Wall Street Plunges on AI Data Center Stock Sell-Off

A sharp sell-off hit the stock market, driven primarily by equities linked to the expansion of artificial intelligence data centers. The decline marked a significant drop in valuation for companies central to the current tech infrastructure buildout.

The market move occurred alongside developments in the AI sector itself. Anthropic announced that it is developing its systems twice as quickly as it did last year. This acceleration in development speed stands in contrast to calls from CEO Dario Amodei, who has previously urged the industry to slow down the pace of model capability growth.

In related news, President Donald Trump stated that he met with an envoy from Russian President Vladimir Putin at the White House on Thursday. Trump noted that he did not meet with Ukrainian officials who were also visiting the White House during the same day.

Separately, court documents revealed that the Trump administration held secret talks with Iran regarding the deportation of Iranians. These discussions took place during the ongoing war between the two nations.

In Florida, authorities confirmed the state carried out its 19th execution of the year, tying a record for the most executions in a single calendar year. Three states administered the death penalty on the same day. A Florida sheriff said a gunman who killed a woman at Citibank’s office complex in Tampa targeted the campus out of anger over a $2,500 debt collection. The gunman was fatally shot by a security guard.

In Los Angeles, city council member Nithya Raman defeated Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff. Raman will lead the nation’s second most populous city. In the Senate, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will block President Trump from appointing a right-wing judge to the Supreme Court if a vacancy opens in the next two years.