INTERNACIONAL
Hawley takes aim at ‘corporate welfare’ after GOP-backed tax break boosted controversial industry
FIRST ON FOX: Anxieties over data centers have cranked up considerably, and one Senate Republican wants to close a tax loophole that he argues tech giants are using as «corporate welfare» to build facilities throughout the country.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., plans on introducing legislation that would tie up a tax loophole for data centers first unleashed by Republicans in 2017 that he charged has been exploited by tech companies to build their sprawling data center facilities.
It comes as the GOP wrestles with how to handle the data center and AI issue, which has become a major political wedge on the campaign trail, one President Donald Trump has called a «hoax.»
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That loophole, Hawley told Digital in an interview, is for Opportunity Zones, which he said are generally meant for «for low-income areas, low-income housing, low-income businesses or businesses in low-income areas.»
«These data centers have figured out a way that they think that they can access all of this money,» Hawley said. «So, let’s be clear. This is a form of corporate welfare. They don’t need any welfare. These people are rich. They can pay their own way.»
The tax breaks were first approved by Congress as part of Trump’s first-term tax cuts package, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. That initial bite at the apple established them as a means to spur investment into lower income or forgotten areas where tracts of land were dubbed Opportunity Zones.
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They were then made permanent last year through the «big, beautiful bill,» and though not explicitly intended to be used for data centers, have since provided a route for tech companies to defer, reduce or outright eliminate corporate gains taxes on their investments in the zones.
Since both tax packages were passed, 8,746 Opportunity Zones have cropped up in the U.S., according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, just under half of all zones are in rural areas, where tech goliaths have set their sights on building data centers.
And, according to a report from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 14% of all data centers are in Opportunity Zones, while just over 17% of all permitted, approved and under construction data center projects are in the zones.
Hawley’s forthcoming bill would explicitly exclude data centers from being able to access the tax cuts, adding another barrier at the federal level in an attempt to try and slow their rapid development.
And it comes as Congress scrambles to answer the growing fears over unfettered AI development, which data centers play a key role in.
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Concerns have rippled through the halls of the Capitol since its return this week after a call from major players in the AI industry to slow development, which came after engineers at Anthropic revealed on X that there was a roughly 10% chance that AI could wipe out humanity within a decade. The topic of reining in the technology is not new.
Three years ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., convened several panels with tech CEOs, including one with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to hash out what AI legislation could look like in Congress.
Since then, there has been little to no legislative action taken.
Hawley argued that Congress needs to at least put guardrails on AI and give people the opportunity to sue tech companies if their data and personal information has been used without their consent.
When asked why no real action had happened since Schumer’s series of AI summits, Hawley contended it was «because all the tech CEOs then promptly gave Schumer and the Democrats gobs and gobs money, and they decided that, you know what, maybe this industry is going fine.»
«And now what you see the same tech CEOs saying is they want an antitrust exemption so they can all talk together and work together,» Hawley said. ‘Any regulations, they want to write them themselves. And they’re out there saying, ‘The sky is falling, the sky is falling. You need to let us get together, write the regulations and figure out what we’re going to do.’ I’m pretty skeptical of that, I have to say.»
politics, big tech backlash, republicans elections, senate, domestic policy
INTERNACIONAL
Piedras Negras, la ciudad fronteriza donde la educación se convirtió en trampolín para los jóvenes
La deserción escolar continúa siendo uno de los principales obstáculos para el desarrollo educativo en México, y las causas rara vez se limitan a la falta de recursos económicos. La desmotivación, la ausencia de orientación vocacional y la falta de acompañamiento durante momentos críticos de la trayectoria académica también empujan a miles de jóvenes a abandonar sus estudios antes de concluir una carrera técnica o profesional.
En Piedras Negras, ciudad fronteriza de Coahuila, esa visión integral cobra forma a través de un modelo que combina apoyo económico con liderazgo, orientación vocacional y desarrollo humano. La región, históricamente marcada por su vocación industrial, hoy también se distingue por el compromiso de las empresas para consolidarse como uno de los polos con mayor concentración de estudiantes becados del estado, un dato que refleja el peso que ha adquirido la inversión educativa como herramienta para retener talento y fortalecer la continuidad escolar.
