Our Bridges Are Old, Our Grid Is on the Fritz and Soon America Will Be Obsolete

Most Americans don't think about infrastructure unless it fails. But when it does, it's personal. When subways stall or highways clog, you're late for work. When a bridge closes, your commute reroutes into chaos. When the storm drain overflows, your basement floods. And when transmission lines fail, the power goes out, leaving homes sweltering, grocery shelves empty and businesses offline.
Weak infrastructure makes your life just a little bit worse.
The United States is sleepwalking into an infrastructure crisis — one that will quietly degrade our quality of life and kneecap our ability to compete in the global economy. It's not just the older infrastructure that's in need of repair and replacement; it's also support for the new systems, such as artificial intelligence.
The crisis calls for a national recommitment to modernization — not as a partisan project, but as a precondition for global competitiveness, national security and basic dignity in daily life. And while responsibility ultimately lies with Congress, it's also with all of us who understand the stakes.
Today, the average U.S. bridge is over 40 years old, and about 42,000 of them are structurally deficient. Our ports are among the least automated in the industrialized world, leading to higher costs and dangerous pollution in nearby communities.
And America's grid is stretched thin. In the wintertime last year, about two-thirds of the country faced elevated risks of blackouts, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. We can't move electricity from areas with excess capacity to where it's needed because we haven't built enough transmission lines. And in a world increasingly powered by machine intelligence, if your power goes out, your economy goes offline.
The demand for electricity is rising fast. Training a single large-scale A.I. model now requires as much electricity as a large, urban American neighborhood uses in a year. Data centers, which power everything from those language models to advanced simulations, are projected to consume about 10 percent of the U.S. electricity supply by 2030 — up from around 2 percent today. A new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation finds that these facilities are an emerging threat to grid stability because they pull huge amounts of power at unpredictable times. The grid wasn't built for this. Unless we expand energy generation and build out transmission aggressively, the lights will start to flicker on our future prosperity.
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Associated Press

