Kim Jong Un's sister dismisses US intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea denuclearization
Since beginning his second term in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 unraveled due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions. Kim has since performed a provocative run of weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech's energy-hungry data centers. It's not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta. But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines. That has meant pressuring the nation's biggest power grid operator to clamp down on price increases, studying the effect of data centers on electricity bills or pushing data center owners to pay a larger share of local transmission costs. Rising power bills are 'something legislators have been hearing a lot about. It's something we've been hearing a lot about. More people are speaking out at the public utility commission in the past year than I've ever seen before,' said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. 'There's a massive outcry.' Not the typical electric customer Some data centers could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh, Cleveland or New Orleans, and make huge factories look tiny by comparison. That's pushing policymakers to rethink a system that, historically, has spread transmission costs among classes of consumers that are proportional to electricity use. 'A lot of this infrastructure, billions of dollars of it, is being built just for a few customers and a few facilities and these happen to be the wealthiest companies in the world,' said Ari Peskoe, who directs the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard University. 'I think some of the fundamental assumptions behind all this just kind of breaks down.' A fix, Peskoe said, is a 'can of worms' that pits ratepayer classes against one another. Some officials downplay the role of data centers in pushing up electric bills. Tricia Pridemore, who sits on Georgia's Public Service Commission and is president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, pointed to an already tightened electricity supply and increasing costs for power lines, utility poles, transformers and generators as utilities replace aging equipment or harden it against extreme weather. The data centers needed to accommodate the artificial intelligence boom are still in the regulatory planning stages, Pridemore said, and the Data Center Coalition, which represents Big Tech firms and data center developers, has said its members are committed to paying their fair share. But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech as the U.S. competes in a race against China for artificial intelligence superiority. Data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie published a report in recent weeks that suggested 20 proposed or effective specialized rates for data centers in 16 states it studied aren't nearly enough to cover the cost of a new natural gas power plant. In other words, unless utilities negotiate higher specialized rates, other ratepayer classes — residential, commercial and industrial — are likely paying for data center power needs. Meanwhile, Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog for the mid-Atlantic grid, produced research in June showing that 70% — or $9.3 billion — of last year's increased electricity cost was the result of data center demand. States are responding Last year, five governors led by Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro began pushing back against power prices set by the mid-Atlantic grid operator, PJM Interconnection, after that amount spiked nearly sevenfold. They warned of customers 'paying billions more than is necessary.' PJM has yet to propose ways to guarantee that data centers pay their freight, but Monitoring Analytics is floating the idea that data centers should be required to procure their own power. In a filing last month, it said that would avoid a 'massive wealth transfer' from average people to tech companies. At least a dozen states are eyeing ways to make data centers pay higher local transmission costs. In Oregon, a data center hot spot, lawmakers passed legislation in June ordering state utility regulators to develop new — presumably higher — power rates for data centers. The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board says there is clear evidence that costs to serve data centers are being spread across all customers — at a time when some electric bills there are up 50% over the past four years and utilities are disconnecting more people than ever. New Jersey's governor signed legislation last month commissioning state utility regulators to study whether ratepayers are being hit with 'unreasonable rate increases' to connect data centers and to develop a specialized rate to charge data centers. In some other states, like Texas and Utah, governors and lawmakers are trying to avoid a supply-and-demand crisis that leaves ratepayers on the hook — or in the dark. Doubts about states protecting ratepayers In Indiana, state utility regulators approved a settlement between Indiana Michigan Power Co., Amazon, Google, Microsoft and consumer advocates that set parameters for data center payments for service. Kerwin Olsen, of the Citizens Action Council of Indiana, a consumer advocacy group, signed the settlement and called it a 'pretty good deal' that contained more consumer protections than what state lawmakers passed. But, he said, state law doesn't force large power users like data centers to publicly reveal their electric usage, so pinning down whether they're paying their fair share of transmission costs 'will be a challenge.' In a March report, the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard University questioned the motivation of utilities and regulators to shield ratepayers from footing the cost of electricity for data centers. Both utilities and states have incentives to attract big customers like data centers, it said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. To do it, utilities — which must get their rates approved by regulators — can offer 'special deals to favored customers' like a data center and effectively shift the costs of those discounts to regular ratepayers, the authors wrote. Many state laws can shield disclosure of those rates, they said. In Pennsylvania, an emerging data center hot spot, the state utility commission is drafting a model rate structure for utilities to consider adopting. An overarching goal is to get data center developers to put their money where their mouth is. 'We're talking about real transmission upgrades, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars,' commission chairman Stephen DeFrank said. 'And that's what you don't want the ratepayer to get stuck paying for.' ___ Follow Marc Levy on X at
