Fearful, diminished and isolated: what this year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow tells us about Russia’s war against Ukraine
The military parade through Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, “Victory Day”, is the pinnacle of Russia’s annual celebrations marking the end of the second world war. Televised live and watched by millions, including invited foreign dignitaries, the Victory Day parade is all about showcasing Russia’s status and pride.
The first Victory Day parade was held in 1945 amid the triumph and relief at the defeat of Nazi Germany. A second was held in 1965 – but only two more were staged by the Soviet Union, in 1985 and 1990.
Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, however, the parade has become a huge demonstration of Russia’s military prowess and might. And, since the start of Russia’s mass invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the parade has also provided a snapshot of the progress of the conflict, including the country’s wartime mood and the extent of its international support.
But this year’s Victory Day parade showed the world a Russia that is fearful, diminished and isolated. There were no military vehicles or equipment on display. Instead, the products of Russia’s military industry were only visible to the crowds in video images displayed on big screens. Concerned that Ukraine might attack Moscow during the parade, Russian officials made the decision to protect valuable weapons needed for the war by withdrawing them from the event entirely.
The Russians had good reasons for their anxieties. Ukraine has developed the capability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. Just a few days before the parade, two of Moscow’s airports were temporarily closed in response to hundreds of drones reportedly attacking in multiple regions of Russia, including near the capital.
This is not the first time that Russian officials have scaled down a Victory Day parade out of concern about Ukrainian attacks. In 2023 the situation was similar, with drone strikes in Russia leading up to the holiday amid widespread expectation of an imminent major Ukrainian counteroffensive. But even then, the number of military vehicles in Red Square not eliminated entirely. And the following year the parade featured launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles to emphasise that Russia was willing and able to use any means necessary – including nuclear weapons – to impose its will on Ukraine. In 2025 the parade featured nearly 200 military vehicles.
Now, in the fifth year of the war, the Russian leadership is clearly concerned about their ability to protect their capital city from the Ukrainians, despite surrounding Moscow with elaborate air defences – including some equipment hastily relocated from combat zones.
It was not only the absence of military equipment that made this Victory Day parade underwhelming. One of the features of the event that helps to elevate it beyond a national holiday is the presence of international distinguished guests in the audience. This year, only a handful of national leaders were in attendance, three of whom represent former Soviet states and close allies of Russia: Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The contrast with last year’s parade was stark. In 2025 – to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war – Putin hosted leaders from nearly 30 countries, most notably China’s president Xi Jinping, who was given the place of honour next to Putin. Chinese soldiers marched in the parade, providing a further symbol of the cooperation between the two countries and the support that Moscow could rely on from Beijing.
This year Russia’s president was surrounded not by powerful world leaders but by elderly war veterans placed around him in the viewing stand. In this company, Putin looked like just another old man, dreaming of glory days long behind him.
Ageing comrades: Vladimir Putin speaks with second world war veteran Svet Turunov.EPA/Pavel Bednyakov/pool
The sharp reduction in the number – and status – of foreign leaders that the Russians were able to attract to Moscow this year reflects changes in the international political climate that are not in Russia’s favour. In 2025, the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, attended the parade – an indication of rifts within the European Union over the war and support for Ukraine.
In 2026 Fico was again in Moscow – but didn’t attend the parade. Last year Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro sat in the viewing stands – this year he sits in a US jail having been removed from power in an American raid.
War-weariness in Russia
Putin’s Victory Day speech this year was another indication of a change in Russia’s fortunes, striking a far less confident tone than in previous years. In 2023, the Russian president compensated for that year’s scaled-back parade with defiant rhetoric, claiming Russia was under threat of attack from the west and styling the conflict as “the people’s war”. In 2024, Putin responded to a suggestion from French president, Emmanuel Macron, that western troops might be deployed to Ukraine with thinly veiled threats that Russia might use nuclear weapons to reassert its dominance.
This year Putin was far more subdued. Although he denounced the west and claimed that victory would belong to Russia, these statements had a tired, ritualistic feel. His emphasis on Russia’s ability to endure anything and respond to any challenge hinted at the current state of the war.
But this war is far from over. Russia still has a large military, a well-resourced defence industry and is increasingly drawing in foreign soldiers to fight on its side – North Koreans marched alongside Russian troops in the parade.
But while Russia may not be on the verge of defeat, the way that it celebrated its most important holiday of the year suggests a new war-weariness. It’s a big contrast with the confidence exuded by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. His tongue-in-cheek decree giving Putin permission to hold the parade suggests a turning point in the two countries’ morale – at the very least.
Hegseth Asks for More Money as Iran War Costs Skyrocket
Despite a ceasefire that has been in effect for more than a month, the cost of the U.S. war with Iran keeps spiking higher, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday.
Two weeks ago, the Pentagon claimed the war had cost $25 billion, a figure that analysts said was likely a gross undercount. In testimony before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, the Department of War’s comptroller, Jay Hurst, said the cost of the war has risen “closer” to $29 billion because of the “repair and replacement of equipment” and “general operational costs” of keeping troops in the Middle East.
Experts also expressed skepticism at this revised count.
“The costs of this war are still growing, and the Pentagon is still not being straight with taxpayers or lawmakers about the numbers. If the numbers being thrown around in committee hearings were complete, why would the Pentagon continue withholding a comprehensive, itemized cost assessment from Congress?” said Gabe Murphy, a policy analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog advocating for an end to wasteful spending. “Taxpayers deserve answers, and lawmakers need them in order to craft a responsible budget.”
“If they can’t defend the nation with a trillion dollars, they’re doing it wrong.”
Hurst, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are on Capitol Hill to discuss the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027 before House and Senate appropriations subcommittees on Tuesday. Hegseth said the massive sum — the largest request in history — “reflects the urgency of the moment” and would address both the “deferment of long-standing problems as well as position our forces for the current and future fight.”
Murphy called the dramatic 45 percent increase a negotiating tactic. “They’re seeking $350 billion through reconciliation and $1.15 trillion in the base budget, but they know reconciliation is a long shot. It’s all about trying to make a $1.15 trillion Pentagon budget seem reasonable in comparison,” said Murphy. “But there’s nothing reasonable about it. It’s a roughly $150 billion increase over last year.”
Americans, Murphy said, deserve an explanation for the runaway military budget. “If they can’t defend the nation with a trillion dollars, they’re doing it wrong.”
President Donald Trump said Monday that the ceasefire with Iran — which went into effect on April 8 — is “on life support” after Iran’s response to the latest U.S. peace proposal. Reuters, citing Iranian state media, reported that Iran’s proposal included war reparations from the United States, lifting sanctions on Tehran, and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump rejected Iran’s reply as “totally unacceptable” and called it a “piece of garbage.”
