A Drinking Problem

Data Center Thirst Traps

Beverly and Jeff Morris found a novel way to quit drinking. One day they turned on the water tap in their kitchen and nothing came out. It has something to do with their new neighbor in Newton County, Georgia. The couple drew water from a residential well until Meta broke ground on a new $750 million data center. "Months after construction began in 2018, the Morrises’ dishwasher, ice maker, washing machine and toilet all stopped working, said Beverly Morris, now 71. Within a year, the water pressure had slowed to a trickle. Soon, nothing came out of the bathroom and kitchen taps." NYT (Gift Article): Their Water Taps Ran Dry When Meta Built Next Door. The dramatic impact of this kind of Zuck Suck may only impact relatively few families who live near an ever expanding number of internet and AI-powering data centers, but the water pressures don't end there. "In the age of artificial intelligence, water has become as critical to data centers — which power the development of the cutting-edge technology — as electricity. The facilities pump enormous amounts of cold water into pipes that run throughout the buildings to cool the computers inside so that they can perform calculations and keep internet services like social networking humming. A data center like Meta’s, which was completed last year, typically guzzles around 500,000 gallons of water a day." All's not well that ends a well.

2

Shock and Awful

"China Shock 2.0, the one that’s fast approaching, is where China goes from underdog to favorite. Today, it is aggressively contesting the innovative sectors where the United States has long been the unquestioned leader: aviation, A.I., telecommunications, microprocessors, robotics, nuclear and fusion power, quantum computing, biotech and pharma, solar, batteries. Owning these sectors yields dividends: economic spoils from high profits and high-wage jobs; geopolitical heft from shaping the technological frontier; and military prowess from controlling the battlefield. General Motors, Boeing and Intel are American national champions, but they’ve all seen better days and we’re going to miss them if they’re gone. China’s technological vision is already reordering governments and markets in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and increasingly Eastern Europe. Expect this influence to grow as the United States retreats into an isolationist MAGAsphere." An interesting look at our increasingly heated competition with China. NYT (Gift Article): We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.

+ "As the Trump administration’s 'Big, Beautiful Bill' eliminates many clean-energy incentives in the U.S., China continues huge investments in wind and solar power, reportedly accounting for 74 percent of all projects now under construction worldwide." Photos: The Scale of China’s Solar-Power Projects.

3

Slash and Burn

The pointlessness and cruelty of our foreign aid cuts and the growing fear when it comes to pointing out the truth, all wrapped nicely in one lead paragraph: "Five months into its unprecedented dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the Trump administration has given the order to incinerate food instead of sending it to people abroad who need it. Nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire tomorrow, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations. Within weeks, two of those sources told me, the food, meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be ash. (The sources I spoke with for this story requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions.)" The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Trump Administration Is About to Incinerate 500 Tons of Emergency Food.

4

The Charm Farm

"According to the website Know Your Meme, the expression was popularized in 2024 largely in reference to anime characters and various celebrities. It generally refers to someone who does something repetitive to look cool and build, as Gen Alpha would say, aura. Dika, who seems preternaturally calm on the bow of a thin boat, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, uses a series of repetitive movements in his dance, making him a perfect fit for the term." What Is ‘Aura Farming’? This Tween Will Show You. (If it's done on a boat, shouldn't it be called Aura Fishing? Sorry, but internet fads come and go. Dad jokes are forever.)

+ 'I created it myself': The boy behind the viral 'aura farming' boat racing dance. "Although Dikha doesn't recognize any of the celebrities who've copied his dance - he first says he knows Travis Kelce before admitting he doesn't -he's quickly becoming one himself - especially in his home country."

5

Extra, Extra

From Mad About Vlad to Mad at Vlad: "Trump did not develop a new fondness for Ukraine or its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not abruptly become a believer in the traditional transatlantic alliances prized by his predecessors as a counterweight to Moscow. Rather, Trump got insulted." How Putin Humiliated Trump. According to Reuters, Putin is unfazed by Trump, will fight on and could take more of Ukraine. The threat of tariffs 50 days from now probably read more like a reprieve than an escalation. On Tuesday, The Financial Times reported that Trump, in a July 4 phone call, asked Zelensky, "Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?" David Ignatius in WaPo: In squeezing Putin, Trump ‘escalates to de-escalate.' (Sometimes, I'm not sure if these articles are intended to reflect Trump's thinking or to influence it.)

+ Developing Story: "Having grown up in a Zionist home, lived the first half of my life in Israel, served in the I.D.F. as a soldier and officer and spent most of my career researching and writing on war crimes and the Holocaust, this was a painful conclusion to reach, and one that I resisted as long as I could." Omer Bartov in the NYT (Gift Article): I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. (This is a painful read, and you can choose to agree or disagree. What's clear from an American perspective is that Bibi used to have to balance the pressure between his right wing and the Biden administration. Then one of those pressures got removed and replaced with the idea that maybe we could redevelop Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East.")

+ Nicotine Age Wasteland: "It’s nicotine pouches, like the wildly popular Zyn, that are behind the most significant rise in accidental nicotine poisonings among young kids." Nicotine poisonings soar in babies and toddlers. This mostly points to the massively increasing popularity of new nicotine delivery products. WaPo (Gift Article): The new nicotine product replacing e-cigarettes to addict teens.

+ Watch Party: "‘Severance’ Leads All Shows With 27 Nods, ‘The Penguin,’ ‘The Studio’ and ‘White Lotus’ Close Behind." Here's a look at this year's emmy nominations. (As per usual, the nominations are limited to a relatively small number of shows and many great performances are left out. I can say that authoritatively since I use TV as my escape from 2025 news and thus, I've literally watched everything.)

+ Throw the Bum In: With his dad pitching and his brother catching, Cal Raleigh capped off his amazing first half by winning the MLB Home Run Derby. (For those non baseball fans. Raleigh is a switch-hitting catcher nicknamed the Big Dumper because of his formidable glutes.)

+ Unhappy Returns: "For reasons Holton doesn’t understand, the seller, called 'Liusandedian,' put her home address on its return labels ... Customers dissatisfied with the car seat covers — judging by the company’s Amazon review page, there are many — shipped the products to an address that they thought was Liusandedian’s 'return center.' In reality, it was Holton’s home." Amazon issue sends hundreds of packages to Bay Area woman's home. (Same.)

6

Bottom of the News

"In 2004, her boyfriend — now husband — made her a new email address that included her nickname, the tooth fairy, to help organize her dental school applications and keep in touch with family abroad. About three years of mundane email later, Dr. Merchant got an unusual message. The subject line was 'Calum’s tooth,' and the message was urgent." NYT (Gift Article): The Tooth Fairy Is Real. She’s a Dentist in Seattle.