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Retiring and relocating? Take a holistic approach
NEW YORK (AP) — Debra Taylor has had a busy year or so: She's going through a divorce while in the process of retiring — and she's moving to Portugal from Southern California with one of her daughters. After deciding her next home would be outside the U.S., she narrowed down her choices based on tax burdens (Spain was out with its wealth taxes), climate (no Costa Rica, too hot) and ease of travel within Europe, one of her favorite parts of the world. She then toured Portugal with a relocation company, Expatsi, and found her new home, Aveiro. It's a striking city on the country's west coast with lovely canals that earned it the nickname the Venice of Portugal. It's all logistics from there. Taylor signed a year lease on an apartment (a requirement for moving forward), hired the company Viv Europe to navigate bureaucracies and paperwork, signed up for the necessary FBI background check and has an appointment in late September to move ahead with visas. Her youngest child gave her the idea to leave the country. 'After our current president was elected, my 18-year-old transgender daughter came to me and said, 'I want to get out of this country ASAP,'' Taylor recalled. 'That was just fine with me.' Her oldest daughter, who's 20, will stay in the U.S. to complete college. 'None of this means I have to live there forever,' Taylor said. 'I'll use this as my jumping-off point to do more deeper dives, explore the rest of the region. I want to buy a place, but I'm not going to do that until I'm living there and spend more time in different communities.' According to aging and relocation experts, Taylor has made the right decisions. Relocating for retirement The number of people who relocate upon retirement fluctuates, based on such factors as politics, home affordability and cost-of-living rates. While older adults are less likely to move than younger populations, more than 3 million people age 65 and older relocated within the U.S. in the five years before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As for moving abroad, U.S. politics is now the No. 1 reason cited by people who use Expatsi, the company's co-founder Jen Barnett said. 'The one downside is that a lot of countries retirees are interested in don't want retirees, and that is to say wealthy, English-speaking countries, because they want laborers,' Barnett said. While most U.S. retirees stay put in existing homes and locales, those who want to age in place face mounting challenges, said AARP Vice President Rodney Harrell, who focuses on housing and livable communities. Challenges include rising rents or mortgages, costs for home modifications, and a lack of community support services like adequate health care, reliable utilities and safe environments. 'One of the biggest challenges that we have is making sure that we take the future us into account, and not just look at our needs today,' Harrell said. 'Are we driving today? Is our income where it is? Is our spouse and myself healthy right now? How able are we to walk around and use steps, etc.? Things can change.' All of the above is crucial as the U.S. heads into a gray bubble. 'We're going to have more people over 65 than under 18 by 2034. For the first time in U.S. history, we have more older adults than children,' Harrell said. It's not just about weather or grandkids Do you want mountains, an ocean, to be closer to grandkids? Would you like a university town or city, a particular religious institution? Harrell suggests setting clear priorities when planning a relocation. And they should go well beyond those specifications. Taking housing costs into consideration is generally universal, he said, but he urged a more subtle consideration. 'What are the neighbors like? Is it an active community, if that's what you want. Do people keep to themselves more? That social connection is really important, too,' Harrell said. The AARP's livability index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact older people. It's easily searchable by address, city, state or ZIP code. 'Think about all of the things that you might want collectively, and know that there's no perfect place,' Harrell said. 'Once you have those things in mind, you'll get to the best possible outcome. Every place has trade-offs.' If being close to children and grandchildren is high on the list, set clear expectations about how involved you want to be in such things as child care, said retirement transition planner Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons. Also, chat with adult children before making a move to determine how settled they are themselves. Casey Bowers and her husband, Dave Bowers, recently relocated to Ericeira, northwest of Lisbon on Portugal's beachy Silver Coast. They love it, but it's not all ocean and sun. 'We have three adult children and their partners, and one grandbaby with another on the way,' Casey said. 'We're very close to our children. Learning the grocery store, getting new cellphones, those are just procedural things, but being away from family — that's the hardest part.' Sarah Friedell O'Connell, a retirement coach in Boston, looks at relocation this way: 'You're going to get a lot of hours back when you stop your full-time job. What are you going to do with that time?' Take a good look at your lifestyle As a wealth manager, Chad Harmer has helped dozens of retirees relocate, from Ontario, Canada, to Arizona's High Desert, from the Boston suburbs to the Carolinas. And he's dealt with some 'boomerang' moves back home after grandchildren arrived. 'Start with a 'lifestyle audit,' not a tax table,' he said. 'I ask clients to write a perfect Thursday five years from now. Where are they walking? Who are they meeting for coffee? How long is the drive to the grandkids? That exercise surfaces climate preferences, social networks, volunteer hobbies and healthcare priorities long before we argue over property tax millage rates.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. He also recommended budgeting for hidden inflators — such as higher insurance premiums in disaster-prone areas and frequent flights to see family — and considering less obvious weather complications, like pollen levels. Parsons, who wrote 'Encore: A High Achiever's Guide to Thriving in Retirement,' is a staunch supporter of taking a short-term rental before deciding on a permanent move. 'It's tempting to retire where you vacation, but that may not be the greatest idea,' she said. Harmer's rule of thumb: When 80 % of your desired daily routine is achievable in a new location for at least 80 % of the year, you're in the right ZIP code. 'Anything less and you're probably chasing an Instagram fantasy rather than a retirement reality,' he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
