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The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday clapped back at the Associated Press’ (AP) story accusing the administration of neglecting Black students, saying its headline was “inaccurate and dangerous.””It’s typical of @AP to cast ED’s important civil rights investigations as black vs. white issues when we see students of ALL races struggle academically,” the ED posted on X.The AP wrote that the federal government has historically attempted to remedy “systemic discrimination against Black people and other people of color.” The report took issue with the current ED stripping “funding from some districts that used it to create magnet schools intended to be more diverse.”TRUMP ADMIN CRACKS DOWN ON COLORADO SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT ALLEGEDLY PUT UP TO 61 MALES ON GIRLS’ SPORTS TEAMSThe reporter noted that the Department of Justice “pressed schools to desegregate” and that the “Department of Education worked to promote equal opportunity and held schools accountable for racial bias.”However, according to AP, the administration is reversing that work in education as “civil rights lawyers describe the Republican administration’s actions as a complete inversion of legal history.””But under the Trump administration, efforts to address deep-rooted inequities for students of color are being cast as discriminatory against white students. Programs that have long withstood legal scrutiny are now quick to be deemed ‘illegal DEI’ — diversity, equity and inclusion — by the White House. Schools that do not comply have faced threats to their funding, and in some cases, lost federal grants,” the AP wrote.JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ZEROES IN ON UCLA FOR ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEI ADMISSIONS AS ELITE SCHOOL CRACKDOWN EXPANDSThe AP report went on to cite the investigations opened by the Trump administration into the Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District’s programs geared toward Black students. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) was probed by the administration for its Black Student Success Program, resulting in $20 million in federal funding being withheld over the program. ED Secretary Linda McMahon posted on X in September last year that the department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a letter to CPS saying that the district violated anti-discrimination laws through its “exclusionary Black Student Success Plan,” which they noted solely serves Black students. Los Angeles was probed for creating a similar program called the Black Student Achievement Plan.”In 2023, Defending Education, a Virginia-based conservative group, filed a complaint to the Education Department, alleging discrimination against non-Black students. The district said it would no longer consider Black enrollment and instead focus solely on metrics such as high absenteeism and low test scores, emphasizing that all students could take part,” the AP wrote.FEDS OPEN PROBE INTO NEW YORK CITY’S PRO-PALESTINIAN TEACHERSThe ED responded on X that the headline was “inaccurate and dangerous,” arguing that such programs are an infringement upon basic fairness all students are entitled to.”To allocate resources disproportionately to students of one race at the expense of others is not only a violation of civil rights law, but an infringement upon the basic fairness to which all students are entitled,” the department added.The AP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Britain’s Borrowing Outlook Darkens As Energy Shock Deepens

Via City AM,

The OBR says it underestimated the fiscal damage from the 2022 energy shock and will apply those lessons to the latest Middle East-driven price surge.

Higher oil and gas prices could increase UK borrowing through debt interest, welfare payments, and pressure on departmental budgets.

The Bank of England has warned that a severe energy shock could push inflation above 6% and force tighter monetary policy.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that government borrowing is set to spike as a result of the Iran war, as the Office for Budget Responsibility admitted it had underestimated the effects of the last energy price shock. 

In a review of its forecasting models, the OBR suggested it had learned lessons from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to gas prices rising by around five times. 

It said the overall impact on public finances “was to significantly increase government borrowing and debt” despite some government revenue being raised by taxes on energy companies’ profits and higher wage growth.

The surge in government borrowing was driven by a rise in debt interest costs, welfare benefits, and the maintenance of real-terms increases to departmental budgets, according to analysis. 

The OBR concluded that it would apply the lessons from its forecast review to the energy price shock caused by the Iran war in this year’s Budget. 

The analysis suggests that the OBR could take a more pessimistic view on government borrowing, with oil prices jumping by around 40 per cent since the beginning of the war in March and wholesale European gas prices doubling. 

Economists have warned that stalled peace negotiations will lead to prolonged disruption across the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global trading route for oil tankers and large ships. 

The Bank of England warned in a worst-case scenario analysis that continued disruption would push inflation above six per cent and force it to undo all interest rate cuts made in the last two years. 

