Thetechloop

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Kuwaiti-American journalist known for his work at VICE, HuffPost and Al Jazeera, has been detained in Kuwait, according to press freedom advocates, after sharing videos related to the Iran war.

The arrest comes as Kuwait and other Gulf states have cracked down on individuals for posting imagery of Iranian missile strikes and other subject matter deemed sensitive. Watchdog groups have decried the strict laws.

In Shihab-Eldin’s case, he had been sharing information on his Substack and social media when the war began, but suddenly stopped posting on March 2.

He was in Kuwait, visiting family, at the time. Friends believe he has been in custody for nearly six weeks. On Tuesday, they went public about his case with the hope that publicity would help secure his release.

“We call on Kuwait to release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and drop all charges against him,” Sara Qudah, regional director for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement. “Journalism is not a crime, and Shihab-Eldin’s case reflects a broader pattern of using national security laws to stifle scrutiny and control the narrative.”

The advocacy group also said “it is understood that authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone – vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists.”

CNN has reached out to the Kuwaiti government for comment.

Shihab-Eldin’s friends have pointed out that the images and videos he shared on Substack were already in the public domain. For instance, he reshared a CNN video of a US Air Force fighter jet crash over Kuwait.

But Kuwaiti officials warned citizens against photographing or publishing “any clips or information related to missiles or relevant locations.”

“Such actions are being closely monitored and dealt with firmly, with violators referred to the relevant authorities for legal action,” the Kuwait Times reported earlier this month.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights said in a recent report that the war has been used by Gulf states “to stifle free speech, confiscate citizens’ public freedoms, and target journalists, bloggers, and online activists who express opinions that do not align with government policies.”

“These individuals are subjected to arbitrary imprisonment and detention, and unfair trials on fabricated charges using counterterrorism and cybercrime laws,” the group said.

In the United Arab Emirates, there have been numerous reports about people being arrested for sharing photos of missile strikes.

News of Shihab-Eldin’s detention broke through on Tuesday in part because he has been a high-profile media personality for more than a decade.

In 2011 he co-created and co-hosted “The Stream,” a pioneering show on Al Jazeera English, and then he went on to help launch HuffPost’s live streaming network. He has been a guest on CNN and numerous other networks.

President Trump on Friday unveiled official architectural renderings for the triumphal arch he plans to add to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The proposed monument would stand at one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge next to the Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to the president's post on Truth Social, the plans were released by the Commission on Fine Arts, a federal agency that has review authority over the design and aesthetics of construction within Washington, D.C., and produced by Harrison Design, an architecture, interior and landscape design firm with offices in six U.S. cities, including D.C. The mockup shows a structure very similar to the 3D model that Trump touted at a fundraising dinner at the White House last October.

At 250 feet tall, the overall height of the structure is intended to serve as, "a fitting recognition of America's 250th birthday," the White House said in an email to NPR.

A monument aimed at honoring what and whom?

The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris — though would stand almost 100 feet taller — and is topped with two golden eagles and a winged, crowned figure reminiscent of the

Statue of Liberty (which was gifted to the U.S. by France in 1884.) On one side, the words "One nation under God" appear, with the phrase "Liberty and justice for all" on the other. The structure would also loom over the nearby Lincoln Memorial — at more than twice the height. "The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle in an email to NPR. "It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves." When asked by CBS political correspondent Ed O'Keefe whom the monument was intended to honor after Trump initially unveiled his plans in October, Trump responded: "Me." The exchange was captured in a social media video. A group of Vietnam War veterans launched a lawsuit in February seeking to bar the Trump administration from constructing the arch. The plaintiffs argued the project violates statutes requiring express congressional authorization for the erection of commemorative works or any "building or structure" on federal park grounds in D.C., among other issues.

"It's textbook Trump," said Sue Mobley, director of research at Monument Lab, of the proposed plans for the arch, in an interview with NPR. The nonprofit design studio based in Philadelphia reimagines public art and structures. "It has to be the biggest. That's the authoritarian impulse." Trump has repeatedly pushed back on accusations of authoritarianism, rejecting the label of dictator. Mobley added that she doesn't think the plans will come to fruition. "It will likely get tied up in court," she said.

Approval process

The White House said it will "follow all legal requirements" in constructing the triumphal arch. As part of that process, it mentioned the National Park Service's recent request to present potential designs to the Commission on Fine Arts. The plans are scheduled to be reviewed next week. At this point, that commission is composed entirely of members appointed by Trump. (In October 2025, Trump took the unusual step of firing six sitting members of the commission.) The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal government's central planning agency for the National Capital Region, is alsoexpected to weigh in on the plans. The White House said the estimated cost of the project, which it anticipates will draw on a combination of public and private funds, is still being calculated. Harrison Design, the architecture firm behind the plans, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for information about the price tag.

