Morning Skim
AI
Nvidia opens an investigation into Huang's alleged spy romance
Nvidia is investigating CEO Jensen Huang's close relationship with an AI executive reportedly recruited by Chinese intelligence, with Huang promising a full accounting in a company-wide memo.
Why it matters: The face of the trillion-dollar AI boom facing a counterintelligence question touches everything from chip policy to investor confidence.
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The Verge
Elvis and Eminem rights holders sue AI music maker Suno
Rights holders for Elvis Presley and Eminem filed two new lawsuits accusing Suno of cloning artists' voices and styles without permission.
Why it matters: The suits will help define how far AI music tools can go in mimicking real performers.
Dive deeper → The Verge
Tech
Tesla's robotaxis roll into a fourth Texas city
Tesla expanded its robotaxi service to San Antonio, its fourth Texas market, as the company pushes coverage beyond Austin.
Why it matters: Every new city is a live test of whether Tesla's camera-only autonomy can scale.
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TechCrunch
Researchers solve a mystery haunting power grids worldwide
German researchers traced coordinated power dips on grids around the world to a single culprit, ending a years-long puzzle for grid operators.
Why it matters: Grid stability is the quiet foundation of the AI buildout and the energy transition, and small anomalies can cascade.
Dive deeper → TechCrunch
Business
Thames Water buys more time on its 20 billion pound debt pile
The troubled UK utility is lobbying creditors to push a repayment deadline out to March 2028 as it fights to stabilize 20 billion pounds of debt.
Why it matters: Thames Water is the UK's biggest water supplier, and its restructuring is a test case for Britain's debt-laden utilities.
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The Guardian
EU sues IBM over a troubled border system
The European Commission is suing IBM, Atos and Leonardo over the long-delayed entry/exit border system whose rollout caused huge passenger queues.
Why it matters: It is a rare legal fight over a flagship public tech project, with billions in contracts at stake.
Dive deeper → The Guardian
Science
A hidden protein may drive type 2 diabetes
Researchers found that a buildup of the protein Miro1 can block muscles from responding to insulin, and that removing it, or exercising it away, restored insulin sensitivity in experiments.
Why it matters: It points to a new treatment pathway for a disease affecting hundreds of millions.
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ScienceDaily
Nuking an asteroid works, but only from the right angle
New simulations show an asteroid's irregular shape can change how well a nuclear X-ray blast deflects it, with effectiveness varying nearly fivefold depending on where the blow lands.
Why it matters: Planetary defense only works if the model matches the actual rock.
Dive deeper → ScienceDaily
World
At least 34 dead after a migrant boat sinks off Senegal
The overloaded boat went down en route to Spain's Canary Islands, and dozens of bodies have been recovered.
Why it matters: The Atlantic route to the Canaries has become one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world.
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BBC News
Pope Leo delivers a rebuke of Milei's austerity in Argentina
Visiting Argentina, the pope told President Javier Milei that economic policy must benefit everyone, a pointed message early in a 12-day Latin America tour.
Why it matters: The Vatican is staking out a clear position in the global fight over austerity.
Dive deeper → The Guardian
Culture
The Strokes join SNL's five timers club
The Strokes returned to Saturday Night Live for a fifth turn as musical guest, playing Lonely in the Future and Going Shopping on the Walton Goggins episode.
Why it matters: Few bands stay culturally central long enough to hit the five timers mark.
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Pitchfork
Alanis Morissette comes out as pansexual
The icon of nineties confessional songwriting shared the news on the Handsome podcast, reflecting on her relationships and how she talks about them.
Why it matters: Morissette has shaped three decades of honest songwriting, and her framing lands differently now.
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Consequence
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