The A.I. wars are here.

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Federal prosecutors told a judge that they were deciding whether to seek the death penalty if Rahmanullah Lakanwal is convicted of killing a National Guard specialist.

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A peace framework with Iran, and hope for cooperation with Ukraine, softened the tone on Tuesday at a Group of 7 gathering in France.

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A peace framework with Iran, and hope for cooperation with Ukraine, softened the tone on Tuesday at a Group of 7 gathering in France.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

A peace framework with Iran, and hope for cooperation with Ukraine, softened the tone on Tuesday at a Group of 7 gathering in France.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

On a roll or against a wall, Group of 7 leaders bring sharply different agendas. The leaders of some other nations are also attending to press their own interests.

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Charging documents outlined an ambitious plan involving explosive-laden drones and rifles, but left less clear that the conspirators had the means to carry it out.

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Special education programs and the civil rights office will be moved out of the Education Department, the most aggressive move yet by the Trump administration to dismantle the agency.

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The vice president also talked to Megyn Kelly on Tuesday about critics of the new Iran cease-fire and his presidential ambition.

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TechCrunch's Zack Whittaker argues that the U.S. government's abrupt export-control order forcing Anthropic to pull its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models offline was "never about an AI jailbreak" threat. Instead, it was driven more by "personality differences" between the AI company and Trump administration. Security experts say the reported guardrail bypass did not justify the order and warn that the move sets a troubling precedent: the government can unilaterally disrupt American software products without court approval, potentially undermining trust in U.S. AI providers. From the report: Katie Moussouris, a cybersecurity veteran and researcher who founded Luta Security, said in a blog post that Anthropic recently shared with her a private copy of a paper written by security researchers describing an alleged guardrail bypass in Fable 5. (The Wall Street Journal reports that the paper's authors are security researchers at Amazon.) Moussouris said that Anthropic reached out to ask for her take on the paper. Moussouris' blog post described how the researchers triggered the guardrail bypass, but said that the bypass itself "should never have triggered an export control." The difference is largely between asking an AI model to "review code for security issues" versus asking it to "fix this code." The end result is largely the same, even if the questions are posed slightly differently. "The behavior described in the paper cannot meaningfully be fixed, and any attempt would only weaken the model for defense," said Moussouris, who criticized the export control directive as hasty, heavy-handed, and misguided. Moussouris and dozens of other top security researchers and experts have since called on the Trump administration to revoke the export control order, calling the move to pull advanced cybersecurity capabilities from network defenders in the U.S. as "dangerous." Past administrations have made sweeping decisions on knowledge gaps. For instance, language used by the U.S. government during the 2010s to fix export law covering cybersecurity tools that could also be used for cyberattacks was so broad that inadvertently, it nearly outlawed legitimate security and vulnerability research. However, the Trump administration's directive appears retaliatory. Justin Hendrix, the editor of Tech Policy Press, said the Trump administration's move is "likely to raise alarms in foreign capitals about the reliability of American AI for critical applications." The message is that AI companies in the United States can't be trusted to operate without interference from the U.S. government. The Trump administration hasn't confirmed why it invoked its export control directive. Did the officials misread the report and freak out? Did Amazon CEO Andy Jassy say something to senior government officials that prompted the reaction, out of caution or spite? Was something lost in translation, or was this a way to pressure Anthropic, with whom the administration already has a fractious relationship? It's possible that the White House was unaware of the far-reaching consequences of the letter's demand and officials are scrambling to undo the damage of their own making. To quote Hendrix, "the climate is one of a cloud of suspicion that senior officials are picking favorites based on personal and political factors." The aftermath is that the government has set a dangerous precedent about how much control it intends to wield over the release of American-made software. This time the government took issue with Anthropic; tomorrow it could be with anyone else.

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U.S. officials have not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the deaths or released a report on their findings from an investigation into the Feb. 28 strike.

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Chris Hayes and Ezra Klein discuss how the Democrats are winning the battle for attention, and whether that can translate into winning elections.

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For as long as President Trump has been attending the annual meetings, his behavior has threatened the august decorum of the gatherings.

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For as long as President Trump has been attending the annual meetings, his behavior has threatened the august decorum of the gatherings.

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The world’s attention is on the Middle East.

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On a roll or against a wall, Group of 7 leaders bring sharply different agendas. The leaders of some other nations are also attending to press their own interests.

© Pool photo by Thibault Camus

On a roll or against a wall, Group of 7 leaders bring sharply different agendas. The leaders of some other nations are also attending to press their own interests.

© Pool photo by Thibault Camus

NSPM-12 establishes a clear structure for NSS cybersecurity governance and accountability and reestablishes CNSS.

The post White House Issues Memo to Bolster NSS Cybersecurity appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Plus, a counterclockwise mystery.

