deposits to attract investors seeking higher returns tied to gold prices, which analysts say provide an alternative to poor returns from time deposits. Rising gold prices, which continue to hit new highs this year, are fuelling renewed enthusiasm in gold as an investment in mainland China. While gold has increas...
An increasing number of Chinese and foreign banks are launching gold-linked structured deposits to attract investors seeking higher returns tied to gold prices, which analysts say provide an alternative to poor returns from time deposits. Rising gold prices, which continue to hit new highs this year, are fuelling renewed enthusiasm in gold as an investment in mainland China. While gold has increased 6 per cent this year to over US$4,620 an ounce, a Goldman Sachs forecast last month projected...
Like many long-time reporters in Hong Kong, I had occasional dealings with David Webb, the market transparency and shareholder rights crusader who died this week of prostate cancer at the relatively young age of 60. Almost all of my encounters with him over the years were annoying and slightly unpleasant. But they made me respect him all the more. He once chastised me for misstating a relatively o...
Like many long-time reporters in Hong Kong, I had occasional dealings with David Webb, the market transparency and shareholder rights crusader who died this week of prostate cancer at the relatively young age of 60. Almost all of my encounters with him over the years were annoying and slightly unpleasant. But they made me respect him all the more. He once chastised me for misstating a relatively obscure Nasa space mission in the 1960s and demanded a print correction. I thought, who cares? But I...
Suppliers of parts for Nvidia’s H200 chips, which recently gained US approval for sale in China, have paused production after local customs officials...
Suppliers of parts for Nvidia’s H200 chips, which recently gained US approval for sale in China, have paused production after local customs officials...
If you want to invest in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) usually come to mind first: The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY) . At a glance, they look virtually identical. Both track the same index. They're both ultra-liquid and have very low fees. And, of course, both have delivered nearly identical long-term returns. That me...
If you want to invest in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) usually come to mind first: The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY) . At a glance, they look virtually identical. Both track the same index. They're both ultra-liquid and have very low fees. And, of course, both have delivered nearly identical long-term returns. That means you need to look under the hood to see what differentiates one from the other. Small differences matter, and over time, those differences can make one ETF look better than the other. Continue reading
Time To DOGE Baltimore: Top City Leaders Admit They Can't Track Tax Dollars Flowing To Nonprofits Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's interview with Christopher Rufo last week highlighted that there is still unfinished business at DOGE, where fraud, waste, and abuse may account for as much as 10% of the total federal budget. We even joked that the scale of recent fraud uncovered in Democratic state...
Time To DOGE Baltimore: Top City Leaders Admit They Can't Track Tax Dollars Flowing To Nonprofits Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's interview with Christopher Rufo last week highlighted that there is still unfinished business at DOGE, where fraud, waste, and abuse may account for as much as 10% of the total federal budget. We even joked that the scale of recent fraud uncovered in Democratic states could compel Elon Musk to return to DOGE in some capacity, as his recent X posts targeting dark-money NGOs suggest renewed interest. At one level, one has to admire the entrepreneurial spirit of the Somali scammers — with just a few Quality Learing Centers, they built an industrial scale fraud operation nearly on par with USAID, a feat which took our best educated deep staters decades to do … https://t.co/dxxGGh27GT — DOGE State (@DOGE_STATE) January 16, 2026 After Nick Shirley's exposé on Somali fraud in Minneapolis, citizen journalists across the country began investigating where their tax dollars are going in Democratic run states. What followed has been a wave of DOGE-style efforts by citizen journalists to root out left-wing corruption, and what they are uncovering is alarming, particularly in California. The focus is no longer limited to Minnesota and California, but extends across blue states where local left-wing leaders, posing as responsible stewards, are often little more than activists with exceptional talent to loot local, city, state, and even federal coffers. The latest example of why a DOGE revival at the state level is urgently needed comes from Maryland, a one-party rule state controlled by Democratic kings and queens, where the word accountability doesn't exist, and the state's financial profile is rapidly deteriorating, placing increasing financial strains on working-class households as taxes soar amid a deficit crisis. Fox Baltimore reporter Patrick Hauf dropped a bombshell report this week, revealing that top leaders in Baltimore City do not actually...
Taiwan and the United States have signed a tariff deal that will see the island and its semiconductor companies invest around $740 billion in the US. facebook.com
Taiwan and the United States have signed a tariff deal that will see the island and its semiconductor companies invest around $740 billion in the US. facebook.com
The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitative deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York City against xAI that the images have included a ...
The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitative deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York City against xAI that the images have included a photo of her fully dressed at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, and others showing...
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for potentially impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investigation is in its early stages, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing the probe. CBS News reported the probe earlier Frida...
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for potentially impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investigation is in its early stages, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing the probe. CBS News reported the probe earlier Friday. The investigation comes as the the departments of Justice and Homeland Security are surging immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and state and local officials. Tensions have continued to mount after Minnesota resident Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. A Justice Department spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Walz, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that “weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.” His office said it hadn’t received any notice of an investigation. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” Walz said. Walz’s office said he has repeatedly called for lowering tensions. Late Friday, a Minnesota federal judge restricted the use of force by ICE officers in Minneapolis after protesters alleged widespread abuse that violated their constitutional rights.