Connect with us

Southwest

Top Texas GOP official rallies around Trump's AI, crypto plans amid state's crucial investments

Published

on

Top Texas GOP official rallies around Trump's AI, crypto plans amid state's crucial investments

One of the top officials in Texas says he is on board with President Donald Trump’s aggressive plan to expand the AI and crypto capabilities of the United States.

“There’s no daylight between President Trump and I on this issue,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News Digital this week. “

“I totally support the president and his Stargate Plan. We are completely aligned in our desire to see Texas and America lead in AI, data centers and crypto. These industries understand they will have to supply their own power needs and are diligently working toward that goal so costs are not disproportionally shifted onto residential and small businesses customers.”

Patrick, long considered a loyal ally of Trump, raised eyebrows last year when he warned of the burden that crypto mining and data centers could put on the state’s electrical grid. However, he repeatedly emphasized that there is “no daylight” between him and Trump on these issues.

TRUMP CRYPTO CZAR DAVID SACKS TOUTS PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE ORDER, SAYS BIDEN DROVE INDUSTRY OFFSHORE

Advertisement

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News Digital he backs President Donald Trump’s AI infrastructure plan. (Getty)

“We need to take a close look at those two industries,” Patrick posted on X in June 2024 while expressing concerns that data centers and crypto mining expansion add more to the grid than they pay off in jobs. 

“They produce very few jobs compared to the incredible demands they place on our grid. Crypto mining may actually make more money selling electricity back to the grid than from their crypto mining operations… Texans will ultimately pay the price. I’m more interested in building the grid to service customers in their homes, apartments, and normal businesses and keeping costs as low as possible for them instead of for very niche industries that have massive power demands and produce few jobs.”

EXPERTS SAY FIRST WEEK OF ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ IS DERAILING GLOBAL CLIMATE MOVEMENT’S ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick

Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at a news conference. (Reuters/Jon Herskovitz)

Crypto mining and data center expansion have been dominant themes of the Presidential Transition’s economic messaging, including earlier this month when Trump announced a new $20 billion foreign investment for the expansion of data centers across several U.S. states, including Texas. The announcement drew praise from many conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Advertisement

Trump has also garnered significant support from the crypto community and raised large chunks of money from the industry along with his promotion of a message emphasizing energy independence, economic growth and framing the expansion of crypto mining as an essential tool toward ensuring the U.S. leads the industry. 

“The need to quickly scale data center capacity to support the 21st-century economy continues to increase, given the growing demand for AI and other digital services by individuals, households, businesses, government, and organizations of all sizes,” Dan Diorio, senior director of state policy at the Data Center Coalition, told Fox News Digital. 

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for a trip to North Carolina and California. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“The data center industry appreciates President Trump highlighting the essential role of the data center industry in advancing America’s national security and global economic competitiveness. We also appreciate his commitment to promoting the rapid development of additional data center and energy capacity to support the nation’s leadership in AI,” Diorio continued. “Texas is uniquely poised to benefit from this. With continued support for data centers, Texas can continue to drive innovation and investment while promoting American economic leadership and national security today and into the future.”

Last week, Trump announced Stargate, a joint venture of OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle that will invest up to $500 billion in AI-related infrastructure.

Advertisement

Texas will serve as ground zero, with 10 data centers by the venture already under construction in the state, 10 more on the way and the first project based in Abilene, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said. Each building will occupy half a million square feet.

Patrick said in a statement last week to The Texas Tribune that he believes Texas should be the “world leader in AI, data center and crypto. The key is to ensure they have the power they need without a major impact to our electrical grid. The industries understand that and they are working on solutions.”

Texas’ main grid operator predicts power demand will nearly double by 2030, in part due to more requests to plug into the grid from large users like data centers, crypto mining facilities, hydrogen production plants, and oil and gas companies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southwest

Experienced skydiver plummets to her death despite parachute 'fully deploying as designed'

Published

on

Experienced skydiver plummets to her death despite parachute 'fully deploying as designed'

A 55-year-old woman from Minnesota died Friday, following a parachuting incident in Eloy, Arizona, according to police.

Officers with the Eloy Police Department were dispatched to Skydive Arizona on Taylor Street at about 4 p.m. on Friday, after receiving reports of a parachutist who experienced complications during the descent.

Also responding to the scene were members of the Eloy Fire District, and when they arrived, medical personnel located the individual, later identified by police as 55-year-old Ann Wick.

Emergency crews immediately initiated life-saving measures, though Wick was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.

73-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES IN SKYDIVING INCIDENT IN ARIZONA AFTER HIS PARACHUTE FAILED TO FULLY DEPLOY

Advertisement

A skydiver died in Arizona on Friday despite witnesses claiming her parachute deployed properly. (iStock)

Wick had about 265 jumps under her belt, Skydive Arizona said in a press release.

