Ed Andrieski/AP

Critics have accused the Obama administration of being unwilling to exploit federal lands for energy. But the Interior Department is now taking aggressive action to promote green-power development in areas it controls.

For the past few years, the energy industry and its political allies have complained that President Obama refuses to open up federal land for oil and gas drilling fast enough. But that doesn’t mean the administration is sitting on its hands when it comes to exploiting the power-generating potential of federal lands. This week, the Department of Interior, in one of the first high-profile moves under Sally Jewell, the former chief executive of REI, announced some truly massive green-power plans.

George Nikitin/AP

Research says caffeine may ward off dementia.

It’s always nice to hear something you’re already doing is actually healthy, so here you go: coffee is good for your brain and might stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s, according to several recent studies. In the experiments, scientists found about three cups of the stuff disrupted a chain of events that can lead to neurodegenerative disorders. In one, caffeinated mice formed new memories 33 percent faster than their decaf counterparts. The research is still in the early stages, so don’t bank on your lattes as a cure-all, but feel free to drink up! And while you’re at it, turn your nose up at those chamomile-tea-drinking snobs.

Read it at The New York Times Magazine

M. Spencer Green/AP

The nation’s spring recovery continued as the economy added 175,000 jobs in May. But stagnant wages and a slightly higher unemployment rate indicate there’s way too much slack in the American labor market.

The May jobs report, released Friday morning, was perhaps the most anticipated monthly jobs figure since the reports released in the thick of last fall’s presidential campaign season. But this time around, the political junkies weren’t paying attention. Rather, investors and economic analysts were trying to suss out what the report might mean for the markets. A weak number would suggest the Federal Reserve would continue its efforts to support the economy through asset purchases (good for stocks!).

M. Spencer Green/AP

175,000 jobs added in May.

Our government may be spying on us, but at least we still have jobs. A new report from the Labor Department out Friday shows the U.S. added 175,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate rose from 7.5 percent in April to 7.6 percent, which apparently is actually a good thing because it means people are looking for work. The report shows that job growth has remained steady over the past three months, with employers adding an average of 155,000 jobs, but still not as high as the surge—an average of 237,000 jobs added—that occurred between November 2012 and February 2013. 

Read it at The Associated Press

Jae C. Hong/AP

But will NSA news dominate the conversation?

President Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have repaired to Palm Springs, California, to discuss North Korea, cybersecurity, and other major issues. The two-day desert retreat comes at an interesting time: the news that the Obama administration has been secretly spying on Americans’ phone records might interfere with the president’s effort to confront Xi about China allegedly hacking the U.S. Reporters are expecting Obama to make his first public acknowledgment of the recently revealed NSA program during the trip.

Read it at The Daily Beast

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The provision of Obamacare that lets young adults stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26 was supposed to be a fallback. But with the labor market weak, and employers reluctant to provide benefits, kids are hanging on to their families’ policies as long as they can.

In better times, 26-year-olds staying on their parents’ health-insurance plans may have seemed strange. Now children are relying on their parents’ coverage well into their mid-20s, and the use of this crutch is a symptom of the shaky employment landscape for young adults.Obamacare’s dependent-coverage provision, which allows young adults to stay on their parents’ plans until December 31 of the year in which they turn 26, was supposed to be a second option, a fallback plan for early-career turbulence.

Phil Bray

Jean Trinh, the resident intern for The Daily Beast, examines the Vince Vaughn–Owen Wilson comedy—out today—to see how relatable it is from an intern’s point of view.

It’s perfect timing that The Internship is released today, near the end of my six-month stretch as an intern for the entertainment bureau of The Daily Beast. I knew watching the film would get me to reflect on my own experience and it would be hard not to compare it to the Google shrine I knew the film would portray. There aren’t too many companies offering free housing and meals during an entire summer internship as the film depicts.Would I find the film relatable and would it make me feel better about taking an unconventional career route? Or would it leave me huddled in the fetal position on my bathroom floor two hours later? After all, the last time I watched Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson pair up it was for the raunchy 2005 hit comedy Wedding Crashers—that was eight years ago, soon after I finished undergraduate school.

Guzelian

How much would you pay for a blurry photograph of Moscow? What if it was taken by a chimpanzee?

Get ready for Instagram feeds to be filled with photos taken from an animal point-of-view. On Wednesday, the collection of pictures by Mikki (pictured above), a chimpanzee, reeled in roughly $75,000 at Sotheby's. Mikki was discovered by contemporary Russian artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid at the Moscow Circus, and they taught him how to take photos. According to Guzelian, his works like the one below of St. Basil's Cathedral, are similar to experimental photography and are an animal's version of the endless number of tourist photos taken daily around the world.

Paul Sakuma/AP

Print really is dead. Now, instead of publishing a tell-all, ex–Zynga employees are taking to Reddit to vent their frustrations with their former employer.

by Cadie Thompson Looks like a few of the folks who got laid off at Zynga earlier this week are coping with the breakup by venting about it on Reddit.Sam Biddle over at Valleywag pointed out the thread Wednesday. The former employees are talking about everything from perks at Zynga to just how long they give the company before it tanks.Some benefits at the gaming company consisted of free food and free gym access, and for some employees, their smartphone and wireless service also came paid for.

Balenciaga

The designer’s resort collection for Balenciaga was inspired by the coast of Spain and featured details found in the house’s rich archives. By Alice Cavanagh.

Alexander Wang presented his first-ever Resort collection for Balenciaga in New York on Wednesday, and it was a modest progression from his Fall/Winter 2013 collection for the house. Most creative directors of the major Parisian houses—such as Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy and Phoebe Philo from Céline—cross the Atlantic to offer their take on the season to the American press. Wang, however, is on home turf.The CFDA winner’s own eponymous line, with its dark palette, street cred, and sportswear influence, has become synonymous with the city —a uniform of sorts for the unquestionably cool and die-hard fashion followers alike.