Greetings from Shenyang, China, where workers sort AI data in ‘Severance’-like ways
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Greetings from Shenyang, China, where workers sort AI data in ‘Severance’-like ways
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international team shares snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world. This week, we look at a “data processing center” in the northern Chinese city of Shenyang. Workers spend hours drawing boxes around moving shapes and green dots on a screen, and checking them against camera images.
Jackie Lay/NPR
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international team shares snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.
You might not realize it, but everything from AI chatbots and autonomous driving systems requires literally trillions of data points to train. My colleague Emily Feng and I were curious about the people behind the scenes — those working in rooms like this one, who collect and sort all that data for AI applications.
I took this photo earlier this month at a “data processing center” in the northern Chinese city of Shenyang. Cities like this were once dependent on fading industries like steelmaking and coal. Now they’re trying to reinvent themselves by attracting new tech, including AI data work.
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The tasks here looked incredibly abstract: workers spending hours drawing boxes around moving shapes and green dots on a screen, and checking them against camera images to help the AI understand what it’s seeing — like telling the difference between a person and a pole, or a parked car and one that’s moving. It reminded me of the TV show Severance — which is quite popular in China too!
Even the center’s manager admitted the work is pretty monotonous. But I suppose this is what innovation looks like behind the curtain — young workers quietly sorting through massive amounts of data to power the AI tools more and more of us use.
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Pro-Trump media figures split over the U.S. role in the Israel-Iran conflict
Right-wing influencers are publicly disagreeing with President Trump over the possibility of U.S. military involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Trump fired back at former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday evening, saying: “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,” IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” Since then, multiple pro-Trump influencers have defended Carlson and publicly disagreed with Trump. A poll published Tuesday found that 60% of Americans across the political spectrum don’t think the US military should be involved in the Mideast conflict. Still, some right-wing social media influencers do support Trump’s actions, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., and Charlie Kirk, who led Trump’s canvassing effort during the election. “America First is whatever President Trump says it is,” wrote Laura Loomer, an activist close to Trump who previously challenged the president’s acceptance of a 747 from Qatar to serve as a new Air Force One.
A day after Israel launched its attack on Iran, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson wrote a newsletter titled “An Act of War, Sponsored by the United States” and talked about his objections with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon on Bannon’s War Room podcast.
Trump fired back at Carlson on Monday evening, writing on Truth Social : “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,” IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!””
Since then, multiple pro-Trump influencers defended Carlson and publicly disagreed with Trump over the issue.
“Donald Trump just completely fractured his base. Truly unbelievable,” wrote commentator Candace Owens on X less than an hour after Trump’s post.
One of Trump’s closest congressional allies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., also quickly came to Carlson’s defense.
“Tucker Carlson is one of my favorite people.” she posted on X. “Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction. That’s not kooky.”
InfoWars host Alex Jones, who has a history of spreading conspiracy theories, posted later in the evening: “Trump attacking @TuckerCarlson for not supporting a new WORLD WAR is not something any sane person should support! This is the stuff NIGHTMARES are MADE of…”
“They’re playing out the battle in the way based on the positions they’ve advocated for for ages,” said Daniel Silverman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University whose research includes how information travels during conflicts. “Tucker [Carlson]’s been very consistent on not picking fights with Iran back to the first Trump administration…It is notable that they’re doing it so openly.”
Initial polling suggests that many Americans have concerns about the U.S. militarily engaging with Iran. A weekly YouGov/Economist poll published Tuesday found that 60% of Americans across the political spectrum don’t think the US military should be involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In the House, representatives from both parties including Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are seeking to require the president to get congressional approval before military intervention in the conflict. Lawmakers made a similar attempt during the first Trump administration but were unable to overcome the president’s veto power.
Still, some right-wing social media influencers do support Trump’s actions.
“America First is whatever President Trump says it is,” wrote Laura Loomer, an activist close to Trump who had previously challenged the president’s acceptance of a 747 from Qatar to serve as a new Air Force One.
Activist Charlie Kirk, who led Trump’s canvassing effort during the election, posted on X: “Moments like this I have full and complete trust in President Trump”.
Others have tried to strike a tone of unity, like Jack Posobiec, a prominent far-right influencer. “When people warn that regime change war would break up the MAGA Coalition, consider that is exactly what the neocons want” he wrote on X.
Later, he suggested that Trump’s rhetoric might serve his domestic agenda. “What if 20 million illegals were suddenly disappeared while cable news is focused on the Middle East? Chess not checkers.”
Vice President JD Vance chimed in on X: “I can assure you that he [Trump] is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people’s goals.”
Unlike many high-profile social media figures, major right-wing news sites and opinion pages have been almost unanimously supportive of the U.S.’s backing of Israel, said Howard Polskin, who runs The Righting, a website that monitors right-wing media.
“The right-wing media is supporting the vision of Trump as a powerful figure, controlling the destinies of not only our country and our politicians. But he’s also controlling the fate to some extent of Israel and Iran and its citizens,” said Polskin.
But so far, articles in the outlets Polskin follows have yet to discuss the prospects of troops on the ground. “In the next day or two, we may see more of that,” he said.