As federal takeover threats loom, the city of Washington waits for the White House to make its move
WASHINGTON (AP) — Around 2 a.m., noisy revelers emerging from clubs and bars packed the sidewalks of U Street in Washington, many of them seeking a late-night slice or falafel. A robust but not unusual contingent of city police cruisers lingered around the edges of the crowds. At other late-night hot spots, nearly identical scenes unfolded. What wasn't apparent in Friday's earliest hours: any sort of security lockdown by a multiagency flood of uniformed federal law enforcement officers. That's what President Donald Trump had promised Thursday, starting at midnight, in the administration's latest move to impose its will on the nation's capital. In short, Trump's promised law enforcement surge to take control of the streets of D.C. did not appear to unfold on schedule. A two-hour city tour, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no overt or visible law enforcement presence other than members of the Metropolitan Police Department, the city's police force. That still might change in coming evenings as Trump puts into action his longstanding plans to 'take over' a capital city he has repeatedly slammed as unsafe, filthy and badly run. According to his Thursday declaration, the security lockdown will run for seven days, 'with the option to extend as needed.' On Friday night, a White House official said Thursday night's operations included arrests for possession of two stolen firearms, suspected fentanyl and marijuana. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said more than 120 members of various federal agencies — the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service — would be on duty Friday night, upping the complement of federal officers involved. 'This is the first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, D.C.,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who publicly faced off against Trump in 2020 when he called in a massive federal law enforcement response to disperse crowds of protesters, has not said a public word since Trump's declaration. The MPD has gone similarly silent. A crackdown came after an assault The catalyst for this latest round of D.C. takeover drama was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed 'Big Balls,' was among the most visible figures of Trump's DOGE, which was tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy. Police arrested two 15-year-olds and say they're still seeking other members of the group. Trump quickly renewed his calls for the federal government to seize control. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He later doubled down on those comments, telling reporters he was considering everything from repealing Washington's limited 'home rule' autonomy to 'bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.' The threats come at a time when Bowser's government can legitimately claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings, both of which spiked in 2023. The number of carjackings overall dropped significantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and is on track to decline again this year, with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through the year. The portion of juveniles arrested for carjacking, though, has remained above 50%, and Bowser's government has taken steps to reign in a new phenomenon of rowdy teenagers causing disarray and disturbances in public spaces. Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council earlier this summer imposed tighter youth curfew restrictions and empowered Police Chief Pamela Smith to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones for four days at a time. In those areas, a gathering of nine or more kids under the age of 18 is unlawful after 8 p.m. This lies within presidential authority Trump is completely within his powers in deploying federal law enforcement assets on D.C. streets. He could also deploy the National Guard, although they are not one of the dozen participating agencies listed in his declaration. The first Trump administration called in the National Guard during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and again on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters overran the Capitol Building. But further steps, including taking over the police department, would require a declaration of emergency — something legal experts believe would most likely be challenged in court. That approach would fit the general pattern of Trump's second term in office; he has declared repeated states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs and, in many cases, moved forward while the courts sorted them out. These declarations have enabled his administration to govern via executive order. On Wednesday, Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare new sanctions on Russia. Imposing a full federal takeover of Washington would require a congressional repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973. It's a step that Trump said lawyers are examining, but it could face pushback. That law was specific to Washington, not other communities in the United States that have their own home rule powers but generally retain representation in their state legislatures, said Monica Hopkins, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the measure allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor, council and local commissioners. The district had been previously run by federally appointed commissioners and members of Congress, some of whom balked at having to deal with potholes and other details of running a city of 700,000 residents. So far, Trump's longstanding criticisms of Washington can be felt most directly in the actions of the National Park Service, which controls wide swaths of land throughout the capital. In Trump's second administration, the NPS has aggressively stepped up its clearing of homeless encampments on Park Service land and recently carried out a series of arrests of people smoking marijuana in public parks. Earlier this week, the NPS announced that a statue of a Confederate military leader that was toppled by protesters in 2020 would be restored and replaced in line with an Executive Order. ___ Associated Press reporters Mike Pesoli, Michael Kunzelman and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
