AI Action Plan, Gaza Mass Starvation, & Walking Backwards

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Adam Rogers
July 24, 2025

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Trump unveiled an "AI Action Plan" to secure America's dominance in artificial intelligence. The plan promotes US-made AI exports and scraps Biden's AI guardrails, embracing ideas from Silicon Valley investors and tech lobbyists who backed Trump's campaign. (Read the full plan here)
The plan speeds up data center permits and loosens environmental rules to accelerate AI supercomputer construction, denouncing what it calls "radical climate dogma." It also blocks government contracts for companies whose AI shows “top-down ideological bias” and threatens to cut federal funding to states with strict AI regulations.
Tech giants are already building massive US data centers, part of a boom that could push US data center energy use to rival Japan’s entire electricity consumption by 2030, according to the UN. Over 100 labor, tech, and environmental groups oppose the plan, backing a 'People's AI Action Plan' focused on job protection and sustainability.

A coalition of 115 international organizations called Gaza's food shortage "mass starvation" and blamed the Israeli government's siege. In the past 48 hours, 25 people have died from hunger, including at least four children. The organizations said aid workers are now joining food lines themselves and "risking being shot just to feed their families."
Major aid organizations including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam accused Israel of creating "chaos, starvation, and death" through restrictions and delays. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied any famine exists and blamed Hamas for engineering a "man-made shortage," while UN agencies refuse to work with Israel's distribution system over transparency concerns.
At least 875 people have been killed by Israeli gunfire at aid distribution sites while trying to get food, according to the UN. The WHO said 90% of Gaza's population struggles to access clean water, while over 70 children have died from malnutrition since January.

A French court jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, including the director of labor firm Anavim, who was sentenced to two years in prison for exploiting over 50 undocumented West African workers during the 2023 harvest.
Victims testified they were recruited via WhatsApp with promises of “well-paid work” but were forced to work 13-hour days and sleep in a derelict building without food or water. Some workers said conditions made them feel “like slaves.”
The champagne industry employs 120,000 seasonal workers annually and faces growing scrutiny over labor practices after four workers died from sunstroke in 2023. A separate trial over abuse of 40 Ukrainian workers is set for November.

A Republican-led House subcommittee passed a Democratic motion 8-2 to subpoena Justice Department documents on Jeffrey Epstein, despite Trump's attempts to shut down the issue. (More)

Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard accused Barack Obama of leading a "treasonous conspiracy" against Trump, citing a 2017 Republican House report challenging claims that Russia backed Trump's election. (More)

Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in 2022, after pleading guilty to avoid execution. (More)

Thousands of Ukrainians protested in Kyiv after President Zelensky signed a law giving himself control over anti-corruption agencies. European allies worry it could hurt Ukraine’s chances of joining the EU. (More)

Indian police arrested a man who impersonated an ambassador from a fake embassy near Delhi, promising overseas jobs while collecting diplomatic cars and fake government seals. (More)

The UK froze assets of 25 people-smugglers, including gang leaders and boat suppliers to combat Channel crossings, but it’s unlikely to make an impact given smuggling network scale. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +0.78%, Nasdaq +0.61%, Dow +1.14%). Stock pumped on news of another potential trade agreement with the EU. (More)

GoPro stock surged 90% in premarket trading Wednesday while Krispy Kreme jumped 70%, becoming the latest meme stocks to rally after Opendoor and Kohl's earlier this week. (More)

Home sales dropped 2.7% in June as mortgage rates above 6.8% deterred buyers, while median home prices hit a record high of $435,300. (More)

Aitana Bonmati scored in extra time to send Spain to their first European Championship final, beating Germany to set up Sunday's showdown with England. (More)

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone signed a five-year deal worth $1.5 billion with Paramount Global, covering 50 new episodes and streaming rights through Paramount+. (More)

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham announced they're reissuing "Buckingham Nicks," their 1973 duo album that's never been available on streaming platforms, arriving September 19. (More)

Scientists found fossils of Mirasaura, a tree-dwelling reptile from 247 million years ago with a mysterious feather-like crest made of neither bone, scale, nor actual feather. (More)

T-Mobile launched its satellite texting service for $10 monthly, letting any phone carrier's customers send messages in areas without cellular coverage using Starlink satellites. (More)

Explorers discovered intact torpedoes and a bell from the USS DeHaven, a World War II destroyer that sank in 1943 with 167 crew members aboard. (More)

Lucky man wins the lottery twice in one night.

The world’s richest woman opened a medical school.

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