Welcome to the daily briefing. Start with the following story.
nicole farato Here’s to Happy National Donut Day 🍩 Friday news. Starting with the growing national debate surrounding data centers, we then introduce the voice actor of “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” who is captivating American readers.
It’s noisy. they are not popular. Should data centers be banned?
Data centers seem to be on everyone’s mind, as giant, resource-hungry computer buildings pop up all over the county, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere. This massive facility houses the physical infrastructure that powers digital services such as artificial intelligence. But critics say they deplete energy and water sources, pollute air quality, cause noise to nearby residents and create a disproportionate number of temporary jobs. Despite water concerns, construction is increasing in Texas.
They are not popular: According to a Gallup poll released in May, 70% of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their communities.
What can you do? Some towns have voted to ban it. Some say companies should take action. And others want transparency. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has launched a website where Americans can report problems they encounter at local data centers.
More news you need to know right now
- Senate supports $70 billion in new funding for ICE and Border Patrol: A majority of the U.S. Senate voted early Friday to approve funding for DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection agents, which are carrying out the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts across the country.
- California continues to count votes in a tight gubernatorial election. The rush of mail-in ballots in the Golden State, combined with a last-minute surge of liberal voters, will likely take time to count, officials say.
- Where is Amanda in Tropical Storm? The first named storm of the 2026 hurricane season is expected to begin weakening by Friday night or Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm currently poses no threat to land.
NCAA softball
Texas wins back-to-back WCWS titles
The Texas Longhorns defeated No. 11 Texas Tech 4-1 on Thursday night in Oklahoma City in the second game of a best-of-three series for the program’s second consecutive national championship. Check out the best photos from the celebration.
book
Why I think Jeff Hayes is more than one person
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has been watched over 140 million hours on Audible. This audiobook has been a selling point for many readers thanks to the variety of unique voices that Jeff Hayes has created for characters ranging from an AI to a British princess cat. Hayes’ voice acting skills helped catapult the near-perfect Audible-rated series to the forefront of the Literary Role-Playing Game (Literary Role-Playing Game) subgenre.
before going
Have feedback about the daily briefing? Email Nicole at NFallert@usatoday.com.
