The Northeast experienced record high temperatures this week as water shortages strained communities in Florida and California and the World Cup continued amid controversy. Meanwhile, Walmart cut prices on summer staples, including ice cream, and artificial intelligence continues to weave its way into all facets of life.
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I’m Holliday Woodard, and here’s the week in review.
Monday
To start the week, Olivier turned attention to the water shortages affecting drought-stricken communities from California to Florida.
In Florida, officials have implemented a strict schedule for watering lawns and have told restaurants to only serve water upon request. Those who violate the rules face citations. Meanwhile, Virginia has taken a more lenient approach, kindly asking residents to be cautious with water usage.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, Olivier wondered whether the controversy over FIFA’s decision to allow U.S. star striker Folarin Balogun to play would make waves at the NATO summit.
FIFA lifted Balogun’s automatic suspension after he received a red card in the previous round. President Donald Trump confirmed that he personally reached out to FIFA about the suspension, fueling criticism that political pressure, not independent sporting judgment, led to Balogun’s return.
The incident’s potential to upstage the NATO gathering was made clear when Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about it as he met with Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
“Maybe it’s turning into an international incident. I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe we’ll bring it up at NATO tomorrow when we’re there with the Belgians and everybody else.”
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None of the controversy mattered on the field. Balogun was a non-factor as Belgium gave the U.S. team a 4-1 thrashing, sending the Americans out of the tournament.
Wednesday
Next, Olivier broke down how the Trump administration is taking credit for Walmart’s decision to roll back prices. The retail giant cut prices for summertime staples, including soda, ice cream and corn on the cob. One pound of 73% ground beef is coming down to $5.94 from $6.74.
Trump claimed that Walmart’s cuts came “at my Administration’s request to celebrate our great Country’s 250th birthday.”
“My Administration is lowering prices,” he said.
But Olivier suggests the assertion is worth questioning.
“Go back and look at the Walmart statement announcing the rollbacks,” he writes. “It makes no mention of Trump, of an administration request – or even of July 4. That by itself doesn’t mean it didn’t happen: Walmart may simply be avoiding politics altogether in its quest to pull consumers of all ideological stripes into its aisles.”
Thursday
Olivier dove into new – and perhaps unnerving – uses of AI on Thursday, leading with a story about South Koreans using artificial intelligence to create videos of deceased relatives. A startup specializing in the service has about 300 customers a month. A three- to five-minute video costs about $400.
He also noted other AI developments worth watching: A recent Meta update allows public Instagram photos to be used in AI images, unless users opt out. Companies are now assigning “AI champions” to win over co-workers who are skeptical of the technology. And Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation to increase transparency requirements for the largest AI models, urging the federal government to take similar steps.
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