Tootfinder

Hundreds of people attended a pro-AI party in DC on September 26, in what the organizers called a counterprogram to the "bipartisan psychosis" over data centers (The Washington Sun)
https://www.washingtonsun.com/national/ai-bros-are-partying-data-center

The AI Bros Are Partying
Hundreds gathered at a bitcoin-themed bar in D.C. to counterprogram the national backlash against data centers and AI.

Even as Americans come forward in record numbers to demand their elected representatives stop green-lighting perpetually buzzing, polluting, and power grid-straining data centers into their communities,
a group of contrarian nerds has emerged to claim that data centers rock.
Such was the theme of last night’s
"Data After Dark: A Pro-Data Center Party" held at what Axios calls the “crypto-bro clubhouse” Pubkey in Washington DC.
“In light of the bipartisan psych…

Shocker: Last Night's 'Viral' Pro-Data Center Party Is Tied to Thiel, the Koch Institute, and Other AI Boosters
That pro-data center party was propped up by, well, data centers.

Behind The Shield - Ep. 2: Control The Controllables https://www.raiders.com/video/behind-the-shield-ep-2-control-the-controllables-2026-season-fernando-mendoza

"Le Monde – EN DIRECT, guerre en Ukraine : Volodymyr Zelensky dénonce des attaques russes visant des civils dans toute l’Ukraine, notamment contre l’Académie nationale des sciences, Š Kiev"

EN DIRECT, guerre en Ukraine : Volodymyr Zelensky dénonce des attaques russes visant des civils dans toute l’Ukraine, notamment contre l’Académie nationale des sciences, à Kiev
Selon M. Zelensky, une entreprise pharmaceutique et des stations-service ont été touchées à Kiev, ainsi qu’un centre d’affaires à Dnipro et des infrastructures civiles, des entreprises et des installations de télécommunications dans d’autres villes et régions du pays. Le président ukrainien et le maire de Kiev signalent des morts et des blessés.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving
to place its private detention network beyond the reach of state inspectors,
publishing draft contract terms that declare state and local laws
“shall not apply” to the facilities, according to federal documents reviewed by WIRED.
The new terms were published earlier this month,
a day after a federal judge ruled that a contract cannot override state law and ordered ICE’s largest Pacific Northwest detention center o…

ICE’s New Detention Center Contracts Declare State Laws ‘Shall Not Apply’
One day after a federal judge ordered an ICE detention center opened to state health inspectors, the agency posted new contract terms that would void state oversight at four facilities.

Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS, and SoftBank partner with key US unions to launch the American Infrastructure Alliance, aiming to create data center standards in 2027 (Hans Nichols/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2026/09/28/ai-industry-unions-data-centers

Exclusive: AI giants, unions join forces for data center fight
New group aims to partner with governments to create standards and guardrails for centers.

Sources: Meta is testing robots from ABB and others to handle data center tasks such as swapping cables and resetting servers as it seeks to lower labor costs (Paresh Dave/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/inside-metas-experiments-with-data-center-robots/

Inside Meta’s Push to Put Robots to Work in Data Centers
The company is testing robots that can swap cables, reset servers, and take on other tasks performed by technicians, fueling concerns among some workers that their jobs could be at risk.

Meta and BlackRock form a strategic venture to develop a 1GW data center campus in El Paso, set to cost ~$14B and bring capacity online starting in 2028 (Meta Newsroom)
https://about.fb.com/news/2026/07/meta-announces-new-venture…

Meta Announces New Strategic Venture With BlackRock to Develop Data Center in El Paso
Meta and BlackRock announce a venture to finance the development and operation of a data center campus in El Paso, Texas.

Sources: the US is drafting a rule to close an export controls loophole that lets Chinese companies access AI chips via data centers in countries like Thailand (The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/trump-adminis…

Trump Administration Working on AI Rule to Curb China’s Remote Access to Chips
Soon after President Donald Trump began his second term in office in 2025, the White House announced it would undo export controls the Biden administration had imposed on advanced AI chips to slow the technical progress of geopolitical rivals like China. In recent weeks, a small group within the ...

Sen. Blumenthal-led report: Tether's USDT is central to Iran's shadow banking system; 87% of 757 "terrorism"-related wallets predominantly transacted in USDT (Sarah Wynn/The Block)
https://www.theblock.co/news/regulation/20

Tether’s USDT at center of Iran’s shadow banking network, new Senate Report says
In the 28-page report, Sen. Blumenthal said the panel's Democratic investigators analyzed blockchain transaction data from 846 crypto wallets that had been sanctioned and associated with Iran.