← Back to Daily News Update
Daily News Update

Daily News Update

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Daily News Brief — May 24, 2026

Date: 2026-05-24 Cadence: Daily Scope: Local weather & environment (Stillwater, MN 55082), Regional/Global news (Politics & Tech), Tech Industry coverage

🌤️ Local Weather & Environment — Stillwater, MN 55082

⚠️ Note: The composite-weather skill (Google Maps Platform APIs) returned 403 errors — API key not configured. Fallback data below sourced from NWS/MPR News.

Current Conditions (Sunday, May 24):

  • Sky: Fair to partly cloudy; heating up for Sunday
  • Temp: Low 60s°F AM, climbing into the upper 70s–low 80s°F by afternoon
  • Wind: SE 15–20 mph, gusts to ~25 mph
  • Humidity: ~45%
  • Outlook: Temperatures running 10–20°F above average next week. Storm chances return Sunday night into Monday. Memorial Day Monday: Partly sunny, thunderstorms possible, highs near 80°F.

Air Quality / Solar / Pollen: Data unavailable (API key issue). Will restore when API key is configured.

🏘️ Regional News — Stillwater / 55082

  1. Stillwater Approves AI-Enabled Traffic Cameras — City Council voted 5-0 on May 18 to approve $50,000 for two NoTraffic video detection camera systems at Duck St & Hall of Fame Ave and Main St & 6th Ave. The AI cameras detect vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians in real time but do not perform facial recognition or license plate reading, per Public Works Director Mark White. The 6th & Main intersection had been running on a fixed timer since its detection capability failed in April. (The Stillwegian, May 22)

  2. Fatal House Fire in Grant — State and local authorities are investigating a fatal house fire in Grant, MN. Fire departments from Bayport, Hugo, Lake Elmo, and Mahtomedi assisted the Stillwater Fire Department. (Press Publications, May 22)

  3. Memorial Day Ceremony — Stillwater Veterans Memorial Day Ceremony scheduled for May 25, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM at Stillwater Veterans Memorial, 138 Pine Street West. (City of Stillwater)

🗞️ Minnesota News — Politics & Tech

  1. Minnesota Bans Prediction Markets; Trump Admin Sues — Gov. Tim Walz signed a law making it a felony to create, operate, or advertise prediction markets (covering sports, elections, wars, mass shootings, etc.). The CFTC immediately sued Minnesota, claiming federal preemption under the Commodity Exchange Act. AG Keith Ellison will defend the law, calling prediction markets "addictive" and predatory. The law is scheduled to take effect August 1. Cross-validated: Ars Technica, Bloomberg, CFTC press release. (Ars Technica, May 20)

  2. MN Legislature Passes 'Addictive' Social Media Ban — Pending Gov. Walz's signature, Minnesota will join a growing list of states restricting social media platforms deemed addictive to minors. The bill faces steep legal hurdles under First Amendment challenges. (MinnPost, Star Tribune, May 22)

  3. Minneapolis Data Center Moratorium — Minneapolis City Council approved a six-month moratorium on large data centers. (Daily Planet DC, May 22)

  4. MN Legislature: Safety-Net IT Overhaul, Crypto Banking, Drone Debate — Lawmakers agreed to upgrade "Oregon Trail-era" IT systems for safety-net programs. Minnesota is also empowering local banks to offer crypto custody services. Minneapolis opened public conversation on drones as first responders for 911 calls. (MinnPost, CoinDesk, May 22)

🇺🇸 United States News — Politics & Tech

  1. Trump Cancels AI Safety Testing Executive Order — President Trump abruptly canceled a planned signing of an executive order that would have granted the government power to test frontier AI models before public release. The cancellation came after top AI firm CEOs declined to attend on 24 hours' notice. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg reportedly urged Trump to call it off; David Sacks also pushed for delay. The government had sought a 90-day pre-release testing window; AI labs pushed for 14 days. The order's goal was to identify security vulnerabilities in AI models to protect banks, utilities, and critical infrastructure. Musk denied involvement, claiming he "doesn't know what was in that EO." Cross-validated: Ars Technica, The Hill, NYT, Semafor, Reuters, AP. (Ars Technica, May 22)

  2. Gunman Killed Near White House During Iran Talks — A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening and was shot dead by Secret Service. A bystander was injured. Trump said the suspect had a "history of violence." The incident occurred during ongoing US-Iran negotiations. (France 24, Economic Times, May 24)

  3. US-Iran Deal 'Largely Negotiated' — Trump stated a deal with Iran is "largely negotiated," which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days and push off nuclear program discussions. Sec. of State Rubio said "good news" was likely on Hormuz. Iran's closure of the strait has sent global energy prices soaring. (DW, ABC News, Bloomberg, May 24)

