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BlackRock partnership: BlackRock and its AI Infrastructure Partnership are partnering with North America’s Building Trades Unions to connect upcoming data center and energy projects with skilled construction workers. The agreement aims to address labor shortages while promoting fair wages, job protections and training, amid concerns about AI’s impact on employment and communities affected by large data center developments. BlackRock is also investing heavily in workforce training and AI infrastructure, including a $100 million skilled-trades initiative and major data center investments with technology partners. Bloomberg has the full story.
Salmonella scare: Taylor Fresh Foods, the parent company of Taylor Farms, is voluntarily recalling products containing jalapeños over potential salmonella contamination linked to a supplier. The FDA and CDC are investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak potentially tied to jalapeños from a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, while Taylor Farms says it has stopped sourcing from the grower and has not received reports of illness linked to its products. The Associated Press has the full story.
$2B boost: The Trump administration is providing more than $2 billion to U.S. companies developing batteries and critical minerals to reduce dependence on Chinese suppliers. The Defense Department is lending $1.4 billion to Sila Nanotechnologies and has signed deals with three other companies, reflecting the growing importance of advanced batteries for drones, weapons and AI data centers. The funding is part of a broader Pentagon effort to strengthen domestic supply chains, while startups are also developing batteries that replace scarce materials with more abundant substances such as salt. The Wall Street Journal has the full story.