OBR builds on previous analysis

In 2024, when Iran and Israel appeared to be close to an all-out war, the OBR conducted an initial analysis of what disruption could mean for UK public finances. 

The OBR then estimated that the UK government would have to borrow an average of £23.1bn more a year if there were a cut to energy supplies “comparable to the 1973 oil embargo”, City AM found. 

Economists have widely suggested that the current blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the Iran war, is the worst global oil supply shock recorded in history. International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said it was more serious than supply shocks in “1973, 1979 and 2022 together”.

Under the OBR’s assumption, oil and wholesale gas prices would remain 75 per cent higher over the course of a year.

Peace talks between the US, Israel and Iran appear to be on ice after Israel restarted attacks in Lebanon against an Iranian-backed militant group. Israel then paused its attacks on Hizbollah as President Trump reportedly told Prime Minister Netanyahu, “everybody hates Israel because of this”. 

The Brent Crude Oil price fell to $85 per barrel on news of a possible return to peace negotiations, although trading prices have been volatile due to uncertainty over possible peace terms. The price climbed as high as $114 per barrel last month. 

Reeves’ package to have minimal effect

Alongside assessments of the Iran war’s impact on the UK economy, the OBR is also expected to update forecasts based on any energy support package unveiled by Reeves or any following Chancellor. 

Analysis by JP Morgan found that initial action to offer families discounts and to freeze a fuel duty hike would strip 0.2 percentage points off inflation. 

The OBR said on Tuesday it would also tweak its models for forecasting business tax receipts and local authority expenditure. 

It will also revise the link between higher unemployment and benefits. 

Economists at the independent body also hit back at Labour MPs who suggested that models for forecasting the growth effects of extra public expenditure were skewed, claiming it was “unlikely” that calculations were misguided, given that the UK economy had underperformed despite a surge in government spending. 

Tyler Durden
Fri, 06/05/2026 – 06:30

The Department of Homeland Security has just seven forensic analysts dedicated to child exploitation investigations nationwide, according to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., whose proposal to fund 200 additional investigators and analysts is becoming law.The measure, included in the massive $70 billion reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, which passed Friday, would invest $108.5 million in child trafficking and exploitation enforcement. Hawley’s office said it would be the largest federal investment ever made to combat child trafficking. “The Senate just passed my legislation with Tim Tebow to rescue thousands of children trapped in sex trafficking,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. HAWLEY LAUNCHES GOOGLE INVESTIGATION AFTER ‘SHOCKING’ CHILD TRAFFICKING TESTIMONY AT SENATE HEARING “That’s two hundred new law enforcement officers to find and rescue kids trafficked by predators and a new initiative to coordinate local, state, and federal enforcement,” he added. “This is the biggest surge against child trafficking ever by the federal government. Let’s go rescue these kids.”The provision, according to Hawley’s office, was inspired in part by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who testified March 3 during Hawley’s Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on exposing the widespread child trafficking. During his testimony, Tebow said that 338,000 unique IP addresses have downloaded, shared or distributed child rape images in the United States in a matter of months, but only a select few get investigated. MORE THAN 300 ARRESTED IN SPRAWLING CALIFORNIA CRACKDOWN ON CHILD EXPLOITATION CRIMESThe provision, based off of the Renewed Hope Act, seeks to give Homeland Security Investigations the resources to hire 40 new forensic analysts at the Victim Identification Laboratory at the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of HSI, as well as 30 new child exploitation investigators at the Victim Identification Laboratory of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of HSI.Additionally, it aims to give HSI the ability to bring on 130 additional forensic analysts and child exploitation investigators, as well as create a dedicated training program in victim identification for federal, state, and local law enforcement to collaborate more effectively on investigations. LUXURY BLUE-CITY LANDLORDS ACCUSED OF LOOKING THE OTHER WAY AS HIGH-END BUILDINGS TURN INTO CRIME HUBSFox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Tebow for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

