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Articles by Thomas Simonetti
Lexington council moves to extend data center moratorium until 2027. What to know
A woman holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida on July 18, 2026. The Lexington council moved forward regulations Tuesday that would extend a current moratorium on data centers until Oct. 31, 2027. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted unanimously Oct. 6 to extend a current moratorium set to expire the end of this month until 2027.
Americans could soon pay a lot more for strawberries
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Editorial: Orbital data centers are a crazy idea. Go for it
A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida on July 18, 2026. (Thomas Simonetti/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) Why not just build them in space?
A hyperscale data center developer is suing to build next to KY’s only national park Original
A woman holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida on July 18, 2026. The company that wants to build a $4.8 billion hyperscale data center just outside the entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park is taking local city leaders to court, challenging their attempts to delay a project that has become a flashpoint in Kentucky’s debate over AI infrastructure. Kentucky Industrial Alliance Inc.
Allison Schrager: Expect more data center moratoriums - and slower growth
People hold signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida on July 18, 2026. (Thomas Simonetti/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) If you are an AI doomer, as a majority of Americans are, then you might find New York's one-year moratorium on new data centers reassuring: No matter how fast technology progresses, humans will do all they can to slow it down.
We Asked AI Where Data Centers Should Go-The Answers May Surprise You
If artificial intelligence had a say in where the massive data centers powering it should be built, the answer would not be “anywhere and as fast as possible.” When Newsweek asked several leading AI models where new data centers should go, they largely agreed on a cautious approach: prioritize areas with adequate power and water resources, avoid environmentally sensitive locations, engage local communities and carefully weigh long-term impacts before breaking ground.
See how Americans are weathering a heat dome’s sweltering temperatures
See how Americans are weathering a heat dome’s sweltering temperatures (washingtonpost.com) See how Americans are weathering a heat dome’s sweltering temperatures By Thomas Simonetti 2026070215300100 Across the Midwest and East Coast this week, people are seeking refuge from high temperatures and humidity as a heat dome expands over much of the country. Heat domes are persistent areas of high pressure and sinking air hovering above a region. That sinking air dries and heats the air even more.
A massive border wall expansion is underway
A massive border wall expansion is underway (washingtonpost.com) A massive border wall expansion is underway By Arelis R.
A massive border wall expansion is underway
The number of visits to the San Antonio Missions increased sharply last year, new National Park Service data shows. Why it matters: The jump came at a …
Hijo de ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán cambiará su declaración en un juicio por narcotráfico en EE.UU.
Bloomberg — Uno de los cuatro hijos del capo de la droga encarcelado Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán cambiará su declaración de inocencia en un caso que lo acusa de conspiración para el narcotráfico, según documentos judiciales. Joaquín Guzmán López debía comparecer ante el tribunal federal de Chicago el lunes 1 de diciembre por la tarde para una audiencia de seguimiento, en la que la defensa y la fiscalía informarán al juez sobre su progreso en los asuntos previos al juicio.
‘El Mayo’ Zambada se declara culpable y acepta haber sobornado a policías, militares y políticos
Bloomberg — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, cofundador del violento cártel de Sinaloa en México, se declaró culpable de los cargos de narcotráfico en un caso presentado por las autoridades estadounidenses en Nueva York y Chicago Zambada se declaró culpable el lunes 25 de agosto en un tribunal federal de Brooklyn, Nueva York, de un cargo de participación en una organización criminal continua y otro de conspiración para cometer extorsión. Ver más: México está cerca de un acuerdo de seguridad con EE.UU.
Trump firma un proyecto de ley para endurecer las penas por tráfico de fentanilo
Bloomberg — El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, firmó una ley que refuerza las sanciones penales contra el fentanilo, considerándola como un “paso histórico hacia la justicia” en su último esfuerzo para hacer frente a la crisis de salud pública provocada por la droga mortal.
Disney y Universal: las mejores formas para evitar filas este verano en Florida
Bloomberg — No hacer la fila en los parques temáticos más grandes de Orlando ya no es tan difícil como antes. Por ejemplo, las recientes experiencias de Allison George, gerente de una tienda de Baton Rouge, Luisiana, que visitó Walt Disney World y Universal Studios Florida con su familia en 2022 y otra vez el pasado mes de abril.
Más allá de Disney: Los mejores restaurantes de Orlando
Bloomberg — Tracy Grady, directora general del restaurante, me presentó la caja de nogal negro con una floritura de actriz. A través de la tapa de cristal, estudié los 11 pares de lujosos palillos, con diseños que iban del negro azabache al blanco geométrico y las flores azules; uno de ellos tenía el mango en forma de muslo de pollo.
Photos from Texas as Formula One took over the Lone Star State
In an event-filled sports weekend in Austin, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the checkered flag to win the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite the additions of Miami and Las Vegas races to the Formula One calendar in recent years, the Austin race is still a big draw, with large cowboy-hat-filled crowds throughout the weekend.
Travel photos
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In photos: Hurricane Idalia lashes western Cuba as Floridians along the Gulf Coast brace for storm
Hurricane Idalia lashed Guanimar, in western Cuba, on Monday and is expected to intensify into a Category 3 storm before hitting Florida’s northern Gulf Coast Wednesday morning.
Inside Walmart’s Warehouse of the Future
BROOKSVILLE, Fla.—Inside a sprawling Walmart warehouse here, hundreds of jobs slinging boxes are changing into roles managing robotic arms, conveyor belts and screens.
Photos from Trump’s indictment court appearance in Miami Original
National Security By Washington Post Staff Former president DonaldTrump awaited his first scheduled court appearance to face federal criminal charges in Miami Tuesday while authorities pledged to keep their city safe despite potentially large crowds surrounding the event. Trump was charged last weekin connection with his storage of highly sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate — and alleged lying and obstructing when federal officials tried to retrieve them.