Hegseth said the Pentagon was prepared to reignite hostilities with Iran. “We have a plan to escalate, if necessary; we have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets,” the secretary testified, declining to say more in the public hearing.
An analysis by The Intercept found that Trump has embroiled the U.S. in more than 20 military interventions, armed conflicts, and wars during his five-plus years in the White House. The expenses of this wide-ranging war on the world are rising across the globe.
The Intercept was, for example, the first outlet to reveal that the U.S. military’s intervention in Venezuela and attacks on boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific — Operations Absolute Resolve and Operation Southern Spear, respectively — have already cost taxpayers at least $4.7 billion, according to an exceptionally cautious estimate from Brown University’s Costs of War Project.
The ultimate price tag of Americas wars in Latin America will further balloon in the decades ahead, saddling future Americans with soaring costs, according to the report. “War is financed by debt, adding interest costs to the public budget,” wrote authors Hanna Homestead, a research analyst with the National Priorities Project, and Jennifer Kavanagh, the director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a nonpartisan research group. “Furthermore, the federal government undertakes an obligation to pay veterans benefits for decades into the future.”
Recently, Linda Bilmes, a former assistant secretary and chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of Commerce and currently a public policy professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, told The Intercept that the already-excessive expense of the Iran war would likely be pushed into the trillions of dollars by such long-term costs like veterans benefits and interest on the debt to pay for the war.
He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway.
Reporting Highlights
Massages in Class: A California teacher was deemed “unfit to teach” after students reported him for touching them in ways that made them uncomfortable, including massaging their shoulders.
License to Teach: Jason Agan is one of 67 teachers whose credentials were not revoked by California after their schools determined they had committed sexual harassment or misconduct.
A Red Flag: The only visible sign that a teacher has been disciplined is a red flag icon next to their name on the state website of credentialed educators. It does not specify why.
These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
Jason Agan was impossible to miss at Angelo Rodriguez High School. The San Francisco Bay Area teacher was loud and gregarious, a fixture on campus since the Fairfield school opened in 2001. He ran the student government and called himself the man behind the curtain, organizing pep rallies and prom. He taught AP calculus, so advanced math students ended up in his classroom, jostling for his approval and letters of recommendation. Some considered him a mentor who inspired a love of math — and even a second father.
But for years students also whispered about Agan’s behavior, according to interviews with 14 Rodriguez High graduates, most of whom he had taught. He touched some of them in public in ways that made them uncomfortable, they said, including hugging students and massaging their shoulders. And he seemed fixated on enforcing the dress code, calling out girls whose shorts were too short.
Nearly two decades into Agan’s tenure, and on the heels of the #MeToo movement, students had enough. At least 11 students and one parent submitted written complaints about his behavior to school administrators in 2018, drawing at least two warnings to stop, a KQED and ProPublica investigation found. By January 2019, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District had taken steps to fire him, suspending him without pay.
Agan pushed back, and nearly a year later an independent panel convened by the state to hear his case deemed him “unfit to teach.” The panel’s decision meant that the popular educator was officially out of the job where he had spent his entire teaching career.
But the panel’s review only addressed his employment at this one school district, and its finding was not shared publicly. It would be up to the state’s teacher licensing agency to determine whether additional discipline would be imposed, including whether Agan could keep teaching in California public schools.
Over the next three years, Agan was hired at a second school and then a third. During that period, the state issued a one-week suspension of his teaching license for his behavior at his first school. Then, Agan faced another accusation of unwanted touching — this time, by an eighth grader at his second school, according to school records. The state’s teaching credentialing agency did not inform the other schools or the parents of students in Agan’s classes of the full extent of what went on at Rodriguez High.
Math teacher Jason Agan, in the 2017-18 Rodriguez High School yearbook, said his goal was to “make RHS a place where all students can feel comfortable and safe.” The school district fired him in 2019 for sexually harassing students.Beth LaBerge/KQED
Agan, now 47, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, and someone at his address hung up when a reporter rang his apartment buzzer and identified herself. Nor did he respond to questions sent via email or certified mail to his home about students’ accusations and his job history. He previously denied any sexual motivation in touching students, telling the independent panel that he was simply offering students support and encouragement — not massaging them, according to records obtained by the news outlets.
A broad look at California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing by KQED and ProPublica shows a pattern of delays and inaction, combined with a lack of transparency, that have allowed educators to continue teaching after school districts reported them to the state for sexual harassment or other misconduct of a sexual nature. Agan’s case is one of at least 67 in which the state has not revoked the professional licenses of educators after school districts determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other types of sexual misconduct, according to a review of available records from 2019 through 2025 obtained by the news outlets. At least 14 of those educators were rehired by other schools, and of those, at least 12, including Agan, still work in education, according to a review of school websites and employment records provided by schools.
Anita Fitzhugh, a spokesperson for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, said the state automatically revokes teachers’ credentials when they are convicted of sexual criminal offenses, but not necessarily when a district determines they have committed sexual misconduct. She said the state Legislature — not the licensing agency — determines the type of misconduct that results in automatic revocation.
The agency appoints a committee to assess noncriminal cases of misconduct, she said. Agan has not been accused of a crime.
“The Commission’s authority balances protecting students as well as the legal rights of educators who have been accused but not convicted of specific crimes,” Fitzhugh said in a written statement.
“If our job as teachers is to keep children safe, we have to be held accountable for things we do that could harm them.”
Alicia DeRollo, former commissioner on California’s teacher licensing agency
The agency’s disciplinary process is unique among licensing bodies in California in how much is kept secret, Fitzhugh said. The fact that a teacher has been disciplined is noted on a state website of credentialed educators, but the database does not explain why.
In contrast, the licensing bodies governing dozens of other professions in California, including doctors, nurses, police officers and lawyers, make the reasons that disciplinary actions were imposed easily accessible on their websites. And at least 12 states, including Oregon, Washington and Florida, do the same for teachers.
“If our job as teachers is to keep children safe, we have to be held accountable for things we do that could harm them,” said Alicia DeRollo, a longtime teacher who served as one of 19 commissioners on California’s teacher licensing agency from 2011 to 2020.
Amid this gap in oversight, Agan found two new jobs and remains in the classroom.
Student Complaints Start Piling Up
For 17 years, Agan taught at Rodriguez High, a sprawling open-air campus nestled alongside rolling hills where cows graze. The school serves the racially diverse commuter town of Fairfield, halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento.