A sitting Democratic Senator, who is one of Graham Platner’s top donors, is now drawing backlash for shrugging off the most recent allegations of misconduct that have followed the controversial Maine Senate candidate.Platner has received $10,000 in the form of two $5,000 donations from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s, D-R.I., leadership PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital.One donation from Whitehouse’s Ocean PAC came in March of this year. Another one was made last October. Notably, the most recent donation was made before former governor Janet Mills, a second Democratic candidate for Senate, suspended her campaign at the end of April.Although Whitehouse’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the donations show the high degree of confidence lawmakers like Whitehouse have in Platner’s ability to unseat the moderate Republican incumbent, Susan Collins, R-Maine, currently holding office in a blue-leaning state.WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATEWhitehouse has been among Platner’s most constant supporters among lawmakers in the U.S. Senate, calling the controversial candidate “wonderfully appealing” in an interview with Politico.”He’s off to a really strong start and has a wonderfully appealing local background and story,” Whitehouse said.Whitehouse has remained supportive of Platner even as troubling details have emerged of Platner’s past web history, views and personal conduct. Most recently, reporting for the New York Times chronicled accounts from several of Platner’s former romantic interests, including allegations of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes.Despite the troubling allegations, Whitehouse told reporters he wasn’t alarmed by the reporting.”Seems like a lot of nothing. I mean, the only one who had anything to say that seemed ‘unsettling’ was a woman who works for right-wing political operations,” Whitehouse reportedly told NOTUS after reading the article.His reaction drew immediate backlash online.”Whitehouse is the guy who grilled Brett Kavanaugh about ‘boofing.’ Just unreal,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross wrote in a post to X, recalling Whitehouse’s grilling of President Donald Trump’s 2018 Supreme Court Justice nominee over high-school slang in a search for possible improprieties.SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER SENT EXPLICIT TEXTS TO MULTIPLE WOMEN WHILE MARRIED, WIFE SAYS: REPORT”To the people just now learning that Sheldon Whitehouse is an amoral cretin, your ignorance to this point has been a choice,” GOP consultant Luke Thompson wrote on X.”Is there a more contemptible man in the Senate than Sheldon Whitehouse?” TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet wrote on X.”:Sheldon Whitehouse, ringleader of the smearing of Kavanaugh, is a very bad person,” Capital Research investigative researcher Parker Thayer wrote on X.”What an absolute dirt bag,” Republican operative Matt Whitlock wrote on X. “Dismissing a vivid account of physical abuse because it happened to a Republican operative is the most [Sheldon Whitehouse] thing I’ve ever heard.”Amber Duke, the Editor-in-chief of the DailyCaller, also blasted Whitehouse’s seemingly uneven application of scrutiny.”What happened to this energy, Sen?” Duke said, highlighting a Tweet Whitehouse had put out during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.”Today I stand with women who are brave enough to come forward with their stories of abuse and mistreatment. They deserve to be heard and credible allegations must be investigated. We must believe survivors, not bully them,” Whitehouse had written at the time.”Sheldon Whitehouse is the same guy who accused Brett Kavanaugh of being a rapist because he wrote ‘boofing’ in his yearbook,” conservative writer Bonchie wrote on X.Apart from the Thursday report, Platner has received backlash for making off-color remarks on sexual abuse, race and terror, for a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery, and, most recently, for potentially interacting with several women outside his marriage in inappropriate ways.Platner has also called himself a “communist” in previous posts online.Among other resurfaced comments, Platner once blamed rape victims for failing to protect themselves in a now-deleted Reddit post.”How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not so f—ed up when they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” Platner wrote in 2013.Whitehouse has his own controversial past, including details about his family having a membership at the exclusive Bailey’s Beach Club, formerly known as Spouting Rock Beach Association, rumored to have an all-White clientele.”I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet,” Whitehouse said in 2017, referring to allowing minority members. “It’s a long tradition in Rhode Island, and there are many of them. And we just need to work our way through the issues.”SENATE DEM CANDIDATE WHO WROTE HE ‘BECAME A COMMUNIST’ NOW SAYS HE WAS JOKINGPlatner, who looks poised to take the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, met with senators earlier this week, reassuring them about his prospective candidacy.Maine will hold its Senate primaries next Tuesday.