La convocatoria 2026-2027 del Programa de Excelencia El Valor de Educar de Constellation Brands, recibió mil 457 solicitudes de jóvenes coahuilenses interesados en formar parte de un esquema de formación integral. De ese universo, 500 fueron seleccionados para incorporarse a la nueva generación, luego de un proceso que evaluó desempeño académico, compromiso y proyección profesional. Los beneficiarios cursarán estudios en Educación Media Superior (39%) o Educación Superior (61%), distribuidos entre diez instituciones educativas del estado.
El programa alcanza con esta sexta edición los 3.000 estudiantes beneficiados en la entidad desde su creación. Un dato que ilustra la magnitud del impacto local: Piedras Negras concentra 159 becarios, y si se suma la región de Cinco Manantiales —integrada por Allende, Morelos, Nava, Villa Unión y Zaragoza—, la cifra asciende a 340 jóvenes, es decir, más de dos terceras partes de toda la generación 2026-2027 proviene de esta zona fronteriza.
Un modelo que no se limita al apoyo económico
Durante la ceremonia de entrega de reconocimientos, Nina Mayagoitia García, vicepresidenta de Comunicación y Responsabilidad Social de Constellation Brands, explicó que uno de los principales objetivos de “El Valor de Educar” no es sólo apoyar a los jóvenes con el financiamiento de las colegiaturas, sino la creación de un programa integral de acompañamiento que pueda complementar el conocimiento que los estudiantes reciben en las aulas y prepararlos más allá del ámbito académico.
“El acompañamiento para el desarrollo de las habilidades blandas que se generan a través de los talleres y los cursos que acompañan el ciclo escolar es lo que les genera este nivel de autoconciencia, autoconocimiento en los jóvenes, pero estas habilidades no se quedan en el plano escolar, los ayuda a que el conocimiento técnico tenga un impacto en ellos mismos y para su comunidad”, afirmó.
Mayagoitia utilizó la metáfora de “la red que sostiene y el trampolín que impulsa” para describir el propósito del programa: “El trampolín lo que hace es construir esas piezas de soporte y de apoyo que me permitan tomar esa nueva acción. El rol de los padres de familia es superimportante. Padres de familia, cuidadores, porque a veces son los abuelitos, a veces son los tíos, a veces son los hermanos mayores los que acompañan a estos estudiantes para esta toma de decisiones, pero las escuelas, pero los maestros, pero la empresa, desde el punto de vista del desarrollo de las herramientas, del soporte económico, todas esas piezas hacen que se convierta en un trampolín”.
Destacó que para Constellation Brands no basta con dar a los jóvenes las herramientas económicas para alcanzar sus metas y crecer en lo individual, pues su principal interés es brindar a los jóvenes la oportunidad de reconocer su papel como actores de cambio para que puedan contribuir a su comunidad.
Testimonios que reflejan la transformación personal
Sergio Alexander Martínez Guajardo, estudiante de décimo cuatrimestre de Ingeniería en Mecatrónica en la Universidad Tecnológica de la Región Carbonífera, describió cómo la beca eliminó una de sus principales fuentes de estrés y lo ha impulsado a buscar nuevas áreas de mejora tanto en lo académico como en el plano personal y comunitario.
“El ser becado por Constellation Brands, la verdad que pues es muy importante para mí, ya que me ayuda a no preocuparme de que esta vez me toca pagar la colegiatura. Es algo que yo me olvido, para entonces poder concentrarme en mis estudios, poder desarrollar proyectos y enfocarme en los retos y metas que surgen todos los días”, explicó.
Más allá del componente económico, Sergio destacó el efecto de los talleres en su desarrollo personal. “Los cursos te ayudan a desbloquear y desarrollar nuevas habilidades. Habilidades que muchas veces uno las tiene y las desconoce. Ahorita me estoy expresando de una manera en la que no podía hacerlo antes de los cursos, así con esta confianza para acercarme a los demás y hablar en público”, señaló el estudiante, quien realizó sus primeras prácticas profesionales en la propia compañía y espera repetir la experiencia en su próximo cuatrimestre.