The entrance to Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, CaliforniaBeth LaBerge/KQED
Then in 2018, several sophomores in his accelerated math class reported him to school administrators.
One girl alleged that he took her phone out of her back pocket while she was sitting down taking a test and that he would massage girls’ shoulders in class, according to school records. Assistant principal Gary Hiner cautioned Agan to be careful, sharing that students had told him they were uncomfortable when the teacher walked around class and touched them, according to a summary Hiner wrote about the spoken warning.
In March 2018, a father emailed another administrator after Agan wore a shirt to school that used the Pi symbol to spell out “Pimp.” The father wrote that a teacher should not be wearing a shirt making light of someone who “sexually exploits people for profit.”
This time, assistant principal Allison Klein emailed Agan, reminding him that school was not the place for “physically touching students, inappropriate innuendo, or jokes in poor taste.”
But the next school year, more students complained, records show. In October 2018, a student told her school counselor and then Hiner that Agan had come up behind her and started massaging her neck beneath her long hair. The student said she felt violated and froze, unsure of what to do, records show. She talked to her peers about Agan to see if others had similar experiences, and told Hiner those classmates said he also made inappropriate comments and touched students in his leadership class.
The student was so distraught she asked to transfer out of the math class and had a panic attack two days later in the school psychologist’s office, school records show. Neither Hiner nor Klein agreed to be interviewed.
Within weeks, at least nine more students submitted written complaints, alleging that Agan had massaged their shoulders and singled out female students for what they wore.
“This was a case of someone overstepping boundaries, and we’re not afraid to call this person out,” said Julia Steed, who was a 15-year-oldsophomore when she wrote to school administrators alleging that Agan “had tendencies to touch students,” including palming her head during class. “We were like, ‘Oh no, we’re not dealing with this.’”
Julia Steed, a Rodriguez High graduate, had complained to school administrators about Agan touching students.Beth LaBerge/KQED
Steed, now 23, told KQED and ProPublica that she and her classmates were emboldened by the #MeToo movement to speak out as teenagers across the country were gaining more awareness of boundaries and consent. By the end of 2018, the Fairfield-Suisun school board approved the superintendent’s recommendation to fire Agan.
Agan objected and demanded a hearing, something tenured California public school teachers facing termination are entitled to. His case would be evaluated by an independent panel, which would decide whether to uphold the district’s recommendation.
School districts rarely fire tenured teachers because losing a case is expensive and the teacher can wind up back in the job. Instead, many districts negotiate settlements that allow teachers to resign.
But in Agan’s case, Kris Corey, the Fairfield-Suisun superintendent at the time, said she and the school board believed they had a strong case for termination.
“The board said, ‘We don’t care how much this costs. We are going to a hearing,’” Corey said. “It’s the principle of the matter. This is not OK.”
For eight days in the Fairfield-Suisun district office beginning in July 2019, the three-member panel, including a teacher selected by Agan, heard testimony from students, teachers and administrators.
“This was a case of someone overstepping boundaries, and we’re not afraid to call this person out.”
Julia Steed, Rodriguez High graduate
Seven students, three administrators, a former guidance counselor and a parent spoke against Agan. Six of the students told the panel that Agan made them uncomfortable by touching them or commenting on their clothing, including calling one girl “short shorts.” Four of them, including Steed, said they did not feel comfortable going to Agan for extra help with math because they did not want to be alone with him. Several also said they refrained from speaking in class to avoid attracting his attention.
Four former students, three teachers and a staff member spoke on Agan’s behalf. The former students described Agan as a supportive mentor and caring teacher and said they felt at home in his classroom. All four students said he squeezed, rubbed or touched their shoulders, but that his actions did not make them uncomfortable.
One of those students told KQED and ProPublica that her opinion about the teacher’s behavior has changed in recent years. She said she had considered his physical contact normal while in high school. But her perspective shifted as she got older, she said.
“I went to college and talked to people and realized it wasn’t normal,” said the former student, now in her 20s. “Looking back at it, I would have jumped to the other side, to be quite honest.”
During the hearing, Agan testified that he would have stopped touching students’ shoulders if he had been clearly warned, according to a summary included in the panel’s decision. He said he became comfortable with his leadership students, and his actions carried over to math students even though he wasn’t as close with them. He denied massaging students’ shoulders and said students misinterpreted “squeezes or shakes” as massages. He said he did not intend to make students feel uncomfortable and regretted that some students did not feel safe in his class.
One of the administrators, former director of human resources Mike Minahen, told the panel that the details students shared with him during his investigation “weighed heavy” on him. He said it was unusual for high school students to “break the code” and come forward to make a complaint about a teacher, “especially a leadership teacher who has influence over student activities throughout the entire school.” Minahen, who has retired, declined to comment.
In November 2019, the panel unanimously decided Agan should lose his job. Even the teacher chosen by Agan agreed.
“The likelihood of recurrence is high,” the panel wrote in its decision. “Over time he has shown that he cannot or will not exercise good judgment.”
One of the panelists told KQED and ProPublica that she voted to terminate Agan’s employment in part because his alleged behavior continued even after administrators issued warnings.
“His actions were making students, particularly young women, want to not take advanced math classes. They didn’t want to be touched,” said the panelist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to jeopardize her job in education. “All that directly impacts their access to good colleges because he was a calculus teacher.”
In December 2019, school district officials sent documentation of Agan’s firing, along with details of their investigation, to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California’s educator licensing agency, as state law requires for public school teachers who resign or are fired for misconduct. The educator licensing agency would decide whether Agan would be disciplined further, such as receiving a public warning, facing a suspension or losing his license to teach in a California public school.
The disciplinary process typically takes one year, according to the agency.
It would take the state licensing board nearly 500 days to decide what to do in Agan’s case.
How Agan Returned to the Classroom
As the state considered the matter, Agan applied for a job at a Sacramento middle school about an hour away from Rodriguez High in May 2020. It was a time of heightened teacher shortages, especially in subjects like math, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agan provided stellar letters of recommendation from former teaching colleagues in his application, which school representatives provided to KQED and ProPublica in response to a public records request.
“Math is a difficult subject for many and my actions were meant as a means of encouragement.”
Jason Agan in a job application
Any school searching Agan’s name on California’s credentialing database would have seen a clean record and valid credentials indicating he was legally fit to teach. That’s because while the state licensing agency knew Agan had been fired for what the district described as sexually harassing students, California law prevented the agency from disclosing information about the case. Nowhere in the online public records did it say that Agan remained under investigation by the agency — let alone any details of his employment record.