About an hour after Vance’s post, Trump’s rhetoric escalated. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding”, he posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. That was quickly followed by another post demanding “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
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Fed holds interest rates steady, signals rate cuts of 0.5% later this year
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday, and signaled that it is on track to cut rates by 0.5 percentage point this year. The Fed has been in a holding pattern since December, after cutting rates by a full percentage point last year. Inflation hasn’t risen yet, despite tariffs, but Fed officials worry that Trump’s tariffs — which are the highest in nearly a century — could rekindle price pressures. Interest on the federal debt totaled $776 billion in the first eight months of the fiscal year, the government’s third-biggest expense after Social Security and Medicare. The foreign-born workforce shrank by more than a million people in the last two months, according to surveys from the Labor Department. The combination of high debt and rising bond yields can be costly not just for the government but also for taxpayers.
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday, and signaled that it is on track to cut rates by 0.5 percentage point this year, even as policymakers wait to see how President Trump’s tariffs and fighting in the Middle East will affect the U.S. economy.
The Fed has been in a holding pattern since December, after cutting rates by a full percentage point last year.
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And while the outlook continues to remain uncertain, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell noted that some measures of inflation had moved up.
“Respondents to surveys of consumers, businesses and professional forecasters point to tariffs as the driving factor,” Powell said at a press conference.
A statement from members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee suggested that the Fed would likely cut borrowing costs by an average of half a percentage point later this year, which was similar to what they were forecasting in March, before Trump announced his worldwide tariffs.
The new projections call for slightly higher inflation and unemployment and slightly lower economic growth than policymakers expected three months ago.
Inflation hasn’t risen yet, despite tariffs
Inflation has been relatively tame in recent months. But Fed officials worry that Trump’s tariffs — which are the highest in nearly a century — could rekindle price pressures.
Israel’s attack on Iran last week added a new wrinkle to the outlook by triggering a spike in crude oil prices. If sustained, that could jeopardize the drop in gasoline prices that has helped keep the overall cost of living in check.
Trump continues to exert pressure on Fed chief Powell
Trump has been urging the central bank to cut interest rates more aggressively, arguing that lower borrowing costs would goose the economy while also saving the federal government money on its $36 trillion debt.
Speaking to reporters at the White House Wednesday, Trump described Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell as, “a political guy who’s not a smart person, but he’s costing the country a fortune.”
Bonds aren’t doing well, and that’s not good for America
The government’s own borrowing costs are set by the bond market, which is not directly tied to the short-term rates set by the Fed. And those borrowing costs have only risen in recent months.
Bond yields ordinarily fall during times of turmoil, as investors flock to the safety of U.S. government debt. But yields on Treasury bonds unexpectedly rose last week after Israel’s attack on Iran, suggesting investors are not as confident in the U.S. government’s creditworthiness as they once were.
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The combination of high debt and rising bond yields can be costly not just for the government but also for taxpayers. Interest on the federal debt totaled $776 billion in the first eight months of the fiscal year — the government’s third-biggest expense after Social Security and Medicare.
The higher bond yields also make mortgages, car loans and other types of consumer borrowing more expensive.
Foreign-born workforce shrinks by 1 million people
In addition to tariffs, the Fed is monitoring the combined effects of Trump’s policies on taxes, regulation and immigration. Tax cuts and deregulatory moves have the potential to boost the economy while strict border controls and large-scale deportations could make it harder for businesses to find the workers they need.
The foreign-born workforce shrank by more than a million people in the last two months, according to surveys from the Labor Department.
Fewer immigrant workers could “add meaningful upward pressure to inflation by the end of the year in sectors reliant on immigrant labor such as agriculture, construction, food processing, and leisure and hospitality,” Fed Governor Adriana Kugler warned in a speech this month.
Demand for workers has been cooling in recent months, but the unemployment rate remains low, at 4.2%.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Hotel Releases Video Of Las Vegas Shooter In Days Leading To Massacre
Stephen Paddock was a regular guest at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. Newly released video shows him checking in and gambling in the casino. He is also seen wheeling large suitcases into his room that contained the arsenal. In all, 23 assault-style rifles and a handgun were recovered from his room after the attack. He killed 58 people and wounded hundreds before police found him dead from a self-inflicted wound.
Video and stills provided by MGM Resorts International of the Mandalay Bay resort where Paddock stayed shows him checking in at the hotel lobby, escorted by a valet and gambling in the casino. He is also seen wheeling large suitcases into his room that contained the arsenal – in all, 23 assault-style rifles and a handgun – that were recovered from his room after the attack.
Records show that Paddock made several trips between one of his homes, in Mesquite, Nevada, to the hotel, apparently to transport the weapons.
All the while, his demeanor suggests no clue that on Oct. 1, six days after checking in, he would use his 32nd-floor suite as a perch from which to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
“In the interest of providing greater context around Stephen Paddock’s actions in the days leading up to October 1, MGM Resorts has released these security videos and images,” MGM said in a statement accompanying the release of the images.
“As the security footage demonstrates, Stephen Paddock gave no indication of what he planned to do and his interactions with staff and overall behavior were all normal,” it said. “MGM and Mandalay Bay could not reasonably foresee that a long-time guest with no known history of threats or violence and behaving in a manner that appeared outwardly normal, would carry out such an inexplicably evil, violent and deadly act.”
In addition to the 58 he killed, Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant and real-estate investor, wounded hundreds before police reached his room and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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