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ICE Policy Shift, AI Data Center Ban & Stop Changing Clocks? - Wednesday, July 15, 2026
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Today is Wednesday, July 15th. We'll tell you about a major policy shift for immigration officers and how it's linked to two recent killings. Also, where air quality is becoming a concern because of wildfire smoke and an unfortunate new record as the outbreak of a stomach illness continues around the country. Plus, all about a new push to end the twice a year clock change, which state just banned AI data centers, and how Starbucks is trying to turn some employees into TikTok influencers. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. New guidance is telling ICE officers to avoid making as many traffic stops. The change comes in the aftermath of two deadly shootings in less than a week. In both cases, the immigration officers shot the men after trying to stop their vehicles, one in Texas, the other in Maine. The Homeland Security Department says the agents who opened fire did so because they feared for their safety or public safety. Then yesterday, a third man died in an encounter with immigration officers. Authorities say he was hit by a tractor trailer while running from federal officers in Florida. So far, the Homeland Security Department has not publicly addressed the policy change. But the new guidance to avoid stopping moving vehicles removes one of the most common tools ICE agents use to make arrests. And it could also make it harder for the Trump administration to meet its internal immigration arrest quotas. In recent weeks, officers have been ramping up arrests by staking out homes and workplaces of immigrants, most often catching them as they drive away. But as enforcement has increased, so has the criticism and the protests, especially after these recent shootings. Reports say ICE will also now avoid sending officers out to make any arrests unless at least one person on the team is wearing a body camera. Plus, officials say they plan to reevaluate training so officers are better equipped to de escalate situations for immigrants to try to escape. For now, reports say if someone drives off or runs away, officers have been told to let them go and attempt the arrest later, except in cases involving the most dangerous targets. It's not clear how long these changes will last, but ICE says it's always evaluating procedures to help keep officers safe. Just one day after declaring the US Would tax all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump has changed his tune. He now says the US Will instead guarantee safe passage to vessels from any Persian Gulf states that agree to invest in America, though it's still not clear exactly how that plan is going to work. What is clear is that the president is not giving up control of the strait. The US Bombed more Iranian targets yesterday, saying it was going after Iran's ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran once again responded with new strikes on countries that are hosting American forces. Also, as promised, the US Reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports over Iran's attacks on ships trying to pass through the strait. These are considered the Trump administration's attempts at turning the tables on Iran in the nearly five month old war, since the Strait of Hormuz is considered Iran's biggest source of leverage needed to transport a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas during peacetime. Meanwhile, there are at least 19 U.S. warships positioned in the Middle east and hundreds of military aircraft all waiting for their next orders. And President Trump is renewing his threats to attack Iranian bridges and power plants by next week unless diplomatic negotiations get going again. Last month's drop in gas prices helped inflation slow down in a big way. New federal data shows consumer prices posted their biggest monthly decline in more than six years. Specifically, the consumer price index fell by nearly half a percent last month after rising by the same amount a month earlier, bringing the yearly inflation rate down to 3.5%. And most of the decline can be attributed to lower energy prices. Of course, that's not expected to be the case this month, now that the conflict between the US And Iran has escalated once again. And all of this is weighing on the new Federal Reserve chairman, who testified before Congress yesterday for the first time since taking the helm at the central bank yesterday. Chairman Kevin Warsh told House lawmakers that that the Fed had no tolerance for high inflation. But he didn't give any hints about what might happen next with interest rates, keeping with his view that the Fed should not be broadcasting its next move. One thing he did promise was to make decisions without taking politics into account. Warsh is expected to testify before a Senate committee today. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing new scrutiny over military promotions. Most recently, the New York Times reports, he blocked the promotions of seven more senior Navy officers, and five of them were women or people of color. All had been selected by a promotion board made up of senior admirals that determined the nominees were among the Navy's highest performers over careers spanning more than 25 years. Hegseth has not publicly explained why he got involved, but it's reportedly a highly unusual move. And that means for the first time in more than a decade, no woman who's an active duty naval officer is likely to be promoted to admiral this year. The defense secretary has been reshaping the military's senior leadership ever since stepping into his role. The Times says he's fired or sidelined more than two dozen generals and admirals and removed about 40 senior officers from promotion lists. More than half of those officers have been women or black. A group of Senate Democrats is now demanding answers, arguing the removals appear to disregard the officers records and could violate Pentagon policy. But that says promotions should generally only be withdrawn over concerns about an officer's conduct or ability to lead. So far, no comment from the Pentagon about the specifics, but it did accuse the Times of having a, quote, toxic obsession with race and identity. If you're tired of changing your clocks twice a year, you could be in luck. Congress has taken a big step toward ending the tradition. The House passed a bill to make Daylight Saving time permanent nationwide, meaning we'd keep the extra hour of evening sunlight all year long and stop falling back every November. The bipartisan bill passed with a 308 to 117 vote, and President Trump says it's a priority for him too. Supporters say the change would eliminate the twice a year sleep disruption while also giving people more daylight after work and school. But not everyone is on board. Opponents argue permanent Daylight saving Time would also mean much darker winter mornings, but with sunrise happening after 8am some mornings, raising concerns for early commuters, kids going to school and anyone who starts their day before sunrise. Either way, the idea is not new. The Senate passed a similar bill back in 2022, but it stalled in the House. This time the bill is heading to the Senate, where its future is still uncertain. So stay tuned. More news is still coming up, but first a break for our sponsor. Many of us have tried learning another language before. I know I learned some Spanish in high school, but when it's time to actually use those skills, we realize knowing just a few words is not the same as a real conversation. 