Top 5 US news stories
June 3 2026
Tech Giants Pour Billions Into Data Centers as Construction Falls Behind
Trump Order Creates Voluntary Federal Review of Frontier AI Models
Pratt Surges Toward LA Mayoral Runoff as California Governor's Race Tightens
Study Links Ultraprocessed Foods to Higher Dementia Risk
US and Iran Trade Heavy Fire in Persian Gulf, Straining Ceasefire
Tech Giants Pour Billions Into Data Centers as Construction Falls Behind
Tech companies are committing record sums to finance the construction of large data centers, with a planned $80 billion equity raise by Google parent Alphabet the latest example. Even as the capital secured has grown, the ability to deploy it in the artificial intelligence race has become less certain, with supply-chain backlogs, permitting disputes and power availability pushing construction behind targeted timelines. A JPMorgan analysis last month found that more than 60% of data-center capacity planned for completion in 2027 is not yet under construction, and another 7% is delayed. Google and other tech giants have announced significant increases to their capital-expenditure forecasts as the race necessitates the rapid construction of hangar-sized buildings packed with servers, networking hardware and cooling systems. Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta Platforms and Amazon collectively devoted $410 billion to capital expenditures last year and are expected to spend more than $670 billion this year.
WSJ
Trump Order Creates Voluntary Federal Review of Frontier AI Models
President Trump signed an executive order on June 2 establishing a framework for federal vetting of the most powerful AI systems before their public release. The order asks companies including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google to voluntarily share frontier models with the government up to 30 days before release for national-security review. It also directs the Defense Department, Treasury and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to strengthen cybersecurity defenses for critical infrastructure. The order explicitly bars any mandatory licensing or pre-clearance regime. The White House had shelved a 90-day version of the order in May over concerns about stifling U.S. AI innovation against China, and the final 30-day window was signed in private rather than at a public ceremony.
PBS NewsHour
Pratt Surges Toward LA Mayoral Runoff as California Governor's Race Tightens
Voters in Los Angeles appeared likely to push Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt into a runoff with Mayor Karen Bass, after a campaign in which he tapped into anger over her handling of homelessness and last year's Palisades fire. Bass secured her spot in the November general election, according to The Associated Press, but Pratt captured a significant protest vote, while progressive City Council member Nithya Raman, who could still overtake Pratt for second place, also cut into Bass's support. Bass would be the first incumbent Los Angeles mayor to face a runoff since 2005. In the governor's race, a Trump-endorsed Republican held a narrow early lead over two Democrats, though that margin is expected to shift as mail-in votes tilting Democratic are counted over the coming days. Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, held a slim margin over former Biden administration official Xavier Becerra, who would be the state's first Latino governor since 1875, with billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer in third.
NYT
Study Links Ultraprocessed Foods to Higher Dementia Risk
Eating a diet high in ultraprocessed foods is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to new research that adds to a growing list of health problems linked to foods such as packaged cookies, hot dogs and chips. In a study published Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health, the people who reported eating the highest amount of ultraprocessed foods had a 58% higher risk of later developing dementia and a 46% higher risk of developing cognitive impairment than those who ate the least. The study involved more than 5,300 U.S. adults ages 50 and older and followed them for almost nine years on average. The researchers, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions, aimed to isolate the impact of ultraprocessed foods by accounting for other factors that affect health, including education, income, smoking, physical activity and alcohol use.
WSJ
US and Iran Trade Heavy Fire in Persian Gulf, Straining Ceasefire
The U.S. and Iran exchanged heavy fire in the Persian Gulf after the U.S. disabled an empty oil tanker it said was attempting to breach its blockade and load oil at Iran's Kharg Island. Iran then launched one-way attack drones at civilian mariners trying to transit the Persian Gulf, and the U.S. shot down three of the drones before conducting what it called self-defense strikes on Iranian military ground control stations on Qeshm Island, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, which host U.S. military bases; two missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke apart and three launched at Bahrain were intercepted, with none hitting their targets, U.S. Central Command said. On Wednesday, one person was killed and others injured after drones launched from Iran struck Kuwait's international airport at dawn, causing what a defense ministry spokesman described as severe material damage and prompting a suspension of air traffic. Despite the exchange, Central Command said Tuesday night that the tenuous ceasefire that began in April was still ongoing, as the two sides have repeatedly skirmished while refraining from a broad resumption of the war.
WSJ
JUNE 3 1889: FIRST LONG-DISTANCE ELECTRIC POWER LINE OPENS IN OREGON
The new line carried hydroelectric power 14 miles from Willamette Falls to Portland, Oregon, proving that electricity could be transmitted efficiently over distance. This breakthrough came before most homes were wired, laying crucial groundwork for America’s future electric grid.
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