The Daily

The political pressure on AI-era infrastructure is getting specific. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley asked the US Energy Information Administration to create a mandatory annual reporting requirement for data centers and other “large loads”. In the letter, they ask for granular data — hourly, annual and peak loads, the rates companies pay, whether grid upgrades are required and who pays, and whether operators participate in demand-response programs. The hard deadline: they request an EIA reply by April 9. The implication is obvious: once the data exists, regulation and cost-allocation fights get easier.

CNET highlights the “why now”: data centers are becoming a local flashpoint because land, water, and electricity are no longer abstract costs. The article points to a BloombergNEF forecast that by 2035 data-center energy demand will more than double — and ties that to rising opposition at the community level. The core argument in the senators’ letter is that standardized data would improve grid planning and help prevent “large companies” from pushing higher electricity costs onto households. This is a story about measurement as power: once consumption is auditable, it becomes a political target.

PBS (via AP) reports a bill that would pause new US data centers until national safeguards are in place for consumers, workers, and the environment. A striking yardstick in the piece: a “typical AI-focused data center” can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households. The proposal is unlikely to pass, but it’s a clear signal that the center of gravity is shifting from “innovation” to “externalities”. Even the White House angle is telling: it wants to preempt state AI laws while leaning on voluntary “ratepayer protection” pledges.

This is the kind of approval that quietly rewires a rare-disease playbook. The FDA granted accelerated approval to Kresladi (marnetegragene autotemcel), a one-time gene therapy for pediatric patients with severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (biallelic ITGB2 variants) who lack an HLA-matched sibling donor for stem-cell transplant. The pivotal evidence is classic accelerated-approval logic: increased neutrophil CD18 and CD11a expression at month 12 with sustained effect through month 24, treated as a surrogate likely to predict clinical benefit. It also comes with a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher — and with post-marketing requirements that will decide the durability of the win.

Denali’s Avlayah (enzyme replacement therapy for Hunter syndrome) is framed here as both a product and a platform validation. BioSpace notes it’s the first new medicine for Hunter syndrome in nearly 20 years and, crucially, a biologic designed to cross the blood-brain barrier via the transferrin receptor. The biomarker detail is unusually crisp: Phase 1/2 data showed a 91% reduction in cerebrospinal-fluid heparan sulfate, and at 24 weeks 93% of treated patients reached levels comparable to people without Hunter syndrome. Denali’s stock reaction (up 13% in the cited session) shows how hungry the market is for “FDA says the CNS-delivery chemistry works.”

Pharmaphorum adds the backstory that matters for anyone building in gene therapy: Rocket was turned down in June 2024 over manufacturing questions, refiled in October, and now got the green light. The clinical headline is brutal and persuasive: LAD-I mortality is described as around 75% in the first two years of life, while Kresladi posted 100% overall survival at two years in its Phase 1/2 trial. The piece also underlines just how small the market is: incidence estimated at roughly 1 in a million, with fewer than 400 recorded cases worldwide and an estimate of around 50 living patients in the US. If payers ever fund “millions per dose,” this is the category.

Ars Technica stitches two uncomfortable truths together: great science is still coming from extended missions, and funding is getting tight. Researchers analyzing Juno data from 2021–2022 reported 613 microwave pulses from lightning and estimate flashes ranging from “Earth-like” up to 100× more powerful (with big uncertainty). Meanwhile NASA’s planetary science division is weighing which missions to keep — with extended missions costing roughly $260M in FY25 (about 10% of the planetary budget), and a funding shortfall of about $220M versus last year. Translation: every extra year of “still working” spacecraft is a trade against new missions.

NASA’s monthly guide is unusually packed this time. Highlights: on April 3, Mercury hits its brightest and most visible point of the year (greatest elongation) low in the east before sunrise. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21–22 (best after ~10 p.m., looking east toward Vega/Lyra). And there’s a comet entry with a hard number: Comet C/2025 R3 makes its closest approach on April 27, passing within about 44 million miles of Earth — likely around magnitude 8 (binoculars/telescope territory). Bookmark it now; you won’t remember the dates later.