Scientists are rethinking the dates consumers see on food packaging — and their research could help reduce not only food waste but also economic losses and environmental impacts tied to discarded food.”The average American wastes more than 1,000 pounds of food each year,” according to Auburn University researchers.Part of the reason is that sell-by dates are overly conservative, the researchers said in a news release announcing their work to predict spoilage more accurately. VIRAL GROCERY SHOPPING METHOD PROMISES TO SLASH SPENDING: ‘WAY EASIER, WAY CHEAPER’The findings could help consumers make more informed decisions about food safety while reducing unnecessary waste throughout the supply chain.”This research is far more significant than a discussion about meat discoloration or shelf life,” Darin Detweiler, a food safety policy expert and professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, told Fox News Digital.”It is an example of how data, microbiology and artificial intelligence may help transform food systems from managing failure after it occurs to predicting and preventing inefficiencies before they happen,” he said. (Detweiler was not involved in the new research.)The Auburn study focuses on meat sell-by dates, which are commonly used by retailers to indicate how long products should remain on store shelves.Sell-by dates for meat are typically four days after packaging, the news release said. They’re “based on when the beef will start to lose its bright pink color, rather than when it becomes unsafe to eat.”A change in color doesn’t necessarily mean meat is unsafe to eat, however.”If a consumer sees that on day three their meat is brown, and it’s around the ‘sell by’ date, they might think it’s spoiled, but in fact it’s just quality degradation,” said Isabella Gafanha, an Auburn master’s student who was involved in the research. “It’s still fine to eat.”The Auburn researchers used a machine to track changes in microbial communities in packages of ground beef over the course of 14 days. The goal was to “associate those changes with key changes in the meat quality and indicators of spoilage.”Researchers monitored microbial activity in ground beef packages over a two-week period, using predictive modeling to identify patterns that could signal spoilage before it becomes visible to consumers.The microscopic activity of the bacteria in the microbial community is complex.Ultimately, though, the researchers were “able to determine that spoilage patterns could be predicted, demonstrating the concept can work,” the release said.Researchers plan to continue their work to create more accurate sell-by dates while reducing the pounds of meat unnecessarily discarded each year.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIESThe economic implications of the research are “enormous,” Detweiler said. When meat is discarded, producers lose out on costs associated with animal feed, transportation, processing, packaging and more. Retailers also lose when they are forced to remove unsold products from their shelves.”If predictive microbial modeling allows shelf life to be extended safely by even one or two days, the cumulative impact across the beef industry could represent hundreds of millions of dollars in recovered value annually,” Detweiler said.”From a leadership perspective, this represents a rare opportunity where profitability and sustainability may align rather than compete,” he added.The research could also benefit the environment in a major way, he said.”Food waste is one of the largest hidden environmental burdens in the food system,” Detweiler said.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER”Every pound of beef discarded represents wasted water, land, feed, energy and transportation emissions. Beef production has one of the highest environmental footprints among food commodities.”The domino effect of the Auburn research has the potential to help people facing food insecurity, Detweiler said.”While extending shelf life alone will not solve hunger, reducing avoidable waste contributes to a more efficient and responsible food system,” Detweiler said.Consumers may also benefit, he said, from reduced food costs if food producers and retailers are able to safely reduce waste-related losses.To ensure food safety is prioritized and consumers are protected, companies must apply this research and technology beyond increasing profits, Detweiler said.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”A longer shelf life must still be validated through rigorous food safety science and regulatory oversight,” he said.The researchers indicated that additional work is needed before predictive spoilage modeling could be broadly adopted by the meat industry, but they believe the early results demonstrate the technology’s potential to improve food dating practices and reduce unnecessary waste.