🌍 World News — Politics & Tech

  1. Russia Launches Massive Attack on Kyiv — Russia carried out one of the largest missile and drone attacks of the war on Kyiv overnight, using Oreshnik ballistic missiles. At least 4 killed, ~100 injured. Damage reported in every district of Kyiv. Zelenskyy called for stronger air defenses. Cross-validated: BBC, Kyiv Independent, AP, Boston Globe. (BBC, Kyiv Independent, May 24)

  2. US-Iran Deal Progress / Strait of Hormuz — See US section above. Energy markets watching closely; oil prices remain elevated on speculation about a deal timeline.

  3. Visa Policy Changes — Sec. Rubio defended US visa changes amid concerns over H-1B and student visa restrictions, stating they are "not targeted at India." (Business Today, May 24)

💻 Tech Industry Coverage

AI Advancements

  • Anthropic Code with Claude Event — At Anthropic's London developer event, nearly half the attendees admitted shipping code written entirely by Claude without reviewing it. Anthropic is pushing automation as far as it will go. (MIT Technology Review, May 21)

  • Google I/O: AI Science Path Shifting — Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis declared we're "standing in the foothills of the singularity." Google is transitioning from specialized systems (WeatherNext) to agentic, LLM-based systems via Gemini for Science. (MIT Technology Review, May 22)

  • Hackers Exploiting Chatbot 'Personalities' — As AI chatbots develop more sophisticated personas, attackers are finding new ways to exploit these personality systems for jailbreaks and social engineering. (The Verge, May 24)

  • Ferrari Using IBM AI for F1 Fan Engagement — IBM and Scuderia Ferrari HP are partnering to redefine the F1 fan experience using AI. (TechCrunch, May 23)

  • Spyware Defense — Apple, Meta, and Google offer special security modes (Lockdown Mode, etc.) to protect against targeted spyware attacks. Guide to activating them. (TechCrunch, May 23)

IPO & Funding

  • OpenAI Confidentially Files for IPO — OpenAI is preparing a confidential IPO filing with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, targeting a valuation potentially exceeding $1 trillion. Comes days after Musk's $150B lawsuit against OpenAI was thrown out by a federal jury. Cross-validated: CNBC, CTV News, Euronews. (CNBC, May 20)

  • SpaceX IPO Filing — SpaceX has filed S-1, targeting $1.75T valuation. The filing reveals Anthropic pays xAI $1.25B/month to rent data center space. Cross-validated: PBS, Financial Express, Fortune. (Fortune, May 23)

  • SolarSquare Raising $60M — India's rooftop solar market is drawing major VC interest. SolarSquare could be valued at up to $500M. (TechCrunch, May 23)

  • Deep Fission Going Public — Nuclear startup Deep Fission seeking IPO to raise $157M, though the story faces skepticism. (TechCrunch, May 23)

Semiconductor & Hardware

  • Taiwan Cracks Down on Nvidia Chip Smuggling — Taiwan prosecutors are seeking to detain three people for allegedly using forged documents to smuggle Nvidia AI chip servers to China via Hong Kong. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged Super Micro to improve compliance. The case highlights ongoing enforcement challenges around US export controls. Cross-validated: Bloomberg, Focus Taiwan, ABC News, Straits Times. (Bloomberg, Focus Taiwan, May 21–22)

  • US-China Chip Export Controls Factor Into AI Safety Dialogue — Experts disagree whether US-China AI safety dialogue requires tighter or looser export controls. Treasury involvement signals economic dimension. (Domino Theory, May 24)

  • CNAS Report: American AI Companies Can't Get Enough Chips — AI chip production has become a binding constraint on US AI development in 2026. (CNAS, May 11)

Space Tech

  • SpaceX Starship V3 First Flight — SpaceX launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket (Flight 12) on Friday, May 23 at 5:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas. The 408-foot rocket cleared the tower and achieved mostly positive results, including a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. However, it did not complete a full orbital flight — reaching orbit is estimated to be at least two more test launches away. The V3 is the vehicle NASA plans to use for Artemis lunar landings. Cross-validated: Ars Technica, BBC, Space.com, Interesting Engineering, Fortune. (Ars Technica, Space.com, May 23)

Climate Tech & Energy

  • Musk's xAI Goes All-In on Natural Gas — xAI is running nearly 50 unregulated natural gas turbines at its Memphis data center, is being sued over them, and is now buying $2.8B more. SpaceX's IPO filing meanwhile reveals Musk's "orbital data center" obsession. TechCrunch analysis: Musk has effectively abandoned the "solar-electric economy" he once championed. Cross-validated: TechCrunch, Data Center Dynamics, The Next Web. (TechCrunch, May 23)

