Private equity sees profits in power utilities as electric bills rise and Big Tech seeks more energy
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Private investment firms that are helping finance America’s artificial intelligence race and the huge buildout of energy-hungry data centers are getting interested in the local utilities that deliver electricity to regular customers — and the servers that power AI. Billions of dollars from such firms are now flowing toward electric utilities in places including New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Greg Brown, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor, says that's because there’s a lot of money to be made. Buyout proposals are coming at a time when electricity bills are rising fast across the U.S. Opponents worry buyouts will further drive up electric bills for regular people.
British department store Harrods warns customers that some personal details taken in data breach
LONDON (AP) — Harrods has warned some customers about a data breach involving their online systems. The luxury British department store said late Friday that names and contact details were taken after a third-party provider system was compromised. Harrods said that account passwords and payment details weren't affected. The company stated the incident was isolated and has been contained. Harrods said that it wasn't connected to a previous incident in May when hackers sought to gain access to its systems. Four people were arrested in July over their suspected involvement in cyberattacks against Harrods and other British retailers. Cyberattacks have targeted several high-profile British businesses recently.
Denmark reports new drone sightings at military facilities
BERLIN (AP) — Denmark's defense ministry says that “drones have been observed at several of Danish defense facilities.” The new drone sightings overnight Friday into Saturday came after there were several drone sightings in the Nordic country earlier this week. Some of them temporarily shut down Danish airports. Several local media outlets reported that one or more drones were seen near or above the Karup Air Base which is Denmark’s biggest military base. The defense ministry refused to confirm the sighting at Karup or elsewhere.
Trump moves toward deal to give US an equity stake in company developing Nevada lithium mine
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is moving forward with a deal that would allow the U.S. government to take a small equity stake in a Canadian company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines. The Department of Energy and Lithium Americas, developer of the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine and processing plant in Nevada, have agreed on changes to a $2.3 billion federal loan that could allow the project to move forward to extract the silver-white metal used in electric vehicle batteries. The proposed equity stake in Vancouver-based Lithium Americas is the latest example of President Donald Trump’s administration intervening directly in private companies.
Chair of a House committee on China demands urgent White House briefing on TikTok deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok. Moolenaar, chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, says the ownership transition is a step forward but not the only requirement. The deal, reached nearly two weeks ago, involves selling stakes in TikTok to comply with the law and licensing TikTok's all-important algorithm. However, Moolenaar wants more details. Critics argue the deal doesn't fully comply with the law, as ByteDance might still have influence.
Mikey Madison will play a Facebook whistleblower in Aaron Sorkin's ‘Social Network’ follow-up
Aaron Sorkin is diving back into the world of Facebook with a new film called “The Social Reckoning.” Jeremy Strong will play Mark Zuckerberg. Sony Pictures announced the film on Friday. It will also star Mikey Madison as Facebook engineer Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz. In 2021, Haugen and Horwitz exposed Facebook's secrets in an investigation known as The Facebook Files. Sorkin is writing and directing this movie, which is described as a “companion piece” to “The Social Network.” The studio plans to release it in theaters in October 2026.
Louisiana's $3B power upgrade for Meta project raises questions about who should foot the bill
HOLLY RIDGE, La. (AP) — Meta is racing to construct its largest data center yet, a $10 billion facility in northeast Louisiana as big as 70 football fields and requiring more than twice the electricity of New Orleans. Last month, the Louisiana Public Service Commission greenlit more than $3 billion in energy infrastructure to service Meta's facility. Local residents, consumer advocacy groups and some regulators say the data center plans lacks transparency and key details are being withheld from the public, which could be on the hook for billions of dollars in electrical grid costs. Others say the rushed build-out is necessary for a facility that promises transformative economic impacts, though locals have mixed feelings.
Judge approves $1.5 billion copyright settlement between AI company Anthropic and authors
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday approved a $1.5 billion settlement between artificial intelligence company Anthropic and authors who allege nearly half a million books had been illegally pirated to train chatbots. U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued the approval in San Francisco federal court Thursday after the two sides worked to address his concerns about the settlement, which will pay authors and publishers about $3,000 for each of the books covered by the agreement. It does not apply to future works.
Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza
WASHINGTON (AP) — Microsoft said it has disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action came Thursday after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft’s Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank.
Interpol says 260 suspects in online romance scams have been arrested in Africa
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Interpol has announced a major cybercrime crackdown across Africa, leading to the arrest of 260 suspects involved in romance and extortion scams. The operation took place between July and August. Authorities in 14 African countries targeted criminal networks that were using social media to defraud victims. The scams affected more than 1,400 victims, with losses estimated at $2.8 million. Interpol said Friday that Ghanaian authorities arrested 68 suspects, while Senegal police arrested 22 suspects posing as celebrities. In Ivory Coast, 24 suspects were arrested for using fake profiles to blackmail victims with intimate images.