5 minutes ago

• Associated Press

11 days in June: Trump's path to 'yes' on bombing Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a week, President Donald Trump kept the world wondering whether he would join Israel's attacks on Iran in an attempt to decapitate the country's nuclear program. The guessing ended this weekend, when American stealth bombers, fighter jets and a submarine struck with bombs and missiles. Trump's decision marks one of the riskiest foreign policy decisions by a U.S. president in recent memory, potentially plunging the nation back into armed conflict in the Middle East with no clear endgame. Like most of Trump's presidency, the path to military action was unconventional and played out on social media, as he alternatively pledged diplomacy, demanded the evacuation of Tehran, threatened the ayatollah and ultimately announced the U.S. strike. Here's a look at how the last 11 days unfolded, a cascade of events that could reshape a combustible corner of the globe. All dates below are in Eastern time. Wednesday, June 11The first sign that conflict could be on the horizon came when families of U.S. troops began leaving the Middle East. 'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens,' Trump said as he arrived at the Kennedy Center for opening night of 'Les Misérables,' one of his favorite musicals. It wasn't clear whether Israel was preparing to strike, fulfilling years of threats to attack Iran's nuclear program, or if the movements were a feint to increase pressure for negotiations. The next round of talks between Washington and Tehran was just days away, and Trump was adamant about reaching a diplomatic solution. Behind the scenes, the Israeli military operation was already taking shape. Thursday, June 12 Trump said an attack by Israel 'could very well happen.' But Iran still seemed to be taken by surprise. Around 8 p.m. in Washington, explosions in Tehran killed top military leaders and scientists. Multiple sites connected to Iran's nuclear program were also hit. Israel said 200 warplanes took part in the first wave of attacks. More damage was done with drones that Israeli spies had smuggled into the country, destroying air defenses and missile launchers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a 'targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival.' Although Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, Israeli leaders claimed it was an imminent threat. Trump posted on social media that 'we remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution,' but his tone would soon change. Friday, June 13 Iran retaliated against Israel with missiles and drones, many of which were shot down by air defenses. As Trump started his day in Washington, he seemed impressed by Israeli military prowess and his tone became more aggressive toward Iran. 'The United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it,' he wrote on social media. But Trump suggested that diplomacy was his first choice, and urged Iran to make a deal. 'Now they have, perhaps, a second chance' to get it done, he said. Saturday, June 14 Trump talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the morning, and they discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran. The next round of talks between the U.S. and Iran was canceled. As Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes, Trump attended a military parade in Washington. It was the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, as well as his 79th birthday. The muscular display of American military might — tanks, troops, paratroopers and a 21-gun salute — played out in the nation's capital as the potential for a new conflict loomed. Sunday, June 15 Trump spent the day talking up his reputation as a peacemaker, encouraging Iran and Israel to 'make a deal' similar to how he had brokered an end to fighting between India and Pakistan. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place,' Trump wrote on social media. 'I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' Iran's health ministry said 224 people had been killed by Israeli strikes at this point in the conflict. Reports also emerged that Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. officials viewed the idea as dangerously destabilizing. Trump flew to Canada for the annual Group of Seven summit, which gathers the world's most powerful democracies. He would not be there long. Monday, June 16 Israel claimed it had achieved 'aerial superiority' over Tehran, allowing its warplanes to operate freely in the skies above Iran's capital. One of the strikes hit Iran's state-run television, abruptly stopping a live broadcast. Netanyahu said Israeli strikes set back Iran's nuclear program a 'very, very long time.' However, the extent of the damage was unclear, and U.S. and Israeli officials believed only American planes with specially designed 'bunker buster' bombs had the capability to destroy nuclear sites buried deep underground. After a single day at the G7 summit, the White House abruptly announced that Trump would leave early on a red-eye flight to Washington to meet with his national security team. Tuesday, June 17 Trump demanded Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' in a post on social media and he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wanted 'a real end' to the conflict, not just a ceasefire. He expressed frustration with Iranian leaders for failing to reach an agreement. 'They should have done the deal. I told them, 'Do the deal,'' he said. 'So I don't know. I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate.' Trump also brushed off assessments from U.S. spy agencies that Iran hadn't decided to build a nuclear weapon. He insisted they were 'very close.' The sun had not yet risen when Trump arrived at the White House. He took part in a meeting in the Situation Room, but did not appear publicly. With little clarity on next steps, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that 'I'm here to take questions, not necessarily answer them.' Wednesday, June 18 By this point, there was no question that Trump was considering joining Israel's attacks on Iran. 'I may do it, I may not do it,' he said that morning. 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' The president spoke to reporters while overseeing the installation of a massive new flagpole on the South Lawn of the White House, toggling back and forth between chatting up construction workers in hard hats and sizing up the Iranian nuclear threat. Later, in the Oval Office, Trump again suggested that the U.S. might get directly involved to thwart Iran's atomic ambitions. 'I'm not looking to fight,' he said. 'But if it's a choice between fighting and having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do.' On Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the Pentagon was presenting Trump with military options. Thursday, June 19 It was a federal holiday — Juneteenth — and much of Washington took the hot, steamy day off, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scheduled a briefing nonetheless. She entered the briefing room to deliver a message from the president: He would decide within two weeks whether to become directly involved in Israel's war on Iran. Trump has long been known to toss out 'two week' deadlines for actions that never materialize, so the statement left people guessing on his next move. Friday, June 20 Trump convened another meeting of his national security advisers and then flew to his golf club in New Jersey, where he attended a political fundraiser in the evening. He talked to reporters briefly en route, long enough to say his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was 'wrong' when she previously said that the U.S. believed Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon. Saturday, June 21 Around midnight, the U.S. military operation began in secret: B-2 stealth bombers taking off from a base in Missouri. They headed east, over the Atlantic Ocean, refueling from airborne tankers along the way. It would take them 18 hours to reach Iran. A decoy flight went west, toward the Pacific. Trump returned to the White House from New Jersey around 6 p.m. Less than an hour later, American ordinance began exploding in Tehran. More than two dozen Tomahawk missiles were fired from a U.S. submarine. Fighter jets scanned for Iranian interceptors. The stealth bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs, marking the first time that the 30,000-pound weapon had been used in combat. Trump announced the strikes on social media, saying it was a 'very successful attack and 'NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!' In a brief national address from the White House, the president threatened to attack Iran again if there was any retaliation. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said.

