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- The One Town That Wants a Data Center
Opposition to data centers may be the singular unifying issue in American politics. Seventy percent of Americans are against data-center construction in their communities. They worry about the environmental dracularity of these facilities, the electrical costs they may impose, and the imperiousness with which tech companies target struggling communities while drastically altering the landscape. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have spoken out against data centers; so have Steve Bannon and the right-wing podcaster Matt Walsh. About 75 data-center projects were blocked or delayed in the first three months of this year—roughly the same as were blocked or delayed in all of last year. Still, this is a fraction of the more than 1,500 projects in development. Those who seek to stop the spread have recently turned to statewide moratoriums. Fifteen states have introduced moratorium bills, but only two of those bills have made it through the legislature. Last month, New York became the first to ban the construction of “hyperscale” data centers (ones that use 50 megawatts of power or more). Maine was supposed to have beaten it. In April, the state passed LD 307, which would have banned new centers using 20 megawatts or more. The bill went to the office of Governor Janet Mills to be signed into law. And she vetoed it.Mills took no issue with the thrust of the bill, writing “a moratorium is appropriate.” She vetoed it for one reason only: It failed “to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay.”Jay, Maine (population: 4,620; motto: “Proud of our past and working for our future!”), wants a data center. It had one in the works, and town officials lobbied the governor to preserve it. Mills listened. “We must consider the perspective of the Town of Jay,” she wrote.In May, I drove to Maine to consider the perspective of the Town of Jay. I wanted to understand why this town had fought for the very thing that so many others dread. What I found was a reminder that politics is local. Jay’s embrace of the data center had less to do with the power of rapacious tech companies or the future of AI than it did with the failure of a series of welds that sealed a 166-foot-tall pressure cooker at a half-century-old paper mill.There are two Maines. The first Maine is right there on the license plate: vacationland. Lighthouses, lobster bibs, the jagged coast,… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - Xbox Series X price hiked by £170 due to rising memory chip costs
Xbox consoles now cost significantly more in the UK, with one model increasing in price by 43%. [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - Iran Denies It’s in Talks with US — Hours After Trump Teased ‘Imminent’ ...
Alex Brandon/AP Photo Iran has denied it is engaged in negotiations with the U.S. — directly contradicting President Donald Trump’s announcement made just hours earlier that fresh talks aimed at ending the six-month conflict would begin Monday and that a peace deal was “imminent.” “We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a weekly press briefing. The statement came after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that negotiations would start “tomorrow afternoon” and focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. The president also claimed he had abandoned plans for what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II” after appeals from Iran and regional allies including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. “I’m not looking to kill people, ’cause people die,” Trump told reporters. “A lot of people die. And we don’t want that.” He added: “Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.” Trump also declared over the weekend that the “perimeters” of a deal had been agreed to, and days after he warned the U.S. would strike Iran “very hard” if diplomacy failed. Previous ceasefire efforts collapsed last month, triggering renewed exchanges after Iran attacked a shipping vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Baqaei added that talks between Iran and Oman were close to reaching an understanding on a shipping route “acceptable to both sides,” adding: “We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides – neither the northern route nor the southern route – but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security.” He stressed, however, that any agreement would not amount to reopening the strait.The post Iran Denies It’s in Talks with US — Hours After Trump Teased ‘Imminent’ Deal first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago - Todd Blanche Scraps Trump’s $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund Days Before Se...
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund late Sunday after reaching an agreement with Republican senators who had withheld support for his nomination. The fund, which emerged from a settlement tied to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, drew criticism because payments could have extended to participants in the January 6 Capitol riot. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) had made clear they would not back Blanche’s confirmation unless the administration abandoned the fund. Blanche announced Sunday that he had signed an order eliminating the fund following weeks of negotiations with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to vote on advancing his nomination to serve as attorney general permanently on Tuesday. “My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche wrote on X. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.” My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions. We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The… pic.twitter.com/U6hs15kw2D — Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) August 3, 2026 The signed order accompanying the post states that the attorney general’s May directive creating the fund “is rescinded and shall have no force or effect,” adding: “This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no fund.” The move removes a major obstacle just days before a pivotal Senate committee vote, but comes after Trump vowed he would “push hard” to revive the fund, despite Blanche previously telling Congress it was effectively defunct. Sunday’s order also narrows another disputed element of the IRS settlement involving tax audit protections for Trump and his family. Under the revised language, the agreement applies only to claims that were already open when the settlement was reached and does not prevent future examinations of the president’s tax filings. Watch above via CNN.The post Todd Blanche Scraps Trump’s $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund Days Before Senate Vote first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago - If You Can’t Beat A.I., Outdress It, Tech Firms and Their Swag Say
Over the years, tech workers have proudly worn nerdy company-branded gear. But this generation of hot companies is getting fancy with its merch. [TheTopNews] Read More.4 hours ago - Kamala Harris Reveals Her Master Plan for Democrats to Beat ‘Cheating’ Repub...It might be time to ditch the the Electoral College, according to Kamala Harris. The ex-vice president floated the idea as one of her suggestions for her fellow Democrats, if they want to beat the “ruthless” Republicans in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election. Harris dished her three-pronged plan for Dems while speaking at the National Urban League Conference on July 31 in Nashville. She said Dems have no choice but to consider radical ideas as a way to counter “cheating” by the GOP. “I know this is going to be controversial coming from me in particular — we need to revisit the Electoral College,” Harris said. The idea drew a few claps from the crowd. “We need to revisit the point of expanding the court to 13 justices like we have 13 district courts,” she continued. “We need to revisit, if they so want, statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C.” Harris, of course, was talking about adding four judges to the U.S. Supreme Court. Former President Joe Biden was the last commander-in-chief to pick a Supreme Court justice back in 2022, when Ketanji Brown Jackson was appointed. Her recommendation Dems need to “revisit” the Electoral College comes two years after she lost it 312-226 to President Donald Trump. The president received about 77.3 million votes in 2024 — which was a shade less than 50% of the votes — on his way to winning 31 states, while Harris earned roughly 75 million votes. Harris on Friday ripped one of Trump’s ’24 slogans as a way to drive home her point about drastic changes. “In light of and in this environment where they are cheating, we will be too big to rig. Too big to rig,” she said. “It means being ruthless — they are ruthless! We need to be ruthless too.” Harris continued, “and by that, I do not mean cruel. That is not our nature. By that I do not mean breaking the law. That is not what we do. But I do mean we must be uncompromising, and we must allow for a real conversation about revisiting certain things.” Watch above via Fox Nashville on YouTube.The post Kamala Harris Reveals Her Master Plan for Democrats to Beat ‘Cheating’ Republicans: ‘This Is Going To Be Controversial…’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.13 hours ago
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