Kurzliste: Osterzeit in den Blumengärten Hirschstetten · „Renate Kordon – Like a Line“ · „Birdcage“ · Red Bull Turn It Up (National Final) · Kulinarikfest „Mit Alles“. 1000things bündelt das übliche Wiener „zu viel los“-Problem in ein Wochenende-Format (Donnerstag bis Sonntag) — hilfreich, wenn man nicht bis Montag warten will, um sich zu ärgern, dass man wieder nichts gemacht hat. Für heute ist die spannende Klammer: viel Indoor-taugliches Programm (good for weather) plus ein paar Events, die sich gut als “1 Stunde reinschauen, weiterziehen” eignen. Mein Filter: nimm maximal zwei Fixpunkte und lass den Rest spontan.

Kurzliste: (Falter-Auswahl) „Kulinarische Highlights“ · neue Menüs/Pop-ups · saisonale Frühlingsgerichte · kleine Wein-Events. Der Falter-Ansatz ist angenehm unaufgeregt: nicht „die 37 besten“, sondern ein paar konkrete Anker, die realistisch in ein Wochenende passen. Wenn du heute nur eine Sache machst: reservier früh — gerade bei kleineren Lokalen kippt die Verfügbarkeit oft schon am Samstagvormittag. Und ja: bei dem Wetter sind warme Suppen/Schmorgerichte plötzlich wieder eine valide Entscheidung.

Venice in early May is already a travel magnet, and the Biennale orbit gets another layer of politics. The Guardian reports that Gabrielle Goliath’s performance work “Elegy” — previously blocked from South Africa’s pavilion as “divisive” — will run as a video installation for three months from May 4 at Chiesa di Sant’Antonin (Castello), near but not inside the official Biennale venues. South Africa’s pavilion will remain empty after the government declined to name a replacement. The work commemorates multiple victims and includes a tribute to Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, killed in October 2023 in Gaza. For visitors: this is precisely the kind of “off-program but central” show that ends up defining conversations.

Wanted in Rome points to a simple signal: in the European Best Destinations 2026 ranking, Italy places seven destinations in the Top 20. The list is based on votes from more than 1.3 million travelers across 154 countries — a reminder that the “where should I go next?” narrative is often driven by crowd data, not guidebooks. Take it as a planning heuristic, not a truth: the best Italy trips are usually the ones that use these lists to pick a region — then go one layer quieter.

Charlotte’s run is real: the Hornets snapped the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak with a 114–103 win, powered by rookie Kon Knueppel (26 points, six 3s, plus 10 rebounds and 8 assists). ESPN notes the record-y detail: at 20, he became the youngest player with 250 threes in a season. New York still got a big night from Jalen Brunson (26 points, 13 assists), but Charlotte’s volume shooting held: 16-of-41 from deep. Standings note: the Hornets moved to 39–34, tied with Miami for eighth in the East.

The players’ union is going straight at one of the league’s new incentive levers. NBC Sports reports the NBPA wants the 65-game minimum for awards eligibility either removed or reworked, arguing it pressures players to suit up while not fully healthy and can distort team decision-making. The rule is a public-facing attempt to fight load management, but the union’s point is that awards now tie to money (contract escalators, legacy) and create a different kind of risk. If the league and union renegotiate this, watch for an alternative threshold (minutes played?) or a medical-exemption pathway.

Kurzliste: Kinderdisco · 2 DJs · Ausstellungen bis 18:00 offen · Eintritt: Kinder 5€ (mit Ferienspielpass 3€). WIENXTRA hat für den Ferienstart einen ziemlich guten Indoor-Plan: Kinderdisco in der Kunsthalle Wien am Museumsplatz (7. Bezirk) — ohne Anmeldung, und Erwachsene dürfen nur in Begleitung von Kindern rein (fair). Nettes Detail: mit dem Ticket kann man die Ausstellungen kostenlos besuchen; ideal, wenn ein Teil der Familie kurz „Pause vom Tanzen“ braucht. Wetterfest, zentral und zeitlich gut als Nachmittagsanker.

Kurzliste: Bike/Bewegung · Museum/Indoor-Ausstellungen · kleine Bühnen-Formate · Basteln. Der Falter sammelt mehrere Optionen, die sich gut nach Alter und Wetter filtern lassen (und nicht nach „wo gibt’s Parkplätze“). Nimm’s als Entscheidungshelfer: ein Bewegungs-Programmpunkt, ein ruhiger Indoor-Punkt — fertig. Wenn du ein Highlight suchst, schau zuerst auf Termine/Zeitslots (die Dinge, die tatsächlich ausverkauft sein können), und plane den Rest als Drop-in.