In his application for the middle school job, Agan acknowledged that he had been fired after being “accused of inappropriately touching students on the shoulders during class.” He wrote that he disagreed with the dismissal and explained that he would often place his hands on students’ shoulders while helping them.
“Math is a difficult subject for many and my actions were meant as a means of encouragement; a way to say, ‘It’s ok that you’re having trouble, keep trying,’” Agan wrote, adding that he recognized his actions “made some students feel uncomfortable.”
Agan started teaching at Ephraim Williams College Prep Middle School that fall. The 175-person school is part of the Fortune network of charter schools. Administrators at Ephraim Williams at the time of Agan’s hiring did not respond to questions about how the school vetted him.
Ephraim Williams College Prep Middle School, a charter school in SacramentoBeth LaBerge/KQED
Former Fortune human resources consultant Rick Rubino, who helped the middle school recruit, interview and hire candidates at the time Agan was applying, said the school was not aware that Agan’s former employer concluded that he had sexually harassed multiple students. “Do you think any reasonable school district or principal would hire that person?” Rubino said. “No. So clearly, Fortune School did not get that information.”
Rubino said he “would guarantee that somebody at Fortune called the principal at the school where Jason Agan was teaching in Fairfield and got a good report.” He said he does not remember making that call himself.
The former principal at Rodriguez High did not respond to questions about a reference check. But a Fortune School spokesperson, Tiffany Moffatt, said school officials follow “all state guidelines and regulations and conduct thorough vetting, making decisions based on the information available to us.”
It wasn’t until near the end of Agan’s first school year at Ephraim Williams that the state licensing agency issued its decision regarding his actions at his first school. In May 2021, the state suspended Agan’s license for seven days; two of those days fell on a weekend. The sanction — along with a red flag icon — appeared in the state’s public database of credentialed educators. This would be the only visible clue schools would have of anything amiss in Agan’s work history.
Corey, the former superintendent of Fairfield-Suisun Unified, told KQED and ProPublica that she was “flabbergasted” that he had only been suspended for seven days.
“It was a real mismatch of what happened,” Corey said. “What a disservice it was to those girls.”
Steed, one of Agan’s accusers, said students had done the right thing and shared their concerns about Agan with their school, only for adults at the state level to give him the opportunity to teach elsewhere.
“What’s even the point of going through this whole process?” she said.
A Middle School Student Details Unwanted Touching
In September 2021, a month after Fortune students returned to in-person learning, an eighth grader at Agan’s second school complained about his conduct.
The student told her doctor during a routine physical that Agan had touched her lower back, according to a summary of the complaint.
The girl’s mother told KQED and ProPublica that she reported the incident to the principal, who connected mother and daughter with Rubino, Fortune’s human resources consultant. The mother told Rubino that Agan was giving her daughter a disproportionate amount of attention.
The girl, who is now 17, spoke to KQED and ProPublica on the condition that only her middle name, Sherelle, be used because she is a minor. Leslie, the student’s mother, is also being identified by her middle name to protect her daughter’s identity.
Sherelle, left, and her mother, Leslie, at their homeBeth LaBerge/KQED
In that same meeting, Sherelle told Rubino that Agan removed his hand from her lower back after she asked him to stop, and he returned to the front of the classroom. But he came back moments later and placed his hand on her shoulder, according to a letter of warning Rubino wrote to Agan after interviewing the girl.
“I felt disrespected. I felt uncomfortable. I felt mad,” Sherelle told the news outlets about the incident. “I felt like even speaking up didn’t matter.”
In his letter, Rubino directed Agan to stop touching students and “dial back” his praise for the girl. Rubino also cautioned that failure to comply could result in further disciplinary action, up to suspension or termination.
Agan denied the allegations in a written response to Rubino obtained by KQED and ProPublica. “I would like to be on record that I dispute it being listed as a ‘fact’ that I touched [the student] on the lower back,” Agan wrote. “I have been extremely diligent in avoiding personal contact with scholars due to my previous experience.”
Leslie had texted Rubino expressing concern about how Agan was vetted for the jobafter she said she saw online posts by students at his former school alleging that he had touched them inappropriately.
“Actually, I was the one who investigated the matter in the Fairfield Suisun School District when Mr. Agan was a candidate,” Rubino texted back that same day in messages reviewed by KQED and ProPublica. “I also checked social media and Google to see if I could find any information about the incident in Fairfield, but I did not find anything.”
Rubino did not answer subsequent questions about the details of his investigation or how much he knew about Agan’s conduct at the teacher’s previous school.
After the state licensing agency recommends educators be disciplined, California law allows it to release its findings, which include a summary of the case, to current supervisors and prospective employers who request it within five years. Fortune appears never to have asked for such findings, according to the logs of these requests between 2020 and 2024 provided by the agency to KQED and ProPublica. A Fortune spokesperson did not say why the charter school did not ask for the information.
“The whole education system would rather protect him.”
Leslie, the mother of a student who complained about Agan’s conduct
Leslie said her daughter’s experience at Ephraim Williams only worsened after she reported Agan. Math has always been Sherelle’s favorite subject. But as the school year went on, her grades in Agan’s class plummeted. She needed help but said Agan ignored her.
With just weeks left in the school year, Leslie pulled her daughter out of Ephraim Williams to finish eighth grade at another school.
She only learned about Agan’s disciplinary history when KQED and ProPublica contacted her in January. “The whole education system would rather protect him,” Leslie said. “You let him loose on all these kids.”
Fitzhugh, spokesperson for the teacher licensing agency, said the commission is “committed to keeping all students and schools safe” but is bound by the law in how it disciplines teachers. “The Commission stands ready to implement any additional public protections that the Legislature authorizes,” she said.
Starting the following year, in 2022, records show that Fortune offered Agan a role supporting new teachers rather than assigning him his own classroom. Fortune administrators did not respond to questions about why he was offered the position, which he declined because he had received another job offer in the Bay Area.
“Thank you for the last two years,” Agan wrote, resigning from the school. “It has meant more to me than you could ever know.”
By August 2022, Agan would begin teaching at Clifford School, which serves students in pre-K through eighth grade in Redwood City. He received tenure in 2024.
Clifford School, a public school for children in prekindergarten through eighth grade in Redwood City, CaliforniaBeth LaBerge/KQED
Wendy Kelly, deputy superintendent at the Redwood City School District, declined to answer questions about Agan’s hiring or say whether the school district was aware he had been accused of misconduct at two previous schools. She told KQED and ProPublica that the district, when hiring, typically calls candidates’ immediate supervisors and checks the database of licensed educators.
She said school districts rely on decisions by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to “put the best people in the classroom.”