The short life of Baby Milo
Nobody expected Baby Milo to live for long. He arrived in the world with no kidneys, underdeveloped lungs and a life expectancy of between 20 minutes and a couple of hours. He lived for 99 minutes. Milo Evan Dorbert drew his first and last breath on the evening of March 3. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law. Deborah Dorbert discovered she was pregnant in August.
The short life of Baby Milo
Nobody expected Baby Milo to live for long. He arrived in the world with no kidneys, underdeveloped lungs and a life expectancy of between 20 minutes and a couple of hours. He lived for 99 minutes. Milo Evan Dorbert drew his first and last breath on the evening of March 3. The unusual complications in his mother's pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida's new abortion law. Deborah Dorbert discovered she was pregnant in August.
After being denied an abortion, a Florida mother watched her baby die
Milo Evan Dorbert drew his first and last breath on the evening of March 3. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law. Deborah Dorbert discovered she was pregnant in August. Her early appointments suggested the baby was thriving, and she looked forward to welcoming a fourth member to the family.
After being denied an abortion, a Florida mother watched her baby die
Nobody expected Baby Milo to live for long. He arrived in the world with no kidneys, underdeveloped lungs and a life expectancy of between 20 minutes and a couple of hours. By Frances Stead Sellers, May 19 at 6:00 a.m. Milo Evan Dorbert drew his first and last breaths on the evening of March 3. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law. Deborah Dorbert discovered she was pregnant in August.
Displaced Hurricane Ian survivors brace for a holiday without a home
Derek Hawkins and Thomas Simonetti, The Washington Post Dec. 23, 2022 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - The big mango wood table on John and Kate Gauntt's storm-battered second floor was set with paper plates and a tray full of Costco hot dogs. The couple gathered their kids, said a quick prayer and started serving.
Here are 15 of the week’s best photos
Photography By Washington Post Staff | Jul 9, 2021 What’s left of the Champlain South tower in Surfside, Fla. is demolished; Tropical Storm Elsa makes its way past St. Petersburg, Fla.; Zaila Avant-garde, 14, becomes the first African-American winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals at Walt Disney World Resort; fireworks explode behind the Washington Monument during an Independence Day celebration at the National Mall.
D.C. has places to see and be seen. These are 14 spots where you can escape.
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In Washington, it can be difficult to power down. Even if you donât work in politics, thereâs always something happening that you have to pay attention to, or thereâs another date or play date to plan. But there are times â and especially times like now â when the healthiest, most important thing you can do is escape, even if itâs just for a few moments. The District has enough places to see and be seen.
By Fritz Hahn Verified, Angela Haupt Verified, Jonathan Newton, Salwan Georges, Jahi Chikwendiu, Joanne Lee, Thomas Simonetti
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The Washington Post
Verified
Perspective | A photographer documents the heart-wrenching final moments of pet owners with their dying pets
There are moments in life so devastating, they can leave us broken and our lives permanently changed. These include the death of a family member, a breakup, a serious injury or job loss. As photographer Ross Taylor documents, the loss of a pet can absolutely be one of those moments, as well. “When someone tells me they’re struggling with the death of a pet, my heart aches for them,” Taylor said.
Farm community in West Virginia aims to be a model for restricting development
GERRARDSTOWN, W.Va. — The first thing you see at the entrance gate to the rolling farmland of Broomgrass is a sign for honeybees and the barn. Down the gravel road is the mobile sheep pen, with four ewes — Pansy, Bertha, Myrtle and GiGi — surrounded by the seven lambs born in April. Then it’s just grass and fields framed by forest as far as you can see. Residents’ houses are hidden in the folds of the land.
Perspective | Florida photographer shows old timers in Key West who don’t just want to read Hemingway — they want to BE him
It was a visual feast for photographer Scott McIntyre. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and each year, scores of Ernest Hemingway look-alikes and enthusiasts descend upon Key West, Fla., to celebrate the late American author. “Over 100 silver-haired guys, palling around, getting loud and putting on their best Hemingway-inspired attire all weekend,” McIntyre said. “Certainly seemed visual to me.” This year’s festival, taking place this week, will be the Hemingway Days’ 38th year.
Perspective | Scenes from a marathon six-day Daoist funeral deep in the heart of China
In Sight Perspective Perspective Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events January 31, 2018 Family mourners, one holding tablets representing the deceased, make a fire with paper money to light the way between the worlds of the living and the dead for the soul of the deceased. The funeral procession, led by family members, carries the casket toward the chosen gravesite about a mile away.
Matt McClain photographs the county fair in Missouri
Washington Post staff photographer Matt McClain often finds himself photographing some of the biggest players in politics. Earlier this year, he was in Trump Tower in New York making portraits of President Trump, and he photographed the high-profile James B. Comey testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. But a recent assignment to a rural county fair in the Midwest was something of a homecoming for McClain.
Perspective | The surprising serendipity of images from a photographer shooting from the hip
For the past six years, photographer Scott Strazzante has been creating a shadow body of work separate from the images he makes working full time for a daily newspaper. Strazzante, who has excelled at every kind of news assignment in his nearly three-decade-long career, was looking for inspiration back in 2011 when his daughter showed him the unique look of photos made with the Hipstamatic image filter app on an iPhone.
Perspective | A photographer’s thirst for Iraq, quenched in a Detroit suburb
After midnight on a recent Michigan summer night, the streets were alive with activity. Not for a Detroit Redwings game or a music festival but for a large Muslim American community there celebrating Ramadan. After dawn-to-dusk fasting, Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month. Dearborn, Mich., with one of the largest populations of Arab Americans in the United States, is especially lively during Ramadan.
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