Dulce López Pérez, estudiante de tercer semestre de preparatoria en el plantel CONALEP Coahuila de Piedras Negras, coincidió en que el impacto trasciende lo académico. “El programa me ha apoyado mucho para seguir con mis estudios y me siento muy agradecida porque me he esforzado mucho en mis calificaciones para poder estar aquí. Los primeros cursos que tomé me enseñaron que no solo importaba la constancia en la escuela, sino también como persona estar mejorando y ser parte de la familia, para crecer y mejorar juntos”, relató.
Para Anyelinee Barrientos Gutiérrez, estudiante de cuarto cuatrimestre de Ingeniería Industrial en Procesos Productivos en la Universidad Tecnológica del Norte de Coahuila, la experiencia de hablar frente a un público durante el evento de reconocimiento se convirtió en un ejercicio inesperado de preparación laboral.
“Esto me puede ayudar a las entrevistas de trabajo a no ponerme tan nerviosa, porque hablar enfrente de tanto público sí fue mucha presión, pero encontrar la manera de expresarme fue algo para lo que me han preparado los talleres”, comentó. La estudiante también subrayó el alcance del apoyo: “Hay personas que tienen miedo a seguir estudiando o su familia simplemente no tiene el suficiente recurso económico para apoyarlos, pues ellos pueden hacer un esfuerzo en unirse a una carrera y meter solicitud a esta beca y beneficiarse no sólo del apoyo financiero sino de los talleres que complementan esta experiencia”.
Una red de colaboración que sostiene la continuidad educativa
El modelo del Programa de Excelencia El Valor de Educar, se apoya en la articulación de diez instituciones educativas de Coahuila: CECYTEC-EMSAD Coahuila, CONALEP Coahuila, el Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de la Región Carbonífera, el Instituto Tecnológico de Piedras Negras, la Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, la Universidad Laboral de México, la Universidad Politécnica de Piedras Negras, la Universidad Tecnológica del Norte de Coahuila, la Universidad Tecnológica de la Región Carbonífera y la Universidad Tecnológica de Torreón.
Los participantes avanzan a través de la Ruta a la Excelencia, un modelo que establece objetivos de desarrollo académico y personal y que fortalece capacidades como liderazgo, autonomía y preparación profesional. Además de cursos, talleres y conferencias, el esquema contempla proyectos de emprendimiento, actividades de aprendizaje-servicio, experiencias de inmersión laboral y apoyos económicos para cuotas escolares, manutención, titulación o arranque profesional, según la etapa académica de cada beneficiario.
Del total de estudiantes seleccionados en esta generación, 47% son mujeres y 53% hombres, una distribución que refleja el criterio de equidad aplicado durante el proceso de selección.
La colaboración entre familias, docentes, instituciones educativas y el sector privado continúa siendo, según los propios testimonios recogidos durante la ceremonia, el elemento que transforma un apoyo económico en una plataforma real de movilidad educativa para los jóvenes de la frontera coahuilense.
conferencia,capacitación corporativa,audiencia,empleados
Russia’s shadow fleet launches drone campaign across Europe
Jennifer Griffin reports on Russia’s shadow fleet launching a drone campaign across Europe to surveil military sites and test NATO’s air defenses. The International Institute for Strategic Studies report reveals 144 suspected drones near sensitive sites in Germany, France, and the UK.
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A commercial ship sank and its crew vanished Tuesday after an apparent coordinated air-and-sea drone attack off NATO member Bulgaria, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia before warning Moscow was preparing a broader «massive strike.»
A second vessel was also heavily damaged and set ablaze inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, with a drone expert warning the dual precision strikes signaled a dangerous escalation and possible «larger invasion posture» by Russia.
«They were likely using the Geran-4 aerial drone to take the vessel out or the Maran surface vehicle to take it out,» Cameron Chell, founder of drone manufacturer Draganfly, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday of the first strike.
RUSSIA MAY BE USING HIDDEN ‘LUNCHBOX-SIZE’ DRONE DEVICES TO COUNTER UKRAINE DEFENSES: EXPERT
The dual attack occurred roughly 70 nautical miles off the eastern Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, according to Reuters, bringing the conflict into the economic zone of a NATO member. (REUTERS/Petko Momchilov TPX IMAGES)
«The reason it wasn’t just an air vehicle or an air drone that took this ship out was that the Gerans generally come in at a pretty steep angle when they’re on final attack,» Chell said.
