Advocacy groups and community members protest laws surrounding data centers while outside the Texas Capitol in Austin Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Austin American-statesman/hearst Newspapers | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images The companies racing to build the massive infrastructure needed for the artificial intelligence boom are facing growing backlash over electricity costs, as households and policymakers question…
The Callisto tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 12, 2026. Benoit Tessier | Reuters Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, held above $100 on Friday morning as the U.S.-Iran war heads toward its third…
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reacts during a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on interest rate policy, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 28, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters As both energy prices and inflation fears pop, expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts are sliding. Traders…
Palantir CEO Alex Karp told CNBC on Thursday that artificial intelligence is giving the U.S. and its allies an edge in the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East. “What makes America special right now is our lethal capabilities, our ability to fight war,” Karp said at Palantir’s AIPcon 9 in Maryland. He added that…
A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial-refuelling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on March 4, 2026. Jack Guez | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. military said Thursday that a KC-135 military refueling plane was lost while flying over Iraq in an incident that was “not due to hostile or enemy fire.” The U.S….
Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. – | Afp | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday as oil prices soared on renewed fears that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could further crimp energy supplies, stoking fears of a global economic downturn. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei…
CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Thursday warned panicked investors tempted to dump their portfolios due to Iran war-induced market volatility: Don’t follow the crowd off the ledge. “Even if the current situation is terrifying, remember that under almost all circumstances, it makes sense to stick with the market, if only because you’ll have a better chance…
Mojtaba Khamenei; the son of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; is seen in Tehran; Iran; on December 14; 2016. Reza B | Afp | Getty Images Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has a new “verified” account on X, the influential social media platform owned by Elon Musk. Khamenei, whose X handle…
Uber signage on a vehicle at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, US, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images For more than a decade, Alvaro Bolainez has ferried passengers around the Los Angeles area in his SUV as a rideshare driver. He’s never seen anything…
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, US, on Monday, March 9, 2026. Mark Felix | Bloomberg | Getty Images The surge in fuel prices since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran nearly two weeks ago is already driving up airfare. Consumers’ appetite…