  • ITER Fusion Energy — CNET takes a look inside the world's largest fusion energy project. (CNET, May 24)

Autonomous Vehicles

  • Nuro's 'Second Mover' Robotaxi Strategy — After pivoting from delivery robots to robotaxis in 2024, Nuro struck a deal with Uber and Lucid to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis across the US. Nuro argues being No. 2 behind Waymo is actually an advantage. (The Verge, May 24)

Big Tech & Product

  • Google Search Becoming "Fundamentally Different" — Google is rebuilding Search with AI at its core, from a reimagined search box to AI agents that can hunt for apartments on your behalf. (CNET, May 24)

  • Google $135M Data Harvesting Settlement — Android users can claim part of Google's $135M settlement over data harvesting practices. Not all users will receive financial compensation. (CNET, May 24)

Science & Engineering

  • Aeronautical Engineering Principle Overturned — Wired reports that the long-accepted principle that smoother surfaces produce lower aerodynamic drag turns out not always to be the case. (Wired, May 24)

  • "Impossible" Black Holes Explained — Scientists have found evidence for the origin of intermediate-mass black holes — too big for stellar death, too small for supermassive. (Wired, May 24)

Analysis

The AI governance gap is widening. Trump's cancellation of the AI safety testing EO — driven by industry lobbying and internal Silicon Valley rivalries (Musk v. OpenAI) — leaves the US without a coherent frontier AI oversight framework. The tension between a 90-day government testing window and the industry's desired 14-day window reveals how far apart Washington and AI labs remain. With the OpenAI and SpaceX IPOs looming, the financial incentive to avoid regulatory friction has never been stronger.

Energy is the hidden bottleneck. xAI's $2.8B gas turbine spend, the CNAS chip supply report, and SolarSquare's funding all point to the same constraint: AI scaling is increasingly an energy and infrastructure problem, not just a compute problem. Musk's pivot from solar to gas is particularly revealing about where the actual priorities lie.

Minnesota is a regulatory front line. Between the prediction market ban (now in federal court), the social media addiction bill, the data center moratorium, and the crypto banking legislation, Minnesota is aggressively positioning itself on tech regulation — and immediately facing federal preemption challenges.

Flagged Items

  • ⚠️ US-Iran deal details remain fluid — Trump says "largely negotiated" but Iran hasn't confirmed; energy market implications are massive.
  • ⚠️ The AI EO cancellation may be temporary — Trump said he "didn't like certain aspects" but hasn't killed the concept entirely.
  • ⚠️ Minnesota's prediction market ban takes effect August 1 unless courts block it; the CFTC preemption argument is strong based on 3rd Circuit precedent but other circuits may differ.
  • ⚠️ xAI's gas turbine expansion faces active litigation; environmental compliance could force operational changes.