Yahoo

6 minutes ago

• Yahoo

OpenAI's Sam Altman Shocked ‘People Have a High Degree of Trust in ChatGPT' Because ‘It Should Be the Tech That You Don't Trust'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made remarks on the first episode of OpenAI's new podcast regarding the degree of trust people have in ChatGPT. Altman observed, 'People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT, which is interesting, because AI hallucinates. It should be the tech that you don't trust that much.' This candid admission comes at a time when AI's capabilities are still in their infancy. Billions of people around the world are now using artificial intelligence (AI), but as Altman says, it's not super reliable. Make Over a 2.4% One-Month Yield Shorting Nvidia Out-of-the-Money Puts Is Quantum Computing (QUBT) Stock a Buy on This Bold Technological Breakthrough? Is AMD Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold on Untether AI Acquisition? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! ChatGPT and similar large language models (LLMs) are known to 'hallucinate,' or generate plausible-sounding but incorrect or fabricated information. Despite this, millions of users rely on these tools for everything from research and work to personal advice and parenting guidance. Altman himself described using ChatGPT extensively for parenting questions during his son's early months, acknowledging both its utility and the risks inherent in trusting an AI that can be confidently wrong. Altman's observation points to a paradox at the heart of the AI revolution: while users are increasingly aware that AI can make mistakes, the convenience, speed, and conversational fluency of tools like ChatGPT have fostered a level of trust more commonly associated with human experts or close friends. This trust is amplified by the AI's ability to remember context, personalize responses, and provide help across a broad range of topics — features that Altman and others at OpenAI believe will only deepen as the technology improves. Yet, as Altman cautioned, this trust is not always well-placed. The risk of over-reliance on AI-generated content is particularly acute in high-stakes domains such as healthcare, legal advice, and education. While Altman praised ChatGPT's usefulness, he stressed the importance of user awareness and critical thinking, urging society to recognize that 'AI hallucinates' and should not be blindly trusted. The conversation also touched on broader issues of privacy, data retention, and monetization. As OpenAI explores new features — such as persistent memory and potential advertising products — Altman emphasized the need to maintain user trust by ensuring transparency and protecting privacy. The ongoing lawsuit with The New York Times over data retention and copyright has further highlighted the delicate balance between innovation, legal compliance, and user rights. On the date of publication, Caleb Naysmith did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on

CBS News

10 minutes ago

• CBS News

Colorado lawmakers respond to U.S. strikes on Iran, address security concerns

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis directs teams to remain vigilant in wake of attacks on Iran Colorado Gov. Jared Polis directs teams to remain vigilant in wake of attacks on Iran Colorado Gov. Jared Polis directs teams to remain vigilant in wake of attacks on Iran In the wake of the attacks by U.S. forces against three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, many Colorado officials and representatives took to social media in both support and opposition. CBS The military community is a significant part of Colorado, with six military bases across the state. The F.E. Warren Air Force Base missile field also spans an area covering parts of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado. The base is one of three strategic missile bases in the U.S. responsible for the country's nuclear defense. Gov. Jared Polis took to Facebook on Saturday to reassure Coloradans that he is working to mitigate any safety concerns that may arise as the world waits to see how Iran will respond. "I met with my public safety team this evening and directed that they coordinate with state, local and federal partners and remain vigilant against all threats to Coloradans and the state's infrastructure and military assets. The state is actively monitoring for any unusual or heightened activity and threats." Many Colorado representatives in Congress condemned the decision to attacks, claiming it was outside of the president's authority to authorize them, while others praised the decision, stating the attacks are protecting the United States. Most reactions fell along party lines. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents Colorado's 4th congressional district, did not release a statement, but she reposted a tweet from the president depicting a U.S. flag, suggesting support for his decision. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who serves Colorado's 7th District, condemned the president for not obtaining congressional approval for the attacks. "Only Congress may authorize war. And the last person I would trust to lead us through this is Donald Trump. As we watch to see the results of this strike, my primary concern is the safety and security American service members and diplomats across the region. For the good of America and the world, we must prioritize diplomatic de-escalation. " Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Crow, who served as an Army Ranger and now represents Colorado's 6th District, said he's seeking more information about the strikes and condemned the attack as executive overreach. "I'm seeking more information about the strikes against Iran, but here's what we do know: 1. Trump broke a promise to prevent America from entering new conflicts. 2. Trump has, once again, exceeded his authority. 3. Congress must act now & reclaim constitutional power over America's use of military force." Colorado's 3rd District Rep., Jeff Hurd, praised the attacks on X, stating, "The world is safer when America leads. I support efforts to protect U.S. security and stand with our allies. Grateful to our servicemembers for their professionalism and courage." Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado's 8th District is also an Army veteran. He praised the military members who carried out the attack on X, stating: "I'm glad to see @POTUS take action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. As a veteran of a Global War on Terror, I know we achieve peace through strength. Prayers and thanks to our brave men and women who carried out this necessary operation."