Test your news knowledge with this week’s Fox News Digital News Quiz, featuring major primary races in certain states, a photo of a Democratic candidate wearing only a towel and a fired “60 Minutes” correspondent.Looking for another challenge?Former first lady Jill Biden’s concerns for former President Joe Biden’s performance in a high-stakes event and actor Russell Crowe’s bitter confrontation outside a Paris hotel were featured in last week’s News Quiz.Test your knowledge of remarkable grocery giants, Lincoln landmarks and more in this week’s American Culture Quiz.If you’re looking to play even more, you can find all of our quizzes by clicking here.Check back next week for the latest News Quiz from Fox News Digital. Thanks for playing!

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is asking the state Supreme Court to unseal secret court transcripts tied to the removal of Alex Murdaugh’s “egg juror,” arguing the records should be made public now that the disgraced legal scion has been granted a new murder trial.In a motion filed Thursday, prosecutors asked the high court to retract the state’s previous objection and lift restrictions for the on-camera hearing transcript that led to the dismissal of Juror 785, identified in prior filings as Myra Crosby, before deliberations in Murdaugh’s 2023 double-murder trial.The motion marks the latest twist in the fallout from the once-powerful South Carolina attorney’s overturned convictions for the June 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and their younger son, Paul, at the family’s sprawling Moselle hunting estate.Crosby became known as the “egg juror” after she was removed from the panel. As Judge Clifton Newman dismissed her from the case, Crosby asked if she could retrieve her purse and a dozen eggs that another juror had brought to court to give away, prompting laughter in the courtroom.ALEX MURDAUGH MURDER SAGA LANDS RIGHT BACK WHERE IT STARTED BEFORE NEXT LOWCOUNTRY COURTROOM BATTLEThe South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Murdaugh’s two murder convictions on May 13. The remittitur was issued May 29, formally sending the murder case back to the lower court for further proceedings.Prosecutors noted that, as of the filing, no circuit court judge had yet been appointed to preside over Murdaugh’s new murder proceedings.According to prosecutors, the sealed transcript details a private hearing where Newman removed Crosby from the jury for allegedly discussing the case prematurely.Those records were initially sealed and restricted under protective orders entered by Newman and later continued by retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal, who was assigned to preside over Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial after allegations surfaced against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill.The state said those restrictions previously barred publication or dissemination of the transcript, even though attorneys for the parties and Crosby’s counsel were permitted to review the material.MURDAUGH TRIAL COURT CLERK PLEADS GUILTY TO SHOWING SEALED CRIME SCENE PHOTOS TO PHOTOGRAPHERCrosby has continued to request that the transcripts be unsealed. In September 2024, prosecutors objected, arguing the request was premature because the appeal had not yet been resolved.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XThe state’s Supreme Court once again denied Crosby’s request in October 2024. But prosecutors now say the posture of the case has changed dramatically.FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA CLERK IN MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE FELONIES”Here, a new trial has been granted to Appellant,” the filing states. “There should be no prejudice to any party at this time. Consequently, the scales should now tip to unsealing and removing restrictions.”SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTERThe state’s motion says the request is “not about litigation” but instead about public access to court records maintained by the state’s Supreme Court.SEND US A TIP HEREThe filing asks the Supreme Court to allow the previously protected transcripts from Newman’s private proceedings “supporting the removal of Juror 785” to be filed as a supplement to the public appellate record.Prosecutors also asked the court to declare prior restrictions on sharing, discussing or disclosing the contents of the transcript moot, which would allow the parties and Crosby to speak publicly about the matter without violating earlier court orders.LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCASTMURDAUGH DEFENSE FIGHTS OVER DEATH PENALTY, VENUE CHANGE AND EVIDENCE – WHAT COULD CHANGE IN SECOND TRIALThe motion comes just weeks after Crosby separately fought to crack open sealed investigative records related to the jury-tampering scandal that helped upend Murdaugh’s convictions.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUBIn that filing, Crosby argued that the public interest would be best served by transparency now that prosecutors have acknowledged the jury-tampering investigation into Hill did not result in criminal charges.Hill was accused by Murdaugh’s defense team of improperly influencing jurors to secure a guilty verdict. She has denied tampering with the jury.Murdaugh’s attorneys have argued that Hill’s alleged conduct, including her interactions with jurors, deprived him of a fair trial. The defense has also alleged Crosby’s dismissal was part of a broader effort that affected the makeup of the jury before deliberations.Toal rejected Murdaugh’s request for a new trial in January 2024 after an evidentiary hearing, finding that although Hill made improper comments to jurors, the defense had not proven that her conduct affected the verdict.The South Carolina Supreme Court later took up the case and ultimately granted Murdaugh a new trial based on Hill’s interactions with jurors.Murdaugh, 57, remains imprisoned after pleading guilty to a series of financial crimes that exposed years of theft from clients, his former law firm and the estate of his late housekeeper.His murder case, however, is now headed back to court.The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Space changes the rules for almost everything, including how a robot should move. On Earth, legs help us stand, balance and walk across a room. In microgravity, those same legs lose much of their purpose.That is why Orbit Robotics, an academic spinout from ETH Zurich, took a different approach with Helios. The robot was built with four arms so it can grip, brace and work inside a spacecraft. Two arms can hold on while the other two handle tools, cargo and equipment.It is a smart design for a place where floating is easy and staying steady is the real challenge. Here is how Helios works and why it could change the way astronauts get help in orbit.IS THIS SPACE CAPSULE