Enrique Abeyta:

Unmanned Drone Boat Rescues 2 U.S. Crew Members After Helicopter Downed by Iranian Drone

U.S. military officials said Tuesday that an unmanned drone boat rescued two crew members aboard a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter that crashed in the waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump said Iranians shot down.

U.S. officials are describing the rescue as the first time that an unmanned surface drone has been used to successfully rescue crew members at sea.

The Navy surface drone – described by a U.S. official as looking like a speedboat – located the two Apache crew members, who were then able to board the vessel, which transported them to another location on that water where they were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport.

"The surface drone that assisted in last night's rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59," said Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

Task Force 59 operates a variety of autonomous surface drones in the waters of the Middle East, including the T-38 Devil Ray and the Sail Drone, as well as aerial drones.

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Davis Wilson:

Kraken Named Official Crypto Exchange of FIFA World Cup 2026

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has struck a deal with FIFA to become the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the organizations announced Tuesday.

The sponsorship deal, announced just two days before the quadrennial soccer tournament's opening match, will span the seven-week competition running from June 11 through July 19. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The World Cup – the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States – is projected to draw a cumulative global audience of more than 6 billion people, a scale that Kraken is betting will translate into significant exposure for its platform.

"Football has always crossed borders. So does crypto," said Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi, in a statement. "For most of history, the best markets were open only to the few. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is where we show everyone else what they've been missing: an open, borderless financial system that anyone can join with a phone in their pocket. This isn't a future concept. It's here."

Kraken's FIFA collaborations begin Wednesday with a multi-country, multi-city countdown concert on the eve of the opening match.

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Ray Blanco:

China Reportedly Planning $295 Billion Data Center Network To Power AI Build-Out

Beijing may spend roughly $295 billion (2 trillion yuan) over the next five years to build a nationwide network of AI-focused computing hubs, according to a Bloomberg report.

The blueprint would connect data centers across the country into a unified computing network while prioritizing domestic suppliers such as Huawei for much of the underlying technology. State-owned telecom giants, including China Mobile and China Telecom, would operate much of the infrastructure, per the report.

The proposal, still under discussion, would mark one of China’s most aggressive efforts yet to build an AI infrastructure stack largely independent of U.S. technology.

China’s latest push suggests Beijing has increasingly treated computing power as a strategic national resource, similar to electricity or transportation infrastructure. The latest blueprint would push that strategy further by connecting fragmented regional data centers into a national computing network.

The timing is notable. In May, Washington cleared around 10 Chinese firms to buy Nvidia’s H200 chips, easing some restrictions aimed at slowing China’s AI development.

Bloomberg reported the project could be funded primarily through sovereign debt and state-backed investment funds, underscoring China’s willingness to continue spending on strategic technologies even as broader economic growth slows.

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