The Core

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-illinois-budget-idUSKBN1X22RG

The Justice Department and state attorneys general have been asking increasingly detailed questions about how Google uses discounts, restrictions and bundling to encourage advertisers and publishers to use only its products instead of mixing and matching with competing services, Bloomberg has reported.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/senators-call-google-monopoly-upon-monopoly-as-doj-case-nears/ar-BB194Bsx

"Their first conclusion is that the cylinder packed with servers [855] had a lower failure rate than a conventional data centre."

I sure wish the brits would learn how to spell "center" :-)

"we definitely over-reacted in the face of inflated predictions."

YEP

Will local government demand "low income housing" in order to gain approvals?

    About three in 10 consumers with a motor vehicle said they no longer have a commute due to COVID-19, either because they’re working from home (19%) or they were laid off or furloughed (10%).
    The number of drivers who get gas weekly dropped by 26% in August versus prior to the pandemic. In January and February, 43% of drivers said they filled up at least once a week, but just 32% said they currently do so that frequently. At the same time, the number of drivers who fill up their tank less often than once per month doubled from 4% to 8%.
    More than a quarter of drivers made cost-cutting changes to their auto insurance amid the pandemic. About 14% switched to another provider that was offering better deals, 12% reduced the amount of coverage since they are driving less and 3% took one of their household’s vehicles off the policy because their family is using fewer cars.
    More than one in six consumers stopped using rideshare services like Lyft and Uber altogether due to the pandemic. An additional 13% said they’re still using those services, but much less frequently.

https://www.valuepenguin.com/commutes-plummet-after-coronavirus#commute

"China's heavy hand in Hong Kong"

How China’s heavy steps in Hong Kong reverberate in Taiwan

"No one anticipates any steps threatening Taiwan’s autonomy on the order of the mainland’s tightening grip on Hong Kong any time soon. Beijing would seem to have its hands full managing events in Hong Kong and other restive regions like Xinjiang and Tibet, economic fallout from the coronavirus, the U.S.-China trade spat, and steering China’s rise to dominance in a dynamic Asia."

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2020/0612/How-China-s-heavy-steps-in-Hong-Kong-reverberate-in-Taiwan