EPA opts for more stringent rule on lead pipes

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized revisions to a lead-in-drinking-water rule that requires water systems to replace service lines containing the toxic metal within 10 years.

Senior White House officials said on a call with reporters that the revisions are “significantly” more stringent than previous proposals and will provide immediate health improvements for millions.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will travel to Milwaukee to announce the more stringent standards and $2.6 billion in outlays for drinking water infrastructure across the country beyond the billions already allocated from the 2021 infrastructure law. Milwaukee is among the U.S. cities most in need, with an estimated 74,000 service lines that contain some lead piping.

The EPA estimated that 9 million homes are served by legacy lead pipes throughout the nation. The agency has determined that there is no safe level of lead exposure, and research has shown that the neurotoxin is especially harmful to children.

—CQ-Roll Call

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns be wary of Hurricane Milton ‘wobble’ on approach

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a Hurricane Milton update on Tuesday morning, warning Floridians to be wary of shifts in path before landfall.

“Now is the time where you have the ability to make the decisions necessary to keep yourself and your family safe,” he said. “We urge you to execute your plan. Now. Let’s prepare for the worst, and let’s pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage is possible, but we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida.”

He’s spoke from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee at 7:45 a.m. “The storm has moved a little bit slower than initially projected. But remember, do not get wedded to the cone,” he said. “Do not get wedded to where the projected landfall is.”

The 5 a.m. advisory has landfall in the Bradenton Beach and Manatee County area, he said.

—Orlando Sentinel

Former Caltech and Google scientists win physics Nobel for pioneering artificial intelligence

On Tuesday morning, Princeton University professor John Hopfield and University of Toronto professor Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 for their foundational discoveries and inventions that pioneered modern artificial intelligence.

Hopfield joined Caltech as faculty in 1980 and, two years later, published his seminal paper in which he applied principles of the brain to computer circuits, creating a neural network able to hold memory and recognize patterns.

Building off of Hopfield's network, Hinton created a model that could not only distinguish between different patterns or images, but generate new ones altogether. His development later landed him a job at Google after the tech giant bought his company.

"These artificial neural networks have been used to advance research across physics topics as diverse as particle physics, material science and astrophysics," said Ellen Moons, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, at the announcement. "The laureates discoveries and inventions form the building blocks of machine learning."

—Los Angeles Times

In Iran, war jitters fuel public support for developing nuclear weapons

TEHRAN, Iran — As the world braces for another round of escalatory exchanges between Israel and Iran, some ordinary Iranians who had previously opposed any move by their government to develop nuclear weapons are having a change of heart.

“I think we should go for it,” said Vafa Sharzad, a 33-year-old chemical engineer.

Sharzad said she had always supported negotiations with Western governments over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and welcomed the landmark nuclear accord of nine years ago between Iran and several world powers, believing it would bring greater economic opportunity and an easing of international isolation. “But I have my doubts today,” she said.

Although the nuclear accord has been imperiled since then-President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, Iran’s government continues to insist it does not intend to develop nuclear arms. And many sanctions-weary Iranians have long been wary of any nuclear moves that would trigger further economic hardship.

—Los Angeles Times