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That's rosettastone.comnewsworthy now back to the news. More than 800 wildfires are now burning through forests in Canada, and their smoke could end up making the air quality dangerous for millions of Americans who live in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Today, heavy smoke could reach Boston, New York City and Providence, Rhode Island. Before that, it's set to move through Green Bay, Detroit, Buffalo and elsewhere. And people will likely notice the smoke could be thick enough to create orange, hazy skies that could stick around for the next few days. Most of it is expected to stay high up in the atmosphere, but some forecasters say there could be about six to eight hours with smoke closer to the ground, and that's when air quality could become very unhealthy. So people who live in the upper Midwest and Northeast are now being encouraged to pay close attention to any alerts over the next couple of days. As of this morning, a massive search and rescue operation is still underway in San Francisco Bay. Helicopters, boats and divers have been out searching for survivors after a pontoon boat capsized between Alcatraz island and the Golden Gate Bridge. Sixteen people have been rescued already, but at least one person died and two others are still missing. None of the people pulled from the water were wearing life jackets. At this point, it's not clear what caused the boat to capsize, but local officials made note of windy conditions and rough seas and warned the region's waters can be hazardous. The Coast Guard is expected to investigate. Cases of cyclospiriasis have now surged to a record, making this the country's worst year for reported cases. Already updated state level data shows the number of infections has far surpassed the last record of 4,700 set back in 2019. Nationally, the CDC now says nearly 7,000 people around the country may have been infected with the illness. That can cause weeks of severe diarrhea and other symptoms. The bulk of the cases are in Michigan, and federal health officials say they believe cases in at least four states Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia are linked, but others could be, too. At this point, recent cases are confirmed or suspected in at least 34 states. Officials still have not definitely identified what's causing the infections, but remember, Michigan identified leafy lettuce as a leading suspected source of the outbreak. And now, reports say authorities are investigating whether Taco Bell restaurants may have played a role. So some Taco Bell locations are no longer including ingredients like lettuce, cilantro, onion or guacamole in any of their items. But again, at this point, it's just precautionary since an investigation is still underway. New York has just become the first U.S. state to temporarily ban new AI data centers. Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order that pauses new permits for up to a year for any data centers expected to use 50 megawatts of power or more. She says the pause will give state officials time to develop new standards to help protect the electrical grid, the environment and the communities where developers want to build. The move comes as more states are wrestling with how to handle the AI infrastructure boom. Critics say these massive data centers can drive up electricity demand and prices, put pressure on water resources and impact neighboring communities. So environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers applauded this decision. But tech industry groups and construction unions argue that the order will just cost New York jobs while pushing data center investment to other states. Even before this order, New York's high land costs and limited power capacity had made it a less attractive destination for data center developers than some other states, especially ones like Texas, Virginia and Ohio that are now data center hotspots. Some of the greatest athletes on the planet are coming together tonight for the ESPY Awards. The ceremony will celebrate major sports achievements and revisit some of the most unforgettable moments. The awards are decided by sports fans who have been voting for weeks. Some of this year's top nominees include NBA champion Jalen Brunson, Olympic figure skater Alyssa Liu, NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, WNBA star Asia Wilson and MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. Trailblazing former NBA player Jason Collins will be posthumously honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. Comedian Marcelo Hernandez is hosting the ceremony and that will air live on ABC and stream on ESPN. It all kicks off tonight at 8:00 Eastern. And that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Work Wednesday when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. But first a break to tell you about our sponsor. One thing I really appreciate about Oneskin is that it makes my skincare routine feel smarter, not more complicated. I don't want a bathroom counter full of products I'm not sure are doing anything anyway. I want a few things I actually like using that feel good on my skin and are backed by real science that's why I keep reaching for one skin. I use their face and eye moisturizers, the Face spf, the Lip SPF and the Peptide Lip mask and they all feel lightweight and effective, especially in the summer. I love that their Face SPF gives me mineral SPF protection while still feeling like skincare. And that matters because up to 80% of visible skin aging starts with sun exposure. At the center of Oneskin is their proprietary peptide OS1, developed from longevity Research to target the visible signs of aging at the source. Born from over a decade of longevity research, Oneskin is helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age, for a limited time you can Try OneSkin with 15% off using code newsworthy at OneSkin co. Newsworthy that's 15% off OneSkin co with the Code Newsworthy. After your purchase, they'll ask you where you've heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you now back to work Wednesday Brands are no longer just looking to advertisers and influencers to spread their messages. They're utilizing their own workers. Starbucks just started testing this in a new way. The coffee chain is piloting a program with TikTok to recruit creators from their employees, give them prompts, and pay them if their videos end up actually being used in Starbucks ads. It makes sense, since baristas are apparently already a big presence online. Starbucks says its employees use social media at three times the rate of those at similar chains. Of course, this is not the first time a company has encouraged employees to post on social media. Retailers like Walmart, Chipotle, Staples and Sephora have all leaned into employee created content in recent years, betting that real workers can connect with customers better than polished ad campaigns. But Starbucks is taking it a step further with the more formal system with TikTok. And for employees, it's a chance to channel their online skills into more visibility perks and a new notch on their resume. All in an age when social media savvy can be a useful skill. Thank you so much for listening today and sharing the show. If you found it helpful, we'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great.