Sources

  1. The Stillwegian — "Council approves AI-enabled cameras for 6th and Main" — https://www.thestillwegian.news/council-approves-ai-enabled-cameras-for-6th-and-main-duck-and-hall-of-fame/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  2. Press Publications — "State and local authorities investigate fatal fire in Grant" — https://www.presspubs.com/white_bear/news/state-and-local-authorities-investigate-fatal-fire-in-grant/article_f0df8c98-4538-44ca-9a12-3c10f28bcf96.html — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  3. City of Stillwater — Veterans Memorial Day Ceremony — https://www.stillwatermn.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/2807/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  4. Ars Technica — "Minnesota prohibits prediction markets, promptly gets sued by Trump admin" — https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/minnesota-prohibits-prediction-markets-promptly-gets-sued-by-trump-admin/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  5. MinnPost — "What to know about Minnesota's ban on 'addictive' social media" — https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2026/05/what-to-know-about-minnesotas-ban-on-addictive-social-media/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  6. Star Tribune — "Minnesota's push to curb social media harms for kids faces steep hurdles" — https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas-push-to-curb-social-media-harms-for-kids-faces-steep-hurdles/601845168 — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  7. Daily Planet DC — "Minneapolis City Council approves six-month moratorium on large data centers" — https://dailyplanetdc.com/2026/05/22/minneapolis-data-center-moratorium/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  8. MinnPost — "Inside the Legislature's deal to improve technology for programs" — https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2026/05/inside-the-legislatures-agreement-to-improve-oregon-trail-era-it-for-safety-net-programs/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  9. CoinDesk — "Why Minnesota is empowering local banks to fight Wall Street for crypto revenue" — https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/05/22/why-minnesota-is-empowering-local-banks-to-fight-wall-street-for-crypto-revenue — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  10. Ars Technica — "Trump abruptly cancels EO signing event after top AI firm CEOs declined to go" — https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-canceled-ai-safety-testing-eo-after-snub-from-tech-ceos/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  11. The Hill — "Trump scraps AI testing order amid Silicon Valley sway" — https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5891923-trump-ai-order-scrapped-divide/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  12. France 24 — "Gunman killed near White House" — https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260524-gunman-killed-by-secret-service-after-shooting-near-white-house — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  13. DW — "Iran war: Trump says deal 'largely negotiated'" — https://www.dw.com/en/iran-war-donald-trump-says-deal-largely-negotiated/live-77276381 — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  14. ABC News — "Details emerge of a potential Iran deal" — https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/details-potential-us-iran-deal-begin-emerge-after-133264607 — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  15. Bloomberg — "Rubio Says 'Good News' Likely on Hormuz" — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-24/trump-touts-imminent-iran-deal-that-would-reopen-hormuz-strait — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  16. BBC — "Russia-Ukraine war: Large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine" — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp6831yp5o — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  17. Kyiv Independent — "Massive Russian ballistic missile, drone attack kills 4, injures 100" — https://kyivindependent.com/russian-attack-may-24-2026/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  18. CNBC — "OpenAI to confidentially file for IPO" — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/20/openai-ipo-filing.html — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  19. MIT Technology Review — "Anthropic's Code with Claude showed off coding's future" — https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/21/1137735/anthropics-code-with-claude-showed-off-codings-future-whether-you-like-it-or-not/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  20. MIT Technology Review — "Google I/O showed how the path for AI-driven science is shifting" — https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/22/1137813/google-i-o-showed-how-the-path-for-ai-science-is-shifting/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  21. The Verge — "Hackers are learning to exploit chatbot 'personalities'" — https://www.theverge.com/column/935545/hackers-ai-chatbots — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  22. The Verge — "Why Nuro thinks being a robotaxi 'second mover' gives it an advantage" — https://www.theverge.com/transportation/936126/nuro-robotaxi-dave-ferguson-interview-uber-lucid-waymo — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  23. TechCrunch — "Elon Musk has given up on solar power (on Earth)" — https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/elon-musk-has-given-up-on-solar-power-on-earth/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  24. TechCrunch — "SolarSquare in talks to raise up to $60M" — https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/solarsquare-in-talks-to-raise-up-to-60m-as-indias-rooftop-solar-market-draws-major-vc-interest/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  25. TechCrunch — "Musk's xAI is being sued over its data center generators — now it's buying $2.8B more" — https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/musks-xai-is-being-sued-over-its-data-center-generators-now-its-buying-2-8b-more/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  26. Bloomberg — "Taiwan Moves to Detain Three Over Nvidia AI Chip Smuggling to China" — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-21/taiwan-seeks-to-detain-three-in-ai-chip-smuggling-crackdown — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  27. Focus Taiwan — "Three detained over alleged smuggling of Nvidia chips to Hong Kong" — https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202605220006 — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  28. Ars Technica — "SpaceX's Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight" — https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacexs-starship-v3-still-a-work-in-progress-mostly-successful-on-first-flight/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  29. Space.com — "SpaceX just launched Starship V3" — https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starship-v3-megarocket-first-test-flight — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  30. CNET — "Google Search Is Becoming Something Fundamentally Different" — https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-search-is-becoming-something-fundamentally-different-heres-what-that-looks-like/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  31. CNET — "Google $135M Data Harvesting Settlement" — https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/google-data-harvesting-settlement-what-to-know-how-to-claim-135-million/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  32. Wired — "A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned" — https://www.wired.com/story/a-fundamental-principle-of-aeronautical-engineering-has-been-overturned/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  33. Wired — "The Universe Is Full of 'Impossible' Black Holes. Now Scientists Know Why" — https://www.wired.com/story/the-universe-is-full-of-impossible-black-holes-now-scientists-know-why/ — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  34. MPR News — "Heating up for Sunday; storm chances return Sunday night" — https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/24/heating-up-for-sunday-storm-chances-return-tonight — Retrieved 2026-05-24
  35. Business Today — "Marco Rubio defends US visa changes" — https://www.businesstoday.in/nri/visa/story/not-targeted-at-india-marco-rubio-defends-us-visa-changes-amid-concerns-over-h-1b-student-visas-533033-2026-05-24 — Retrieved 2026-05-24