HOW WE WILL LIVE AND WORK IN ORBIT IN THE FUTURE?Helios uses two pairs of arms with different jobs. One pair can anchor the robot to interior surfaces. The other pair can handle tools, unload cargo, move equipment or perform other work inside a spacecraft.That setup is important because stability and work need to happen at the same time in orbit. A floating robot cannot casually plant its feet, bend over and pick something up. It needs to hold on while it works.That is where Helios makes sense. Two arms can keep it steady while the other two get the job done. In microgravity, legs become extra hardware unless they can grip, brace or manipulate objects. Helios skips that problem by turning the whole body into a tool for movement and work.Orbit Robotics says Helios uses a tendon-driven system. Instead of placing motors at every joint, the robot keeps many of those motors closer to the shoulders. Cables and pulleys then transmit force through the arms.That design can reduce weight at the ends of the limbs. In space, heavy limbs can create awkward movement. A robot also needs control, especially when it is holding cargo or tools near expensive equipment.Helios also uses a rolling-contact elbow joint. That may sound like a tiny detail. In orbit, it can make a big difference. A sudden jerk could destabilize the robot. It could also send whatever the robot is carrying drifting across a spacecraft. Smooth movement becomes a safety feature.Before Helios, the team built an earlier robot platform called IKARUS. That project helped test ideas such as teleoperation, imitation learning and dual-arm manipulation. In other words, IKARUS gave the team a way to learn how a robot could move, copy tasks and handle objects in a space-like setting.Those lessons helped shape Helios. That is important because space hardware rarely gets a second chance. A robot designed for orbit has to be reliable, compact and useful in cramped conditions. It also has to behave predictably around humans. Helios builds on that earlier work with a body that better fits the environment.QUADRUPED ROBOT PLAYS BADMINTON WITH YOU USING AIOrbit Robotics says its mission is to free astronauts, not replace them. That sounds reassuring. It also makes practical sense. Astronauts are highly trained people doing some of the most expensive labor imaginable. Yet a major chunk of crew time aboard the International Space Station goes toward maintenance.Some estimates put maintenance at roughly 35% of crew time. At an estimated $140,000 per astronaut-hour, basic logistics can become shockingly expensive. That means sorting supplies, moving equipment or handling routine work can carry a huge price tag. Helios does not need to be a genius to help. It needs to move through narrow corridors, stay stable without gravity and manipulate objects with care. That is the point of the design.The first job for Helios appears focused on interior spacecraft work. That could include unloading cargo, helping manage supplies, moving gear and assisting with routine maintenance. Those jobs may sound boring. In orbit, boring tasks still take time, training and attention.Over time, Orbit Robotics sees a broader role for robots like Helios. That could include satellite servicing. It could also include in-space construction as commercial stations and orbital habitats become more common.If launch costs keep falling, more equipment will head into orbit. More hardware means more maintenance. More stations mean more logistics. That creates a clear opening for robots like Helios, built for space from the start.Human spaceflight still captures the imagination. It always has. However, the human body has serious limits in space. Astronauts can face radiation exposure, bone loss, vision problems and cognitive effects linked to fluid shifts in the brain.Those risks grow during longer missions. Robots do not need air, food, sleep or radiation protection in the same way humans do. They can also take risks that would be unacceptable for astronauts.That does not make astronauts obsolete overnight. Still, it changes the conversation. If machines can handle more work in orbit, humans may spend less time on routine tasks and more time on science. That could mean more attention on research tied to aging, cancer treatments, organ bioprinting and other experiments that benefit from microgravity.CHINA’S COMPACT HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWS OFF BALANCE AND FLIPSIf commercial space stations grow, they will need constant care. Cargo will need to be sorted. Equipment will need to be moved. Structures may need inspection or repair. Satellites may need servicing. Future habitats may need robots that can assemble, maintain and adapt.That is where a machine like Helios becomes more than a cool prototype. It could become part of the labor force that keeps space infrastructure running.The big question is whether humans remain at the center of that work or move into a more selective role. We may still send astronauts into orbit, but their jobs could change dramatically.Instead of doing every task by hand, they may supervise robots built for a place where the human body struggles.Engineers are starting to design machines for specific environments instead of forcing them into human-shaped bodies. That shift could affect more than space exploration.On Earth, robots already work in warehouses, factories, hospitals and disaster zones. In each case, the best design may not look human. It may look strange, specialized and a little unsettling.Helios shows why that can be a good thing. A robot built for its environment can work more efficiently. It can also take on risky jobs and help humans focus on work that needs judgment, creativity or science training.For space, that could mean safer missions. It could also mean fewer astronauts spending precious hours on routine maintenance.Helios stands out because it was built for the place it is meant to work. In orbit, walking offers very little help. Gripping, bracing and handling equipment become much more important. That is what makes the four-armed design so practical. It gives the robot a way to hold on while it works, which is exactly what astronauts need in microgravity. Orbit Robotics says Helios is meant to help astronauts, not replace them. Still, this robot raises a bigger question. As machines grow more capable, they could take on more of the risky and repetitive work beyond Earth. That could give astronauts more time for science, discovery and decisions that need human judgment. It could also change how we think about sending people into space in the first place.Would you rather see astronauts doing the work in orbit, or robots taking over the risky stuff? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.comSign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportCopyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

