This week — Independent institutions: 2, Trump: 0
The US president took two big domestic losses this week. First, the Supreme Court ruled against his demand for restrictions on mail-in voting in the upcoming midterms. The stinger? All three Trump-appointed justices sided with the decision. “These are not the people I interviewed,” he griped on social media. Two days later, his hand-picked Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh oversaw the first US interest rate hike in three years. Trump has long pressured the Fed to keep rates low, especially ahead of the midterms. But rising inflation — due in large part to soaring oil prices tied to the war in Iran — proved impossible to ignore. Afterwards, Trump blasted the Fed board, but spared Warsh himself. The lesson? Some Trump critics accuse him of being a “dictator” – but if this week is any measure, America’s independent institutions are proving otherwise.
Can AI help solve a climate issue for island nations?
The Maldives is turning to a technology often associated with accelerating climate change to help protect itself from sea level rise: artificial intelligence. A chain of hundreds of islands in the Indian Ocean, they’re the the lowest-lying nation in the world. And with 80% of its landmass sitting less than one meter above sea level, it is particularly vulnerable to rising seas. Working with a private company, the Maldives is combining satellite imagery, ocean-current data, and AI to design artificial reefs that can help rebuild eroding beaches. Placed at strategic points just offshore, the small reefs redirect currents and funnel sand toward the coastline. In early trials, some beaches have doubled in size. The UN has previously cited limited data collection and satellite imagery as major obstacles to helping island nations prepare for sea level rise. The hope is that AI could help close that gap, making it easier to model future threats and create new tools to adapt to them.
Did Saudi Arabia use a Chinese-made missile in Yemen?
Debris recovered from a recent Saudi airstrike in Yemen suggests Riyadh fired a Dongfeng-15 ballistic missile. If so, it would be the first time the Saudis have used a ballistic munition in their long-running war against the Houthi rebels. At a time when Saudi Arabia is under pressure from Iranian and Houthi attacks on its oil infrastructure and export routes, using a Dongfeng could signal that Riyadh has the capacity to escalate significantly – the missile could easily reach targets in Iran. But it may also stoke growing concerns in Washington about deepening ties between Beijing and Saudi Arabia, long a key US partner. According to leaked reports, US intelligence officials are already worried that selling advanced F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia could enable key American military technologies to make their way to China.