Multiple D.C. makeover projects

The arch plans are the latest in a series of current and potential architectural interventions from the White House in and around Washington, D.C. Most dramatically, the administration is pushing for the creation of a $400 million neoclassical ballroom at the White House. A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily allowed the construction of the ballroom to move forward while the administration challenges a March ruling that it required congressional approval. Whatever the outcome, the historic East Wing has already been demolished to make room for the new structure. Trump has converted the White House Rose Garden into a stone- covered patio. He aims to shut down The Kennedy Center for two years to facilitate a major renovation (a coalition of groups including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, and the D.C. Preservation League, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March opposing the plans.) And he has proposed architectural changes to the Washington Dulles International airport through an initiative the Department of Transportation launched late last year to overhaul the Northern Virginia airport. Several prominent architecture firms including Zaha Hadid Architects and Adjaye Associates have submitted proposals. In August, the president also signed an executive order requiring that new federal buildings with construction budgets of more than $50 million be designed in "classical" or "traditional" styles.

Is there a place on these platforms were you can post old news..? . like it is important to understand the here and now, like a carrot on a stick but is there a place to reflect and look at old shit

You can do batches too via json. Very nice

Youtuber #1

I was sucked into the idea of the data center deal while it was being developed in Ohio (Intel) and now in multiple sites in Michigan and the push to make this happen has been insane and, what has begun to show itself, an impossible construction trajectory. The Power Requirements alone have become impossible to actually make happen but yet they still build. The Chipsets necessary to run them have become impossible to supply (due to the intentional bottlenecks in S.K. & Taiwan ) so the DC's sit unused because of this. But yet they still build. It is being pushed wayyy too hard for an AI world that most humans have no real interest in. But yet they still build. My prediction is that we will see these Data companies start to file bankruptcy in the 3rd quarter of this year (2026) and ask trump for bailouts which he will give out like a person handing out candy to kids at Halloween. Right before the Midterm elections. Perfect timing.

Youtuber #2

I just skipped through the video, I will admit. I stopped when I heard "a data technician can earn up to 100" and that was it. That was all. I work for a too big to fail financial institution in enterprise availability. We have massive data centers, And guess what? Technicians are not going into those data centers on a day to day basis. Once the servers are racked up and connected, everything is done over the wire from outside the data center. And if a card fails and has to be replaced? Yeah, we have to call the vendor, make an arrangement to have a tech come out with the correct part and then get them through security. So they're not always on scene. It's utterly deceptive to tell people that data centers bring great jobs to Middle of Cornfield, Nebraska. That doesn't happen.

What does happen is that if you build a data center in Middle of Cornfield, Nebraska, the water that would be used to grow corn is diverted to the data center so it can cool cards, servers, etc., down to operating temperature. Then the price of growing corn goes up. And the price of electricity for homes and businesses goes up so that it can be used to power these data centers. And then there are the heat islands. Are the farmers going to be able to grow corn when the heat island around the data center raises the air and ground temperature several degrees? Studies have shown that data centers produce "heat islands." I live in south central Arizona, and if you've never lived through a Phoenix summer, 110+ temperatures suck. Data centers would heat up our land and take our water.. And our electric bills will go up because we have to cool our homes more. cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported - Cambridge study and azfamily.com/2026/03/18/arizona-data-centers-warming-neighboring-communities-by-several-degrees Arizona State University study.

So we, the taxpayers and ratepayers, we pay more for water and electricity, as well as to build out the infrastructure to bring water and electricity to the monster data centers Oh, and I didn't even mention more pollution as mothballed coal burning power plants are brought back online to service these behemoths of computing.

And for what?

AI can't even read a clock or run a stopwatch. There are videos here on YT demonstrating that. And AIs hallucinate. Humans still have to go through the code they generate to make sure that it really is production ready.

So no, I'm opposed to more data centers just for AI compute, but I think market forces are going to take care of that for us. (Not enough chips, not enough available power / water, not enough money to pay for all of that and the infrastructure as well. On top of that, as OpenAi and Anthropic race towards IPOs, the actually shaky grounds their businesses are resting on will become clearer.) The result will be rusting hulks of abandoned data centers in Middle of Cornfield, Nebraska. Seriously, we gotta put the brakes on this.

Me: Nothing but a covert land grab. Techbruh-feudalism... now open your mouths while I trickle down those debts that I will avoid paying. A relativly slow poision that will be the nail in the coffin. It will take decades to fix if we are lucky.