“I was pleased to see that the suspension was only seven days,” Kelly said of Agan’s discipline. “I have to trust that when the CTC reinstates the teacher that the issue has been either resolved, learned from, there’s been consequences in place, which is why they’re employable to the next organization.”
How We Reported This Story
KQED and ProPublica obtained detailed teacher disciplinary records from school districts after filing public records requests with the 300 largest districts in California. We asked for records of sexual misconduct complaints from 2019 through 2025, including any reports to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. More than 150 districts provided records. If the district determined that an educator had committed misconduct that it characterized as sexual, including sexual harassment by unwanted touching, sending sexual electronic messages and making sexual remarks, we checked the state licensing database to see whether the state had revoked the teacher’s license or imposed other discipline.
eBay rejects GameStop’s $56B offer: “Your proposal is neither credible nor attractive”
eBay’s board of directors today rejected GameStop’s $55.5 billion offer to buy the company.
“We have concluded that your proposal is neither credible nor attractive,” eBay Chairman Paul Pressler wrote in a letter to GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen. Pressler said the board and its independent advisors thoroughly reviewed GameStop’s unsolicited bid and found numerous problems.
“We have taken into account such factors as 1) eBay’s standalone prospects, 2) the uncertainty regarding your financing proposal, 3) the impact of your proposal on eBay’s long-term growth and profitability, 4) the leverage, operational risks, and leadership structure of a combined entity, 5) the resulting implications of these factors on valuation, and 6) GameStop’s governance and executive incentives,” Pressler said.
GameStop made the surprising offer last week. eBay’s rejection “could lead to a hostile bid” because Cohen has “said he was willing to take the offer directly to eBay shareholders, possibly by calling a special meeting,” Reuters wrote.
Cohen struggled in an awkward CNBC interview to explain how GameStop would pay for the bigger company. eBay’s market capitalization is over four times larger than GameStop’s.
GameStop said it was on track to secure up to $20 billion in debt and offered to buy eBay for $125 per share, half in cash and half in GameStop stock. But as CNBC hosts pointed out, the numbers provided by GameStop didn’t add up to enough to cover the full $55.5 billion.
The rejection letter’s mention of “GameStop’s governance and executive incentives” seems to refer to Cohen’s performance-based stock option award. Cohen receives no salary or other guaranteed pay but could make $35 billion if GameStop hits a $100 billion market capitalization and $10 billion in cumulative earnings. GameStop’s current market capitalization is about $10.2 billion.
We contacted GameStop and will update this article if it provides a response.
Cohen not “passionate about GameStop”
Cohen said in an interview with Business Insider that he would prefer to be the CEO of eBay than the CEO of GameStop. “I did not want to be the CEO of GameStop. I want to be the CEO of eBay,” he said. “I’m passionate about eBay. I believe in eBay’s business. I wasn’t passionate about GameStop. That’s the difference.”
Cohen claimed that eBay could become more successful by dramatically cutting sales and marketing costs, and by using GameStop’s 1,600 US stores as “a national network for authentication, intake, fulfillment, and live commerce.” But eBay’s board told Cohen that the company can succeed with its current plan.
“eBay is a strong, resilient business that has delivered meaningful results over the past several years,” the board’s letter to Cohen said. “We have sharpened our strategic focus, strengthened execution, enhanced our marketplace and seller experience, and consistently returned capital to shareholders. With its differentiated global marketplace and a clear strategy, eBay’s board is confident that the company, under its current management team, is well-positioned to continue to drive sustainable growth, execute with discipline, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.”
Cohen has been selling various personal items on eBay in a humorous attempt to raise money for the $55.5 billion offer. “I’m selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay,” he wrote.
Cohen’s account was suspended last week, but eBay has since allowed him to resume the sales. “Cohen’s eBay account was initially flagged for suspicious activity by eBay’s internal artificial-intelligence tool, leading to an automatic ban, a person familiar with the matter told MarketWatch. But after further review, his account was reinstated and he is now able to buy and sell again,” MarketWatch wrote.
A set of GameStop store signs being sold by Cohen has been bid up to nearly $15,000. A Halo 2 Master Chief statue is fetching almost as much, and a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card has a high bid of over $11,000. With a day left on Cohen’s auctions, there is hope that final prices will be even higher. It’s not $55.5 billion, but it’s a start.
Gingerbread Cake – Soft, Spiced & Perfect for the Holidays
You are here: Home/Desserts/ Gingerbread Cake – Soft, Spiced & Perfect for the Holidays
Nothing says cozy holiday baking quite like a warm slice of Gingerbread Cake. With its soft, moist texture and rich blend of spices, this classic dessert is a true seasonal favorite. Made with molasses, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and warm spices, every bite is filled with comforting, festive flavor.
Whether you’re serving it at a holiday gathering or enjoying it with a cup of tea on a chilly evening, this gingerbread cake is guaranteed to bring warmth and joy to your table.
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Cake
Soft, moist, and tender crumb
Rich flavor from molasses and spices
Easy to prepare in under an hour
Perfect for holidays and winter gatherings
Delicious with whipped cream and fresh fruit
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Cake:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot water
Optional Topping:
Whipped cream
Fresh banana slices
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
Step 1: Prepare the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Cream Butter & Sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
Step 4: Combine
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix gently, then pour in the hot water and whisk until smooth.
Step 5: Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes.
Step 6: Cool & Serve
Let the cake cool before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and banana slices if desired.
How to Know When It’s Done
Insert a toothpick in the center—it should come out clean
The edges will slightly pull away from the pan
Make-Ahead Tips
You can bake this cake one day in advance. Let it cool completely, then cover tightly. Add toppings just before serving for the best texture and freshness.
Storage Tips
Store at room temperature (covered) for up to 2 days
Refrigerate for up to 1 week
Keep toppings separate until serving
Freezing Instructions
Let the cake cool completely
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil
Freeze for up to 2 months
Thaw at room temperature before serving
Final Thoughts
This Gingerbread Cake is everything you want in a holiday dessert—warm, spiced, soft, and comforting. It’s simple to make, full of nostalgic flavor, and perfect for sharing with family and friends.
Trump-Xi summit will be no ‘Nixon in China’ moment
Meetings between Chinese and American leaders are not exactly routine, but few are historically groundbreaking.
The exceptions include the very first visit by a sitting US president to China, when Richard Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in February 1972 – at a time when America did not even formally recognize the People’s Republic of China.
Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the US in 1979 generated a similarly iconic moment when the reformist Chinese leader donned a Stetson at a Texas rodeo, a sign that he would be willing to engage with America in a way that Mao contemplated only near the end of his life.