Texas, Florida and other booming red states aren’t just winning the migration race because of lower taxes and warmer weather — they’ve also embraced an anti-regulation housing strategy that many high-cost states have resisted.As Americans and businesses continue pouring into southern states, the influx is testing whether fast-growing regions can add enough homes and infrastructure to keep pace. And southern states are keeping up by decreasing regulations that put roadblocks up for faster construction of new builds.Housing industry leaders say southern states that have prioritized new construction have been better positioned to accommodate growth, while markets burdened by restrictive zoning rules, lengthy permitting processes and other regulatory hurdles have struggled to add supply and keep home prices in check.ONE SOUTHERN CITY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF IS GROWING FASTER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICAThat willingness to build has become a competitive advantage, according to Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders.”Those economies are wide open. They are inviting more businesses, they’re generally low-tax states and they’ve made housing a priority,” Tobin told Fox News Digital. “They’ve got the land and the will and courage to let builders build in those areas to meet the housing demand for those new jobs.”The strategy is becoming increasingly important as Americans continue relocating from high-cost coastal markets to lower-tax states.While rapid population growth can strain roads, utilities and public services, housing experts say states that pair infrastructure investments with homebuilding efforts are better equipped to accommodate newcomers without worsening housing shortages.ONE TYPE OF PROPERTY IS QUIETLY SAVING AMERICANS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARSBut rapid growth comes with its own challenges, particularly when infrastructure fails to keep pace with new development.”One of the main complaints is that infrastructure does not keep up with that influx of population or housing growth,” Tobin said. “States that find themselves ahead of the curve are planning those two critical components, infrastructure and housing, together and are going to be better prepared for growth in the future.”Even states that have prioritized homebuilding continue to face cost pressures that can drive up home prices. According to the National Association of Home Builders, government regulations account for roughly 24% of the cost of a typical single-family home, adding nearly $95,000 to the average price of a new house.For multifamily housing, the burden is even higher. Tobin said regulations account for roughly 41% of the cost of a typical apartment or multifamily unit, underscoring the role government rules can play in shaping housing affordability.AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE MAY BE RISING IN RED-STATE TERRITORYThe costs have drawn renewed attention from policymakers in Washington searching for ways to increase housing supply and improve pricing.Tobin pointed to a bipartisan housing package moving through Congress that aims to encourage local governments to reduce regulatory barriers to development and adopt policies that make it easier to build new housing.The legislation comes as housing affordability remains a top concern for many Americans, with elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory continuing to put homeownership out of reach for many first-time buyers.The issue has also taken on greater political significance ahead of the midterm elections, as voters continue to rank the cost of living among their top economic concerns.”The answer to the housing crisis in the country is more supply,” Tobin said. “This bill will absolutely help us build more supply affordably.”