«There are not really any precision drones that fly closely above the surface, which is where they would have had to hit in order to create an impact that would sink this ship fast enough,» he added.
«The nature of this strike suggests there was a combination of an air attack and surface attack,» Chell said.
The dual attack occurred roughly 70 nautical miles off the eastern Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, according to Reuters, bringing the conflict into the economic zone of a NATO member.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence and security services were working to determine the full circumstances surrounding the attack.
US ALLIES NEED TO SHOOT DOWN RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT TESTING NATO BOUNDARIES, CZECH PRESIDENT WARNS
«Our intelligence and special services are now working to establish all available information about yet another attack in the Black Sea targeting civilian vessels,» he wrote on X.
«Our Navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria, and it has been established that this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones.»
Chell suggested the attack’s location and hybrid nature could serve Russia by sowing greater uncertainty across the region.
«We can see the amount of geopolitical chaos that’s involved, and this is exactly the type of thing that would benefit Russia in the region,» Chell said.
«The hybrid element here is really blurring the lines between traditional military actions,» he added, describing the attack as «an expansion of strategy and tactics.»
«This is indicative of this larger invasion posture that seems to be unfolding for Russia,» Chell said. «And a real desire, what appears to be, for Russia to take things up a notch.»
RUSSIA’S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow on Sept. 5, 2026. (Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev also confirmed that aerial and maritime drones targeted two commercial vessels in shipping lanes inside Bulgaria’s EEZ, calling the attack a «gross, flagrant violation of international law,» according to Reuters.
The sunken vessel, identified by British maritime risk group Vanguard as the cargo ship Alfa Watan, suffered catastrophic structural damage before submerging with an undisclosed cargo and an unknown number of crew members aboard.
A nearby Bulgarian ferry, the Dioscuria, diverted to the scene after witnessing an explosion and receiving distress signals, Reuters reported.
Rescuers found an overturned lifeboat, life rafts and life jackets floating in the debris field.
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The sunken vessel, identified by British maritime risk group Vanguard as the cargo ship Alfa Watan, suffered catastrophic structural damage before submerging with an undisclosed cargo and an unknown number of crew members aboard. (YORUK ISIK/Handout via REUTERS)
Search-and-rescue operations involving the Bulgarian Navy, Air Force and Border Police remained underway to locate the missing crew and monitor for environmental threats, the outlet said.
Chell suggested the apparent coordination between the attacks was particularly significant.
«Not only are you using pretty sophisticated equipment, but you’re also doing it in a coordinated manner,» Chell said.
«These two ships were going opposite directions. One was actually just coming, and had left Ukraine the day before,» he said.
«These things coordinated and were struck relatively at the same time. So another level of coordination has unfolded here,» Chell added.
UKRAINE POUNDS BLACK SEA FLEET’S ‘LAST MAJOR STRONGHOLD’ WHILE PUTIN FLEXES NAVAL POWER IN PACIFIC
The second ship, identified by Vanguard as the general cargo vessel ABLE, caught fire after being struck while carrying grain. (Tony Hogwood/Handout via REUTERS)
The second ship, identified by Vanguard as the general cargo vessel ABLE, caught fire after being struck while carrying grain.
A Bulgarian ferry crew evacuated all 18 seafarers aboard — 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indian nationals.
Two crew members suffered severe injuries and were airlifted to a medical facility in Varna, while the remaining 16 were transported safely to shore.
Radev convened an emergency government session following the strikes. While acknowledging it remained unclear whether the drones originated from Russia or Ukraine, he warned of the widening scope of the war.
«Such an attack within the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable,» Radev told reporters.
REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES
Search-and-rescue operations involving the Bulgarian Navy, Air Force and Border Police remained underway to locate the missing crew and monitor for environmental threats, the outlet said. (REUTERS/Petko Momchilov TPX IMAGES )
«If this war is not ended in time, it will continue to expand its spatial scope and increase the risk of even a global conflict.»