Donald Trump may harbor hopes that his upcoming visit, slated for May 14-15, 2026, could have similar historical significance to those moments half a century ago. It will, after all, be the first face-to-face meeting of US and Chinese leaders in Beijing since Trump’s own visit nearly a decade ago in 2017.
Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong welcomes U.S. President Richard Nixon to his house in Beijing in 1972. Photo: AFP via Getty Images via The Conversation
Yet the outcomes of this Trump summit with Xi Jinping are likely to be vague because the goals for both leaders are also only partially evident. The visit is being driven by trade imperatives, but there are other issues that threaten US-China relations in the longer term.
It will be extremely hard for the two sides to address these more deep-rooted divides. Indeed, as an analyst of US-China relations, I believe the world’s two largest economies will have an essentially competitive relationship for years to come, and areas of plausible cooperation – whether on climate change or AI regulation – are increasingly hard to find.
Taiwan: a change in US position?
One area that has been a source of contention for quite some time is Taiwan. Xi has made it clear that the unification of the island with the mainland cannot be left to “another generation” but has left it vague – up to now – as to how that goal will be achieved.
The summit has been preceded by lots of chatter about US preparedness to honor its somewhat ambiguous promise to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion – with Chinese analysts concluding that the war in Iran has severely weakened Washington’s capabilities on this front.
However, there are plenty of signs that Xi would rather find peaceful means to unite with Taiwan that avoid all-out war, particularly as the examples of Russia in Ukraine and the US in Iran show that the outcomes of wars are not predictable.
Instead, China has seemingly concentrated its efforts on influencing the upcoming January 2028 Taiwan presidential election. The leader of the island’s major opposition Kuomintang party, Cheng Li-wun, recently visited the mainland and had a photo op with Xi – a sign that she thinks dealmaking with China might just be acceptable to the Taiwan electorate despite its deep distrust of Beijing.
To further fuel the narrative of a seemingly inevitable path toward unification, it would be helpful for Xi to have signals that the US is no longer committed to defending Taiwan.
China will push for a change from the official position that the US “does not support Taiwan independence” to “the US opposes Taiwan independence.” The latter change sounds minor but would have great significance, as it would essentially be an acknowledgment that the US recognizes unification, by some means, as a legitimate goal in its own right.
Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party does not specifically endorse independence, as it knows that’s a red line for Beijing, but it would regard this change in American language as a serious blow to its position.
It’s unlikely that the US would make such a major concession during Trump’s visit – but that won’t stop Beijing from asking for it.
AI: The battle for global leadership
A more tentative but increasingly important area for discussion during the Xi-Trump summit is technology in general and AI in particular.
Just three years ago, the attitude of the US government was summed up in the phrase of then national security adviser Jake Sullivan: “small yard, high fence.”
In other words, there would be only a few restricted areas of technology, but they would be fiercely guarded.
In 2026, things have changed. In some areas, tech restrictions have just become looser; the US government now permits the sale to China of some high-specification, American-manufactured chips that were previously restricted.
That policy was probably driven by the sense that China was developing its own domestic alternatives anyway and that the US was losing market share.
Yet there is growing concern both in the US and China that AI developments are moving too fast for governments – or companies – to know fully what the technology is capable of doing, let alone being able to regulate it.
China and the US both desire to dominate AI and set the global norms and standards surrounding it. But they are also aware that AI has the potential to cause immense damage.
There has been loose discussion of whether any joint form of supervision or regulation of AI between the US and China might be possible. And that could well form part of the discussions during the leaders’ summit.
But realistically, both sides see themselves in fierce competition, and the likelihood that either American or Chinese companies would restrain themselves may be fanciful.
The trade elephant in the room
The most substantial achievements of the summit, however, are likely to be in the least glamorous area: remedying the trade deficit.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, in West Palm Beach, Fla., on April 6, 2017. Photo: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images / The Conversation
While there are many American products that China would like to buy, most of them are not products that the US government is willing to let them have, including high-tech equipment that could be used for military purposes.
Instead, the key products are likely to be agricultural, including US soybeans and beef. Look out for concessions from China that would benefit farmers in key Republican states, such as Iowa.
The current tariff dispute between the US and China has frozen into a standoff: The US has agreed to allow China’s goods into its immense market at manageable tariff rates, and China has – mostly – agreed to allow critical minerals and rare earths to flow to US manufacturers.
That truce lasts until October, but the summit may see it extended.
Neither side is keen to restart the trade war that marked the summer of 2025, when Trump announced tariffs of over 100% on China and the US was in danger of having key mineral supplies cut off as a result.
Summit to talk about? Perhaps not
So how consequential will the Trump-Xi summit be? Well, don’t expect another “Nixon meets Mao” moment.
The circumstances more than a half-century on are also remarkably different. Today’s China, unlike in 1972, has an economy and military second only to the US and a central position in global organizations, from the United Nations to the World Trade Organization, particularly as the US retreats from such institutions.
Both the US and Chinese sides know that they can expect limited cooperation at best from their opponent.
But after a period, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, when communication between the countries atrophied, it’s still important that they are talking at all.
Kuwait summons Iranian ambassador to protest alleged ‘IRGC members’ infiltration on Bubiyan Island
Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday to protest the alleged infiltration of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to Bubiyan Island, where they clashed with Kuwaiti forces, Anadolu reports.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Suleiman al-Mashaan handed Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Totonji a formal protest note over an “armed infiltration” by IRGC elements.
The ministry condemned the incident as a “hostile act,” calling on Iran to immediately and unconditionally halt such actions.
Kuwait also held Iran fully responsible for a “blatant violation” of Kuwaiti sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 of 2026.
The statement stressed that Kuwait reserves the full right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter and to take measures necessary to protect its sovereignty, national security, citizens, and residents.
Earlier Tuesday, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said four people affiliated with the IRGC were arrested while attempting to enter the country by sea.
According to the state news agency KUNA, the suspects admitted during questioning that they belonged to the IRGC and had been tasked with infiltrating Bubiyan Island aboard a rented fishing boat to carry out “hostile acts against Kuwait.”
The ministry added that a Kuwaiti security officer was injured during clashes with the infiltrators.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.
On Sunday, Iran sent Pakistan its response to a US proposal for ending the war, but Trump dismissed it as “totally unacceptable.”
NGO Monitor Challenges Kristof NY Times Column on Alleged Sexual Abuse of Palestinians
NGO Monitor on Tuesday sharply criticized New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s opinion piece “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” accusing him of relying on activist organizations it says have anti-Israel agendas and, in the case of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, alleged links to Hamas.