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Preliminary judgments on Joe Biden’s one-term presidency, including Jill Biden’s, are all the rage.

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How the scramble for partisan advantage could further distort America’s politics.

In a country where the housing market is squeezed, decommissioned electrical substations are in demand as refurbished residences.

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In a country where the housing market is squeezed, decommissioned electrical substations are in demand as refurbished residences.

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Only the hackiest screenwriter imaginable would script America’s debasement this way.

© Mark Peterson/Redux, for The New York Times

Democrats demanded an immediate briefing and even Republicans conceded they had no information on an agreement the administration has declined to release.

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The Federal Data Center Enhancement Act (FDCEA) is set to expire in September without an apparent replacement, potentially ending requirements for federal agencies to report on data-center efficiency, resilience, energy and water use, and contractor sustainability. Wired reports: Despite the public backlash, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the government agency that sets guidance for how agencies implement policies in line with the president's agenda, is not providing any plans for how federal agencies should manage the sunset or continue to implement reporting beyond the timeline of the law. This, current and former workers at OMB and the General Services Administration (GSA) say, signals that the Trump administration is set to take an even more hands-off approach to data center oversight and regulation. A replacement for the requirements laid out in FDCEA would, in other administrations, have been in the works for months ahead of its expiration. An employee with the GSA, the agency that oversees the government's IT services and helps to implement the FDCEA, says that the lack of any sort of plan is highly uncommon. The employee spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. "Never in the history of data center policies has a policy expired without another one having been painstakingly worked on for three years behind the scenes," says the GSA employee. "The technology has changed so much it's not about getting everything right, it's about doing the best they can and updating to a new policy. They claim they're going to make sure private companies pay their fare share, but they haven't explained how they'll do that." [...] There has been a burst of data-center-related legislation introduced in Congress this year, from bills that mandate environmental reviews of data centers to bills designed to protect local moratoriums. However, it appears that none of these bills are designed to address the requirements in FDCEA, nor do they specifically address federally run or leased data centers. [...] A search of reginfo.gov, the OMB website that contains reports on the president's Unified Agenda, also turns up nothing for the FDCEA. "By letting this expire, OMB is going to enter into this new age of prioritizing rapid AI development over any sort of centralized control or rigorous standards," says the anonymous GSA employee who spoke to Wired. "In the absence of a new policy from OMB, [GSA] has no directive or measurable standards with which to point agencies towards managing data centers efficiently."

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Gas prices and other goods could remain elevated for months, adding to the political challenge facing the White House in the midterm elections.

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Was the Iran war worth it — and will the latest agreement even stick?

© Illustration by The New York Times

Algal blooms have hit the site, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, after a $14.2 million repair project.

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In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and national parks officials, several Democrats and a Senate independent said that members of the administration could face fines and even criminal prosecution.

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The health secretary is trying to restart the work of a panel that advises the government on vaccines, after a judge froze its decisions and prevented it from meeting.

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Administration officials have suggested suspending a legal principle that protects against unlawful detention, and struggled to accurately define it.

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The states can hold guilty parties responsible when the federal government will not.

The men were convicted of conspiring to set fire to properties and a car linked to the prime minister after one of them was recruited on a Russian-language Telegram account.

© Pool photo by Carlos Jasso

The men were convicted of conspiring to set fire to properties and a car linked to the prime minister after one of them was recruited on a Russian-language Telegram account.

© Pool photo by Carlos Jasso

The U.S.-Iran framework agreement appears to omit some of the most important provisions that Israel wanted.

© Pool photo by Ilia Yefimovich

While the president says the agreement with Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and provide economic relief, the country’s nuclear program is still a subject for negotiation.

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While the president says the agreement with Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and provide economic relief, the country’s nuclear program is still a subject for negotiation.

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The U.S.-Iran framework agreement appears to omit some of the most important provisions that Israel wanted.

© Pool photo by Ilia Yefimovich

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government planned to bar children under 16 from social media, following similar efforts in Australia and elsewhere.

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The decision overturned a lower-court ruling that had found that banning Palestine Action as a terrorist group had breached free speech rights.

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The decision overturned a lower-court ruling that had found that banning Palestine Action as a terrorist group had breached free speech rights.

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Plus, crafting the perfect grass for the World Cup.

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Even though negotiations are beginning for Ukraine to join the bloc, the path ahead is a long one.

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Even though negotiations will begin for Ukraine to join the bloc, the path ahead is a long one.

© Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

Even though negotiations are beginning for Ukraine to join the bloc, the path ahead is a long one.

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The war had stirred doubts about the team’s participation in the tournament. It is set to play New Zealand in a Los Angeles area stadium on Monday.

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President Trump has long been at odds with European leaders over trade, Ukraine and NATO, but he has lashed out in recent weeks over their refusal to support the U.S. war with Iran.