The company also noted that eyewitness accounts indicate the free fall phase of Wick’s skydive appeared normal, with the parachute deploying as expected. Despite the parachute deploying fully as designed, observers noted the “canopy was turning,” the company said.

The witnesses told the company the parachutist did not appear to take corrective actions, and a reserve parachute was not deployed.

POLICE IDENTIFY VICTIMS KILLED IN HOT AIR BALLOON CRASH IN ARIZONA; NTSB RELEASES NEW DETAILS

Advertisement
Skydivers in the sky

Despite the parachute deploying fully as designed, observers noted the “canopy was turning.” (Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“The Skydive Arizona community is saddened by the loss of a cherished member of the skydiving family,” the company said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”

The company also said it is fully cooperating with local authorities to assist with the investigation.

The police department and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the incident, which includes a thorough review of equipment, procedures and circumstances surrounding the fatal fall.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Eloy Police Department at 520-466-7324.

FLORIDA SKYDIVER TRAGICALLY FALLS TO HIS DEATH, FOUND DECEASED ON RESIDENTIAL LAWN: POLICE

Advertisement

Nearly a year ago, a 73-year-old experienced skydiver died in Arizona after his parachute failed to fully deploy during a jump.

The incident also happened at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, Arizona.

The man who died, Terry Gardner, and three other skydivers were making their third jump of the day when the malfunction happened.

In an unrelated fatal incident that happened about a month before, a hot air balloon carrying eight skydivers crashed, killing the pilot and three passengers, while critically injuring another passenger. The hot air balloon was not operated by Skydive Arizona, though it crashed in Eloy. Just before the crash, all eight skydivers reportedly exited the hot air balloon.

Police identify victims of deadly hot air balloon crash

A hot air balloon carrying eight skydivers crashed, killing the pilot and three passengers, while critically injuring another passenger in Eloy, Arizona. (Credit: FOX 10 Phoenix)

Despite the skydiving-related fatalities, Skydive Arizona notes on its website that the sport of skydiving achieved the lowest fatality rate in recorded history in 2024.

Advertisement

 

“According to the USPA, there were just 9 fatalities in the United States – a testament to a sport that has embraced not only the thrill of freefall but also the power of a community-driven approach to safety,” the company noted on its website. “To put this in perspective, over 3.65 million jumps were made across the country in 2023 – the last recorded year.”

The company said in its press release that it remains committed to upholding the highest safety standards.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

Eaton Fire victims return to the rubble of their home

Published

on

Eaton Fire victims return to the rubble of their home

ALTADENA, Calif. (KTLA) – Courtney Holmes and her son Xavier, 13, returned to what was left of her family’s home in Altadena on Thursday to reflect on its history and weigh their path forward after the Eaton Fire.

Holmes told KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos that her grandmother purchased the home in 1952, and it had been the center of her family’s lives ever since.

“Just to see it like this… to see my son’s room and the living room all sunk in and gone, it’s just devastating,” Holmes said.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southwest

Border agents record shockingly low number of illegal crossings one week into second Trump presidency

Published

on

Border agents record shockingly low number of illegal crossings one week into second Trump presidency

Less than 600 people crossed illegally into the U.S. from Mexico on Sunday – a stunningly low number since President Donald Trump took office.

Sources tell Fox News that not a single one of the nine sectors received more than 200 crossings on Jan. 26, and the number of daily encounters only reached 582 in total. The Del Rio sector – which is the same sector that would sustain over 4,000 crossings per day during the height of the border crisis in December 2023 – only recorded 60 crossings.

For comparison, the daily number of border encounters during the final days of the Biden White House teetered between 1,200 to 1,400 per day. 

The numbers have fallen even further since Jan. 20, and a Fox News Digital exclusive last week found that the numbers dropped sharply.

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Advertisement

US Army soldiers patrol the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 24, 2025.  (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

A total of 2,523 border encounters were logged in the first three days of the Trump administration, with daily tallies of 1,073, 736, and 714 from January 20 to January 22, respectively.

Meanwhile, 3,908 encounters were logged in the last few days of the Biden administration. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources told Fox News that there were 1,288 encounters nationwide on Jan. 17, then 1,266 on Jan. 18 and 1,354 on Jan. 19. 

BILLIONAIRES COZY UP TO TRUMP WITH SEVEN FIGURE INAUGURAL DONATIONS AFTER PAST FEUDS WITH PRESIDENT

Border patrol

SUNLAND PARK, NEW MEXICO, US – JANUARY 25: Border patrol agents monitor an area near the US-Mexican border in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on January 25, 2025. (Jorge Salgado/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The most recent border numbers were released on the same day that U.S. Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with suspected cartel members near Fronton, Texas, on Monday, but neither party was hit.

Advertisement

During his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump vowed to immediately “declare a national emergency at our southern border.”

People crossing border

A group of people cross the US-Mexico border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, into Sunland Park, New Mexico, US, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“All illegal entry will immediately be halted,” the Republican said. “And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came…and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Trending