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The Small English Town Swept Up in the Global AI Arms Race

WIRED

The residents of Potters Bar are working to protect the "green belt" of farms, forests, and meadows that surround London from the endless demand for AI infrastructure. A short drive from London, the town of Potters Bar is separated from the village of South Mimms by 85 acres of rolling farmland segmented by a scribble of hedgerows. In one of the fields, a lone oak serves as a rest stop along a public footpath. Lately, the tree has become a site of protest, too. A poster tied to its trunk reads: "NO TO DATA CENTRE."


How i The Pitt /i 's AI Drama is Playing Out in Real Hospitals

TIME - Tech

How The Pitt's AI Drama is Playing Out in Real Hospitals In Thursday's episode of The Pitt, the long-simmering tensions over the use of AI at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center boiled over. In season two of the five-time Emmy winning medical drama, a new attending physician, Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), is determined to improve efficiencies at the hospital. She tells her skeptical staff that new AI systems can cut down their time spent on charting by 80%, allowing them to spend more time both at the bedside and at home. But in episode six, doctors discover that the AI tool has made up false details about a patient and confused "urology" for "neurology." "AI's two percent error rate is still better than dictation," Al-Hashimi says, adding that it needs to be proofread for errors.


Waymo Asks the DC Public to Pressure Their City Officials

WIRED

Stuck in regulatory limbo, the self-driving-vehicle developer is encouraging residents of Washington, DC, to message public officials to help get its robotaxis onto roads. Waymo needs some help, according to an email message the self-driving developer sent to residents of Washington, DC, on Thursday. For more than a year, Waymo has been pushing city officials to pass new regulations allowing its robotaxis to operate in the district. So far, self-driving cars can test in the city with humans behind the wheel, but cannot operate in driver-free mode. The Alphabet subsidiary--and its lobbyists--have asked local lawmakers, including Mayor Muriel Bower and members of the city council, to create new rules allowing the tech to go truly driverless on its public roads.


Rage against the machine: a California community rallied against a datacenter – and won

The Guardian > Energy

Monterey Park residents gathered at city hall on 21 January to speak out against the construction of a datacenter. Monterey Park residents gathered at city hall on 21 January to speak out against the construction of a datacenter. Sat 7 Feb 2026 11.00 ESTLast modified on Sat 7 Feb 2026 16.55 EST When a southern California city council proposed building a giant datacenter the size of four football fields last December, five residents vowed to stop it. Through a frenetic word-of-mouth campaign, the small group raised awareness about the proposed facility in Monterey Park, a small city east of Los Angeles known affectionately as the country's first suburban Chinatown. No Data Center Monterey Park organizers - working in tandem with the grassroots racial justice group San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Progressive Action - held a teach-in and rally that drew hundreds of participants, knocked on doors, and distributed flyers on busy streets.


How the AI Boom Sparked a Housing Crisis in One Texas City

TIME - Tech

One chilly day in November 2025, community worker Mike Prado drove through Abilene, Tex., handing out blankets, socks, and jackets to unhoused individuals across the city. People sat on curbs, alleyway after alleyway, their meager belongings soaked by the previous night's hard rain. Prado has worked in this community for a decade, and was once homeless in Abilene himself. Prado has witnessed difficult years--but the current situation was the worst he'd ever seen, he told TIME. One man with a walker approached Prado outside of the Hope Haven offices--an Abilene nonprofit where Prado works, which operates a shelter and helps people with vouchers find housing--and accepted a jacket from him.


Russian attacks on Ukraine energy sites 'particularly depraved', UK PM Starmer says

BBC News

Russian attacks on Ukraine energy sites'particularly depraved', UK PM Starmer says Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy sector on Monday night - as temperatures dropped to -20C (-4F) - were barbaric and particularly depraved, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said. He made the comments after speaking to US President Donald Trump hours after Russia hit power plants and critical infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, and elsewhere. The attacks came at the end of a week-long pause that Trump had asked Russia's President Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine. Trump said on Tuesday that Putin had kept his word and that he would like him to end the war. Top US envoys are meeting negotiators from Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday.



Zelensky declares state of emergency in Ukraine's energy sector

BBC News

Zelensky declares state of emergency in Ukraine's energy sector Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in the country's energy sector, with particular focus on Kyiv, as ongoing Russian strikes continue to leave thousands of residents without power. The nation is in the midst of a particularly cold winter, with overnight temperatures in Kyiv dropping to around -20C. After a special cabinet meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky said a round-the-clock task force would be set up to deal with the damaging consequences of Russian airstrikes and worsening weather conditions. He accused Moscow of deliberately exploiting the harsh, sub-zero temperatures to target critical infrastructure, including energy distribution facilities. In recent weeks, Kyiv has been particularly affected by Russian attacks, leaving thousands of homes without regular power, heating or running water.


Chabria: Tim Walz isn't the only governor plagued by fraud. Newsom may be targeted next

Los Angeles Times

Things to Do in L.A. Tim Walz isn't the only governor plagued by fraud. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he would not seek a third term amid attacks over a fraud scandal involving child care funding. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . California has lost billions to cheats in the last few years, leaving Newsom vulnerable to the same sort of attack that took down Walz.


EU's top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites

BBC News

EU's top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites The EU's top diplomat has called Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites a deliberate distraction and an attempt to derail the peace process. Kaja Kallas' comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin's allegation that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin's residences. No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians, Kallas wrote on social media. Earlier this week Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia. Russia would review its position in the ongoing peace negotiations as a result, the Kremlin said.