Kristof’s May 11 column alleged a pattern of sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, settlers, Shin Bet interrogators, and prison guards, citing interviews with Palestinians and reports by nongovernmental organizations, including Euro-Med Monitor. Israeli officials and pro-Israel watchdogs quickly denounced the column, saying it elevated unverified claims and relied on compromised sources.
In a backgrounder circulated in response, NGO Monitor said Kristof’s piece “relies heavily on quotes and citations from NGOs” that it says have a “discrediting anti-Israel agenda.” The group focused much of its criticism on Euro-Med Monitor, which Kristof described as “a Geneva-based advocacy group often critical of Israel.” NGO Monitor said that the description omitted what it alleges are Euro-Med Monitor’s Hamas ties, including claims that founder Ramy Abdu was identified by Israel in 2013 as one of Hamas’ “main operatives and institutions” in Europe and that Euro-Med officials were photographed with senior Hamas figures.
NGO Monitor also accused Euro-Med Monitor of circulating what it called anti-Israel libels, including allegations that Israel harvested organs and trained dogs to rape Palestinians. The dog allegation appeared in Kristof’s column and became one of the main targets of criticism from Israeli officials, commentators, and analysts.
The Israel Prison Service rejected the allegations, saying, “The allegations raised are false and entirely unfounded.” It said prisoners are held “in accordance with the law” and under official oversight. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the column “one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press,” while Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said complaints of unlawful conduct should be submitted to investigative bodies for review.
NGO Monitor also questioned Kristof’s use of other organizations, including Save the Children, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, and the Norwegian Refugee Council. In its backgrounder, the group said some surveys and claims cited in the column could not be independently verified or came from organizations it considers politically biased.
Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg, the founder and president emeritus of NGO Monitor, also pointed to timing, noting that The Times published Kristof’s column hours before wider attention turned to Silenced No More, a Civil Commission report documenting sexual violence committed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and against hostages in Gaza. That report cited more than 430 interviews, testimonies, and meetings, and reviewed more than 10,000 photographs and video segments.
What are the odds that the grotesque piece via @NickKristof in the @nytimes, claiming sexual abuse by Israel, randomly appeared on the day that the 300 page definitive documentation of Hamas October 7 rape was released? I’d say zero — this was coordinated, adding to the immoral…
— Prof Gerald M Steinberg (@GeraldNGOM) May 12, 2026
Data center guzzled 30 million gallons of water, and nobody noticed for months
A curious case in Georgia serves as a warning for many parts of the US hastily approving data center developments without first updating their water systems to better monitor for severe upticks in usage.
On Friday, Politico reported that one of the country’s biggest data center developments had guzzled nearly 30 million gallons of water without paying for it. Even worse, the water grab came at a time when nearby drought-stricken residents were warned to restrict their personal water consumption, and some reported sudden decreases in water pressure.
An investigation conducted by utility officials in Georgia’s Fayette County found that the Quality Technology Services (QTD) facility had two industrial-scale water hookups that weren’t being monitored. “One water connection had been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not linked to the company’s account and therefore wasn’t being billed,” Politico reported.
QTS eventually paid about $150,000 for the water, but there were no consequences for exceeding peak limits established by the county during the data center planning process. Frustrating residents, the county declined to fine QTS. Fayette County’s water system director, Vanessa Tigert, told Politico that the decision was partly because the county blamed itself and didn’t want to offend QTS.
“They’re our largest customer, and we have to be partners,” Tigert said. “It’s called customer service.”
Notably, the main reason the water usage was overlooked is that the county is transitioning from outdated water meters to a smart, cloud-based system that is supposed to make it easier to track leaks and other unexpected drains on the county’s water system. Tigert also told Politico that the county failed to notice the water usage because it’s understaffed, explaining that the only worker available to inspect meters is “spread pretty thin.”
Ultimately, the county dismissed QTS’s excess water usage as a “procedural mix-up,” Tigert said, retroactively charging QTS at a higher construction rate for the water but imposing no penalties for taking more water than the county expected.
Asked for comment, QTS told Ars that it’s “false and inaccurate” to suggest the facility “used any water improperly.”
“Once this billing issue was flagged, QTS paid all charges,” QTS said. “All water usage followed relevant and applicable regulations.”
QTS also pointed to statements from county officials denying residents’ claims that the facility’s excess water usage had decreased water pressure across the county system. Residents complaining about water pressure relied on wells, the county has said, while QTS does not draw water from wells or groundwater.
Moving forward, the county confirmed that QTS’s water hookups will now be accurately monitored. Additionally, QTS emphasized that after construction, the facility’s water needs will drastically drop.
However, residents are likely still stinging after receiving county notices recommending they restrict their water consumption due to ongoing drought conditions in the area. And some have lost trust in both QTS and the county.
James Clifton, an attorney and property rights advocate who first exposed the QTS controversy after submitting a public records request, told Politico that he’s upset that QTS will face no consequences simply because “most months” they’re the county’s “No. 1 customer.”
“The first thing they do is lean on the individuals and the citizens to stop water consumption when we have QTS that’s just absolutely draining us,” Clifton said.
AI industry can’t easily solve water crisis
Increased demand for water to fuel America’s AI ambitions comes just as crumbling water systems across the country require upgrades, and, unsurprisingly, many AI firms expect AI to help address water supply problems in the industry.
In a report on Monday, The Information explained why the water-supply question is a problem for the entire AI industry to solve—not just data centers, which are already finding ways to reduce and reuse water.
Citing research from a water technology company called Xylem, The Information reported that “the water toll of AI is far greater at semiconductor factories and the power plants electrifying chipmaking and computing than at the data centers themselves.”
However, as hyperscale data centers from tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft perhaps increasingly rely on power for cooling, the demand for water to cool down power plants will explode, experts suggest. And it doesn’t help that 40 percent of data centers and 29 percent of global chip fabs are built in “water-stressed” areas, Xylem reported.
Over the next 25 years, “AI-associated water use will more than double,” Xylem forecasted.
One solution to make up some of the difference could be to recover about 30 percent of the world’s water that is lost to leaks and theft, The Information reported.
That’s why some AI firms, like Microsoft, are paying to install “high-tech water leak detection systems” built by FIDO Tech.
By feeding sensor data into AI, advanced smart meters can detect and “isolate” leaks, speeding up repairs and preventing excess water loss. Such smart meters can also help identify where fixes are most needed, as many areas scrambling to fix their water systems are “cash-starved” and cannot cover all the needed repairs, The Information reported.
