Across the U.S., more cities and counties are starting to block or pause the construction of large AI data centers because of concerns about energy use, water consumption, noise, and environmental impact. Reports say at least 69 jurisdictions now have restrictions or moratoriums on new data center projects, and four of those bans are considered permanent. The pushback has grown as tech companies race to build huge facilities needed to power artificial intelligence systems.

Many residents and local officials are worried that these data centers use enormous amounts of electricity and water, which could raise utility costs and put pressure on local infrastructure. Some communities also feel they are losing control over land development as large tech companies move in with billion-dollar projects. One major example happened in Michigan, where a huge AI data center project connected to OpenAI and Oracle was approved despite strong local opposition, leading other towns in the state to quickly pass new restrictions on future projects.

The debate is becoming a bigger national issue because AI companies need more and more computing power, but many communities are now questioning whether the economic benefits are worth the environmental and infrastructure costs.

 

TRUMP SAYS TO AMERICAN CITIZENS:

"WE WILL FIND YOU AND WE WILL KILL YOU."

Not: "We will find unlawful people and bring them to Justice."

Because he is not TALKING about "UNLAWFUL PEOPLE".

He is talking AMERICAN CITIZENS who exercise their Constitutionally guaranteed FREE SPEECH supporting any cause, party, right, or HUMAN BEING he hates. Who he thinks he can BAN.

Oh, not by Royal Decree. Trump is no king. He is STILL nothing but that wanna-be-mafia kid from Queens, whose father sent to boot camp to try to make a man. A serial failure in business and relationships. A piece of reality show puff pastry in makeup and heels who strut around stages all day pretending to be tough.

HOW CHILDISH. HOW HUMILIATING. Ending an official Presidential memo for a report on National Counterterrorism with a line from a Hollywood MOVIE. As if it is something he came up with HIMSELF.

A movie, by the way, about an international ring of criminals that traffic young girls to rich elite perverts. Gee. Seems like that topic is ALWAYS on his mind.

Who is America's Enemy Number One? All Trump has to do is look in that damned mirror he loves so much. HE is the one who is hurting Americans the MOST.

 

 

 

A Federal Judge Rules the Discriminatory Truth Behind DOGE’s Grant Cuts

Over a year after DOGE’s mass firings and grant terminations rocked the country, one federal judge has issued a blistering ruling.

By Phenix S Halley, May 8, 2026

Critics warned Donald Trump’s illegal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was operating beyond the bounds of the law, slashing federal programs and carrying out sweeping firings across government agencies. Now, a federal judge just handed down a blistering ruling against the department, once run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk… And you’ll want to pay attention to this one.

It’s been over a year since DOGE began mass terminations, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Americans– disproportionately Black women– without work. It’s now 2026, and the Black unemployment rate is still raising concerns from economists.

In addition to thousands of folks losing their jobs, DOGE was also responsible for the mass cancellation of thousands of Congress-approved grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon has officially ruled unlawful.

“There can be no serious dispute that the review process implemented by DOGE did not conform to, or even resemble, NEH’s ordinary grant-review process,” Judge McMahon wrote in an opinion Thursday (May 7). The decision marks a major setback for the administration’s cost-cutting campaign, stemming from Trump’s promise to cut federal spending and make the government more efficient.

Instead, however, DOGE unlawfully terminated more than 1,400 humanities grants worth over $100 million, the judge said. The grants previously funded projects involving scholars, museums, writers and cultural organizations across the country, Reuters reported. Now that the grants have been cut, Judge McMahon argued these actions violate both the First Amendment and parts of the Fifth Amendment.

What should be most concerning about the decision to people of color, McMahon also took issue with DOGE’s questionable review process, which she described as “blatant viewpoint discrimination.” We’ve been keeping you up to date with all of Trump’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which have targeted Black and other minorities at the federal level.

While the controversial DOGE review process is now facing judicial pressure, former employees at the government agency already testified to using DEI as keywords to determine which programs and offices get cut.

The Root previously told you about those depositions, which stemmed from a lawsuit brought against DOGE by the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and American Historical Association (AHA) in 2025.

During former DOGE staffer Nathan Cavanaugh‘s deposition, he admitted to being in charge of reviewing grants from the Biden administration, despite having no professional or academic experience in the field.

Another DOGE employee, Justin Fox, testified that he used artificial intelligence to determine whether grants related “at all” to diversity initiatives, even though he couldn’t provide a clear definition of DEI. Still, the rest of the DOGE staff took little– if any– responsibility for mass firings and glaring mistakes.

In the judge’s ruling, she rejected arguments that the responsibility rests solely on the AI system rather than government officials. McMahon warned officials could not avoid constitutional scrutiny by leaving it all up to ChatGPT. In the end, she called out Trump and DOGE for using their political pull to disregard the Constitution.

McMahon wrote that while a new administration can pursue lawful funding priorities, “it has no license to suppress disfavored ideas

BREAKING: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has issued a rare Level 3 "Essential Action" Alert, its highest-level warning, warning that data centers and AI workloads are threatening the stability of the entire North American power grid.

The alert highlights a critical "Digital Earthquake" risk:

Wild Power Swings: Massive computational loads from AI training and crypto mining can ramp from zero to 100+ megawatts in seconds, causing "oscillations" that the aging grid cannot handle.

Blackout Risk: Minor voltage flickers can cause dozens of data centers to "trip" simultaneously, vanishing 1,000+ megawatts of demand instantly and triggering cascading blackouts.

Immediate Action Required: Grid operators have until August 3, 2026, to file mandatory risk mitigation plans and prove they can safely integrate these "hyperscale" loads.

Failed Protection: NERC reports that traditional backup systems are too slow to respond to software-driven power shifts, leaving "little or no room" for real-time human intervention.

The agency warned that if operators cannot validate their modeling and protection systems, future data center interconnections and buildouts will stall.

 

 

In 1972, a team of MIT researchers commissioned by the Club of Rome published "The Limits to Growth," using a computer model called World3 to simulate humanity's future on a finite planet.

The study examined five interconnected variables: population growth, industrial output, food production, nonrenewable resource depletion, and pollution.

Their "business as usual" scenario warned that unchecked exponential growth would lead to overshoot of Earth's carrying capacity, followed by a sharp decline in industrial capacity and population sometime in the mid-21st century, likely around 2040.

Recent analyses, including updates by Gaya Herrington in 2021 and recalibrations through 2023, show real-world data tracking this standard run closely. Resource extraction strains, environmental degradation, and economic pressures align with model predictions, indicating we remain on course for collapse unless systemic changes occur.

The report emphasized that technology alone cannot indefinitely overcome limits; deliberate shifts toward sustainability, reduced consumption, and equitable development are essential to stabilize society.

Without action, the coming decades risk cascading failures in supply chains, food systems, and social stability as growth reverses. This prescient work underscores the urgency of reimagining progress within planetary boundaries before tipping points become irreversible.