US ISIS post foiled; Oil prices tumble; Mega AI data centers; election roundup; Venezuelan opposition leader flees to Spain; Mexico in crisis; US Open
Ad Astra Podcast
September 9 2024
Good morning citizens of America. This is the Ad Astra Citizen Journal, daily brief for September 9, 2024 AD. I'm here to bring you the latest news headlines from around the world. Let's dive into today's top stories. In today's pod, we're tracking a US ISIS plot, oil prices tumble, mega AI data centers, election roundup, Venezuelan opposition leader fleas to Spain, Mexico and crisis, and the US Open. First up, Canadian and US authorities have arrested a man accused of planning a terrorist attack on Jewish communities in New York, inspired by the Islamic State. The suspect, a 20-year-old Pakistani national, was arrested near the US-Canada border and is now facing charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say the attack was being planned to coincide with significant Jewish holidays or the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack against Israel. Next, oil prices have hit their lowest point since June 2023. Brent crude is down to $71 per barrel, while WTI is at $67. OPEC+ tried to stabilize the market by delaying production cuts, but demand is still weak in both the US and China, causing further price declines. While this may be welcome news at the gas pump, it signals that the global economy is weakening. In tech news, the future of AI could soon be powered by mega data centers, with projects costing over $125 billion in the works. Companies are exploring North Dakota for sites that could consume gigawatts of power. These data centers would be orders of magnitude bigger than anything we have today, signaling a major leap forward in AI development. But first, the technology must prove scalable before moving from blueprints to reality. In our election roundup, the judge overseeing former President Trump's Manhattan criminal case has delayed his sentencing until after Election Day. Meanwhile, a new poll from the New York Times and Sienna College is shaking up the political landscape. The poll indicates that Kamala Harris, who recently replaced Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket, may be losing momentum. Despite efforts to position herself as the candidate of change, 51% of respondents see Donald Trump as representing major change compared to only 25% for Harris. This shift could spell trouble for her campaign, especially as many voters still view her as too progressive and risky. Lastly, there's growing bipartisan interest in a new economic tool, a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. Both Trump and Biden administration officials are exploring how this fund could be used to advance strategic interests, such as early stage technology and energy security, as the country's competition with China intensifies. Turning to international news, Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who U.S. officials say won the disputed July election against President Nicholas Maduro, has fled to Spain to seek asylum. This follows a violent crackdown on protesters by the Maduro regime, leaving over 20 dead and more than 2,000 arrested. Gonzalez's departure is a major setback for Venezuela's opposition forces. Just across the border in Mexico, protests are erupting as President Andrés Manuel Lopez overdoor pushes through controversial constitutional reforms. These changes would fire all federal judges and replace them with elected officials, which critics say would erode the country's democratic institutions. With the peso down 14% since the elections, the financial markets seem to agree. In sports, Taylor Fritz came heartbreakingly close to making history at the U.S. Open. The 26-year-old Californian lost Sunday's men's final to Janik Sinner, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Fritz's run to the final marked the first time in 15 years that an American man reached a major tournament final, with Andy Roddick being the last to do so back in 2009. On this day in 2002, 72-year-old astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, had an unforgettable encounter. Aldrin was confronted by a moon landing conspiracy theorist who accused him of lying about the Apollo mission. In response, the former astronaut punched him in the face. Aldrin was never charged, and many saw the incident as a reminder of just how much the moon landing's legacy means to those who made it happen. That's all for today's brief. Join us again tomorrow for more news and updates. This show was produced by Greg Loving, wishing you a great day ahead. Please follow and rate us on Apple Podcast or Spotify. It helps other lists you will find less. Stay informed and add Astra-Peraspora. To caption, just let it slip, yo. His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, there's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's spaghetti, he's nervous, been on a surface, he looks calm and ready to drop palms. But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down. The whole crowd goes so loud, he opens his mouth, but the words won't come out, he's joking how. Everybody's joking now, the clock's run out, turns up over ploughs. Snap back to reality, oh, there goes gravity, oh, there goes gravity. Show, he's so mad, but he won't give up that, he's he know, he won't have it, he knows. His whole back to these roasts, it's all bad, he's go... [BLANK_AUDIO]