As hurricane season approaches, people in the mountain communities of Western North Carolina are bracing for any impacts nearly two years after Hurricane Helene unleashed its wrath on the region.Residents say they’re “traumatized” after Hurricane Helene’s brutal attack, which claimed over one hundred lives and tore thousands of homes and businesses to pieces. “We still have nightmares, flashbacks,” said Jackie Fenstermacher, while sitting next to her sister Cynthia Dunn in Fairview, North Carolina. The small town sits in a valley beneath the mountains just outside of Asheville. Fenstermacher moved to the mountains thirty years ago. Before Helene hit, she was still moving into her new home with her sister, Cynthia.HOW BUSINESSES IN SPRUCE PINE, NC ARE BOUNCING BACK AFTER HELENEUnfortunately, there’s nothing left of the sister’s home. On the morning of Sept. 27, 2024, the water from the creek nearby was rising rapidly, Fenstermacher said, and before she knew it, logs from a nearby sawmill began pummeling her new home. “It was like the house was being bombed,” she said, “and then the whole – the bedroom just ripped apart.”LAKE LURE REFILLS AFTER HELENE DESTRUCTIONFenstermacher immediately put her sister and their dog on a bed. Their home was torn to pieces and the three of them floated for miles downstream. The bed eventually broke and they were crammed into a pile of debris. “All you could hear is giant trees snapping, glass breaking, cars going by,” Fenstermacher said.Volunteers found them two days later stuck in the pile of debris. Over the last twenty months, the sisters have lived in FEMA housing, campers, and sheds. On their property is a shed-turned-temporary-home, but it has no insulation. With help from the local organization, Divine Disaster Relief, the sisters are staying in Airbnb’s until they can raise enough money for a new home. “We’re all still playing catch up, you know, and figuring it out,” said Divine Disaster Relief case manager Celestiel Balson. “But there are so many people still in campers, still in temporary housing, still in sheds.”WHAT CAUSED HURRICANE HELENE TO MOVE FAR INLAND?Balson is helping the sisters raise the funds needed to get them into a safe new home. The sisters say they don’t want to stay on the same property, as even the sound of rain is haunting. “So we just kind of freak out a little bit because we don’t know if we’re going to have a house in a minute or two,” Cynthia Dunn said.They’re not the only ones in the region still feeling the impacts of Helene.Buncombe County’s Assistant Manager, Timothy Love said, “I think for a long time, folks might have felt that we were immune to some of, some of these concerns, but if we look in history, we’re not.”On June 2, the county’s commissioners approved funding to turn an old JCPenney building in the Asheville Mall into the county’s first standalone emergency operations center. “It’s really important to have dedicated space,” Love said, “Because, you know, you unfortunately, you don’t know when a disaster is going to strike. And the scope of it.”Love said the communication between local, state and federal partners needs to be seamless if a disaster hits the area again. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe new emergency operations center will not be open for a couple of years, but will integrate all aspects of emergency services. “Additional uses are Emergency Management Services Group as well as our public safety communications or 911. That’ll be located there,” Love said.