Chell said striking the two ships inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone could also have the effect of disrupting a crucial shipping corridor and creating fear among commercial operators.
«It all adds up to a perfect little scenario for the Russians to create chaos there, not just to disrupt the lane of economics for the region and in particular for Ukraine — a lifeline,» Chell said.
«The Russians are really taking a playbook out of the Iranians who have basically created enough chaos in the Strait of Hormuz where the operators can’t take the chance to put their ships through there,» he added.
The strikes came amid a surge in attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea, including an incident off Romania’s coast Monday in which two people died in a ship fire.
Ambrey, a British firm specializing in global maritime risk, recorded more than 210 strikes on commercial ships between July and the end of September.
UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT
Small ground devices form part of an expanding «mesh» network that allows Russian drones and repeaters to relay encrypted signals across multiple connections, making drones far harder to disrupt. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP via Getty Images)
Zelenskyy later warned that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained information indicating Russia was preparing a major new assault.
«We’ve got updated intel on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike,» Zelenskyy wrote on X. «I ask you, please, to take care of yourselves and respond to missile threat alerts.»
«Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond — as much as our defenses allow,» Zelenskyy continued. «And a lot depends on our partners — every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us.»
«It’s very important that there be the political will to do this — particularly in the United States and in Europe,» he added.
world, geopolitics, foreign affairs, military, navy, drones, europe, wars
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin «very soon» as his administration closely tracks reports of a suspected pneumonic plague death in Siberia that have prompted a U.S. health alert and heightened health precautions across several countries bordering Russia.
Trump revealed the planned call while taking questions from reporters Tuesday.
Asked whether he had spoken with Putin about the situation, Trump said he already had a call scheduled.
«I have a call scheduled, yup,» Trump said.
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Asked when the call would take place, the president responded, «Very soon.»
Trump said the administration was in «very deep discussions» when asked what U.S. intelligence agencies were saying about the reports.
The president’s comments came as the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a health alert Tuesday saying it was aware of press reports from Russia’s Irkutsk region of «suspected pneumonic plague resulting in the death of an individual,» along with associated quarantine measures and hospital closures.
«We continue to track the situation closely,» the embassy said.
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A State Department spokesman told Digital that the department, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other interagency partners, is «closely monitoring the fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague» in Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast.
«The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,» the spokesman said.
The spokesman cautioned that «many details remain unconfirmed» and called on Moscow to provide greater clarity.
«We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,» the spokesman said.
The alert advised Americans in the area to follow local health guidance, avoid affected medical facilities and seek prompt medical care if they develop fever or respiratory symptoms. Those who have traveled to an area experiencing an outbreak were advised to monitor their health for 14 days.
The State Department’s existing Level 4 «Do Not Travel» advisory for Russia remains unchanged. The embassy reiterated that Americans currently in Russia should depart and warned that the U.S. government’s ability to assist citizens there is limited, particularly outside Moscow.
UKRAINE STRIKES DEEP INTO RUSSIA’S ARCTIC GAS HEARTLAND AS TRUMP PUSHES PUTIN TOWARD PEACE
Several countries bordering Russia are also implementing new health precautions in response to the reports.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are moving to implement what their governments have described as «enhanced health and sanitary measures» in response to reports of pneumonic plague in Siberia.
A 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week from what Russian authorities described as pneumonia of undetermined origin. Russia has not said the woman died of plague and said testing found no microorganisms in her body linked to her work.
Russian officials told the WHO that her contacts tested negative for dangerous infectious pathogens. The WHO has assessed the risk to the general population as low.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also said it is closely monitoring the reports and working across the U.S. government as additional information becomes available. The agency said there is currently no indication of a broader threat to the United States.
Pneumonic plague is a serious bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis. It can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact and can progress rapidly if untreated. The disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics, particularly when identified and treated early.
For now, U.S. officials are continuing to seek additional information about what occurred in Irkutsk and whether the incident poses any wider threat.
The president suggested his administration could have more to say as soon as Wednesday.
«We’ll be able to report about it probably tomorrow,» Trump said.
The White House did not immediately respond to Digital’s requests for comment.
foreign affairs, health, russia, donald trump, vladimir putin, politics
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