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Representative Barry Moore, an early backer of the president during his first campaign, faces Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL tapping into the excitement for outsiders.

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A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.

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Secret memos show that the White House debated last year, to a greater degree than previously known, whether to limit habeas corpus rights for undocumented immigrants.

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Tuesday’s runoff for a slot on the Alabama Public Service Commission has a familiar ring to it, with talk of data centers and electricity costs. But in a southern twist, solar power has joined the list of villains.

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Ten years after a landmark peace deal, armed groups are wreaking deadly violence, blending jungle combat with new drone warfare.

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A bitterly fought Democratic primary in New York’s Hudson Valley will determine who takes on Representative Mike Lawler, one of the more vulnerable Republicans this cycle.

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Ten years after a landmark peace deal, armed groups are wreaking deadly violence, blending jungle combat with new drone warfare.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government planned to bar children under 16 from social media, following similar efforts in Australia and elsewhere.

© Katie Collins/Reuters

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government planned to bar children under 16 from social media, following similar efforts in Australia and elsewhere.

© Katie Collins/Reuters

Nominating Mr. Blanche to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer crosses a red line, and the Senate needs to defeat him.

© Ethan Noah Roy

President Trump sat ringside beside his wife, Melania Trump, for an event that used the trappings of the White House for a U.F.C. brawl.

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For 40 years, a museum in Norway has showcased art by children from around the world, even toddlers. Now it has lost the state support it depended on.

Some Republicans saw a political opening in Sunday’s fights at the White House. Democrats said they saw a distraction from more pressing matters.

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Shasta County voters had approved a ballot measure that would have heavily restricted voting by mail and imposed photo ID requirements. State officials said the new rules were illegal.

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In a call to The New York Times, President Trump praised Russia’s and China’s leaders and described Israel’s prime minister as “a very difficult guy.”

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Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” fame hopes to build a sprawling data center on the parched shores of the Great Salt Lake. It has become a burning issue in Utah’s looming primaries.

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Darializa Avila Chevalier won the backing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in her bid to unseat Representative Adriano Espaillat. Then her social media history took center stage.

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An eminent fossil hunter takes the reins at the National Academy of Sciences in a turbulent moment for American researchers.

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In a nation that sees itself as a tranquil oasis of prosperity and business virtue, he drew death threats for pointing out a dark underside.

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Israelis across the political spectrum have said the agreement appears to leave fundamental security threats posed by Iran unaddressed.

© Pool photo by Ronen Zvulun

No details were given about the 84-year-old former majority leader’s condition, but he has had a string of health issues in recent years.

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The election for mayor of Frisco, Texas, became a referendum on diversity and a test of anti-Muslim messaging in a general election contest.

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The Save Our Bacon Act is bad for pigs and bad for us.

© Michael Raines/Connected Archives

Group of 7 meetings once embodied the effort to sustain the global diplomatic order. This year’s gathering, starting on Monday, symbolizes its fragmentation.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Even for a president known for imposing his own reality on every situation, Mr. Trump has not outrun scrutiny over his age.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The F.B.I. director, following a strategy from President Trump, has filed six defamation lawsuits against news media companies and commentators in nearly seven years.

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Mr. Trump backed Mr. Collins over Derek Dooley, a former football coach supported by Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican whose relationship with the president is strained.

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Thanks to immigrants and the internet, Americans gained entry to a universe beyond our borders.

Group of 7 meetings once embodied the effort to sustain the global diplomatic order. This year’s gathering, starting on Monday, symbolizes its fragmentation.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

“I feel the same as I did 50 years ago,” President Trump said. “It’s crazy.”

After becoming allies to disastrous effect in the 1940s, Berlin and Tokyo are finding new reasons to team up — including rebuilding their militaries.

© Pool photo by David Mareuil

After becoming allies to disastrous effect in the 1940s, Berlin and Tokyo are finding new reasons to team up — including rebuilding their militaries.

© Pool photo by David Mareuil

James M. McDonald, a veteran former federal prosecutor and regulator, has more recently been part of President Trump’s legal team, appealing his criminal conviction.

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The administration’s surprise restrictions Friday cut off foreign access to Anthropic’s latest models and sparked another round of finger pointing.

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President Trump’s name was removed from the arts institution’s facade overnight on Saturday. Many questions remain, including whether or not it stays off.

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A review of polling data shows an extraordinary swing among white working-class voters on the president’s handling of the economy.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

One of the world’s richest countries is about to hold a referendum on a measure that would curb migration and most likely the economy. It is being sold in warm tones.

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The amount of oil and fuel stored by businesses and governments has fallen sharply since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

© The New York Times

For 40 years, a museum in Norway has showcased art by children from around the world, even toddlers. Now it has lost the state support it depended on.