DOGE Goes Nuclear: How Trump Invited Silicon Valley Into America’s Nuclear Power Regulator

#DOGE #SiliconValley #nuclearpower #regulation
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-nuclear-power-nrc-safety-doge-vought

New York Times: More! More! More! Tech Workers Max Out Their A.I. Use. This link goes to a gift article. “A.I. was supposed to help tech companies boost productivity and cut costs. But it has also created an expensive new status game, known as ‘tokenmaxxing,’ among A.I.-obsessed workers who are desperate to prove how productive they are.” Gross!

yahoo news | The Epstein files made him a political star. Then he posted six words to social...

The Epstein files made Rep. Ro Khanna a national political star, propelling him from a Santa Clara Democrat to the center of a high‑profile bipartisan effort that forced the release of investigative documents on the late Jeffrey Epstein. The victory, achieved with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, thrust Khanna into the spotlight just as California billionaires were fleeing the state to avoid a proposed wealth tax. In response, Khanna posted a sarcastic six‑word tweet—“I will miss them very much”—which ignited a backlash from Silicon‑Valley executives and crystallized the tension between his district’s extreme wealth and his progressive platform championed alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Khanna is now leveraging that moment to position himself as a populist challenger to the Democratic establishment, co‑authoring a national wealth‑tax bill with Sanders and courting disaffected Trump voters in an effort to broaden the party’s appeal. He argues that “courage” in modern American politics means standing up to the most powerful interests in his own district, and he has begun building a coalition that includes anti‑interventionist policies, a war‑powers resolution with Massie, and a “new tech social contract” aimed at addressing economic inequality as artificial intelligence reshapes jobs. While his ambition to run for president in 2028 is evident—through frequent media appearances, trips to early‑voting states, and outreach to independent voters—he remains a marginal figure in Democratic primary polls, though some conservatives see his anti‑war stance as a refreshing alternative.

The wealth‑tax proposal, which would levy a 5 percent levy on billionaires’ assets, has provoked fierce opposition from Silicon‑Valley leaders who fear it will stifle investment and trigger capital flight. Prominent critics such as Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan have funded a challenger, entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal, to contest Khanna’s seat, accusing the congressman of betraying the district’s prosperity. Despite the pushback, Khanna maintains that the debate on billionaire taxation is essential, pointing to emerging alternative proposals from tech figures and emphasizing that his district’s voters—who previously backed Sanders—still value his advocacy for research funding and progressive policies. Labor groups and local constituents, many of whom credit Khanna with championing “people over billionaires,” continue to back him, underscoring the complex, split‑screen battle between progressive ambition and Silicon‑Valley wealth that defines his current political crossroads.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/epstein-files-made-him-political-120000126.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

#rokhanna #jeffreyepstein #berniesanders #siliconvalley

NextGov: Google launches threat disruption unit, stops short of calling it ‘offensive’ . “Google’s threat intelligence arm officially launched its anticipated disruptive cyber unit on Monday, which comes as the Trump administration seeks to create a more offensive, proactive U.S. culture in cyberspace against foreign hacker groups and cybercriminals.”

UK.gov: Children and parents to pilot social media bans, time limits and curfews at home, as government tests next steps to give UK kids their childhood back. “Running alongside the digital wellbeing consultation, which is closing on 26 May 2026 and has already received nearly 30,000 responses from parents and children, the pilots will last 6 weeks and test how different restrictions affect […]

Ed Zitron: The AI Industry Is Lying To You. “Here’s what’s actually happening: data center deals are being funded by eager private credit gargoyles that don’t know shit about fuck. These deals are announced, usually by overly-eager reporters that don’t bother to check whether the previous data centers ever got built, as massive ‘multi-gigawatt deals,’ and then nobody follows up to check […]