In drought-stricken Georgia, QTS claimed it’s also exploring alternative water solutions, such as capturing storm water or roof runoff.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced in March an initiative to “focus on… innovative water infrastructure” to strengthen water systems across the US, with early efforts focusing particularly on rural areas where budgets might be most stretched. However, the water sector isn’t completely sure yet how using AI might impact the nation’s systems and is not rushing to implement tech companies’ solutions.
According to a 2026 State of the Water Industry report from the international nonprofit American Water Works Association, “utilities are cautiously exploring new technologies like artificial intelligence, recognizing both their potential benefits and associated risks, especially in the area of cybersecurity.”
Most organizations haven’t implemented comprehensive solutions yet and “are not expecting revolutionary changes in the immediate future, the report said.
Residents fight to protect water sources
For residents in embattled areas like Fayette County, questions about water remain.
Although QTS plans to use a closed-loop cooling system that does not consume water for cooling when the data center is online, construction, which is draining far more water, is expected to continue for up to five more years, Politico reported.
Additionally concerning to residents, data centers rely on “electricity-hungry equipment” for cooling, which “often entails a trade-off,” Politico noted.
Consumer Reports reached the same conclusion in March, reporting that “generating the electricity to keep data centers powered up requires additional millions of gallons of water, even more than the water used for cooling.”
That’s why communities aren’t satisfied when data centers promise that construction-phase water consumption represents temporary peak usage.
In drought-plagued Arizona, a nonprofit advocacy group called Ceres estimated that data centers around Phoenix “already use approximately 385 million gallons of water per year for direct cooling need,” Consumer Reports noted. Once all that region’s data centers come online, “that amount will skyrocket to 3.7 billion gallons per year,” Ceres forecasted.
In a letter to Congress last month, more than 120 organizations advocating against rushed data center developments warned lawmakers that it’s not enough to focus legislation on addressing spiking electricity bills.
“Water use is equally alarming,” among other harms, groups said.
“In drought-prone regions,” groups explained, data centers that consume up to 5 million gallons a day strain “drinking water supplies, agriculture, and ecosystems.” Meanwhile, closed-loop systems “require the use of toxic chemicals that, if not properly disposed of, can eventually flow and pollute water ways.”
To avoid disastrous consequences for the country’s water supply, groups recommended that Congress pass laws requiring comprehensive environmental reviews prior to construction. They also want Congress to commit to rejecting “any legislation that would fast-track permitting and development for hyperscale, artificial intelligence, and other conventional data centers” through the end of this legislative session.
Some efforts to protect water resources have had limited success, as backlash has increased to secretive deals that allow data center developments without public notice.
In Utah, one hyperscale data center in Box Elder County withdrew an application to transfer 1,900 acre-feet of water from a ranch to their facility. About 4,000 residents paid about $15 each to file notices of opposition to block that request, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. But although that battle was won, residents expect the larger fight to be far from over.
As the war against data centers rages on beyond Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board published an op-ed, warning that officials risk eroding trust the more they shrug off residents’ reasonable concerns about things like water supplies, electric bills, air quality, and quality of life.
“Even if the data center isn’t as dreadful as feared—or if it never is actually built—the stench attached to the rushed and secret political process will take a very long time to dissipate,” the editorial board wrote. “If it ever does.”
EU energy ministers to mull domestic gas drilling amid security concerns
European Union energy ministers are expected to discuss domestic natural gas drilling during an informal meeting in Cyprus on 13 May, against a backdrop of rising oil and gas prices and concerns over supply shortages, according to a document seen by Euronews.
Since the US-led conflict involving Iran, the EU has been grappling with an escalating energy crisis. Natural gas prices have remained elevated, standing at roughly double those in the United States and China, despite four years of market disruption following Russia’s withdrawal from the European market in 2022.
The document highlights the bloc’s success in cutting its reliance on Russian gas from 45% to 12% since the start of the war in Ukraine. However, it also warns that the EU has become increasingly exposed to volatility in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market, particularly following disruptions linked to the conflict involving Iran.
“Given the current price shocks and the volatility of the global LNG market, how do you see the role of indigenous gas resources as a collective mechanism for price stability across the Union?” the document asks energy ministers.
The question, set to be raised by the EU Council Presidency, comes as the bloc continues efforts to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Higher energy prices have already added an estimated €24 billion to EU import costs.
Although the EU’s climate ambitions remain central to policymakers’ messaging — with the Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra recently reaffirming support for ending oil and gas drilling — some analysts and industry representatives argue that renewable energy alone will not be sufficient to meet demand in the short term.
As governments move to secure energy supplies amid soaring prices, several member states appear increasingly open to expanding natural gas production. Romania, for instance, has been extracting gas from the Black Sea since March 2025.
EU countries consider new gas projects
Since April, Greece has launched its first offshore exploratory drilling campaign for natural gas in almost four decades, targeting potentially significant reserves in the Ionian Sea. Operations are expected to begin in early 2027.
Italy is also considering reviving offshore oil and gas exploration projects suspended in 2019.
The document specifically references Romania’s Neptun Deep project, Greece’s offshore exploration plans, Poland’s Baltic Sea developments, Italy’s Mediterranean ambitions and wider North Sea cooperation as examples of the bloc’s existing domestic gas potential.
Croatia recently announced a US-backed agreement to expand gas pipelines and energy infrastructure across the Balkans.
Industry estimates meanwhile suggest Cyprus holds the region’s largest untapped reserves, with geological assessments indicating around 324.1 billion cubic metres of gas — roughly equivalent to the EU’s average annual consumption.
The prospect of increased gas drilling has drawn criticism from environmental groups. In a letter sent ahead of the Cyprus meeting, Climate Action Network Europe urged ministers to adopt a binding annual target to reduce gas demand by 7%.
Industry representatives maintain that gas will continue to play a significant role in Europe’s energy mix, particularly in ensuring security of supply, system flexibility and industrial competitiveness during the green transition.
“Ensuring Europe’s strategic autonomy will require a diversified energy mix, including domestic natural gas production alongside the accelerated scale-up of both domestic and imported renewable and low-carbon gases such as biomethane and hydrogen,” Andreas Guth, secretary-general of Eurogas, told Euronews.
Guth added that adapting and repurposing existing infrastructure over time would be essential to protecting long-term investments while maintaining progress towards climate neutrality.
EU leaders have repeatedly urged households and businesses to reduce energy consumption, while insisting that Europe’s long-term energy independence depends on expanding domestic renewable power generation.
However, experts note that fully integrating wind and solar power will require extensive upgrades to electricity grids and large-scale energy storage infrastructure — a transition expected to take years and require trillions of euros in investment.
“In the short and medium term, we will still need quite a lot of gas, and that need has only increased with our decision to phase out Russian gas,” Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters in March.
