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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Southwest

Late-night CBP helicopter ride-along shows advanced tech used to apprehend migrants

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Late-night CBP helicopter ride-along shows advanced tech used to apprehend migrants

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Fox News took an exclusive late-night helicopter ride over the El Paso, Texas, sector, offering a glimpse into U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations to capture migrants trying to evade, and the challenges agents face each night. 

Our team got a first-hand look at the advanced technology that CBP uses to detect migrants and smugglers.

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Agents with the agency’s Air and Marine Operations wore nighttime vision goggles as we flew above one of the busiest areas for migrant traffic. 

“All right, those two are crawling away,” one of the agents said. 

BILLION-DOLLAR MEXICAN CARTEL OPS DISRUPTED BY TRUMP’S BORDER CRACKDOWN AS US ISSUES DO-NOT-TRAVEL WARNING

Fox News takes an exclusive look at the border in the El Paso Sector with Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, Texas. (Fox News)

The helicopter was equipped with a high-tech camera designed for nighttime surveillance. The agents monitored a live feed, enhanced by a mapping software, allowing them to pinpoint the exact locations of the migrants. 

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We watched as some migrants cut holes in the border wall and squeezed through, while others hid behind brush, rolling on the desert to slip past authorities. Little did they know, we were with agents five miles away and still able to track their every move from the skies and in the pitch black. 

Agents also used lasers, which are invisible to the naked eye. The lasers can lock onto targets, giving precise coordinates.  

The Air and Marine agents stayed in constant communication with Border Patrol agents on the ground and were able to guide them to the locations.

US CONSULATE WARNS OF GUN BATTLES, IEDS, KIDNAPPINGS IN MEXICAN BORDER TOWNS NEAR TEXAS

CBP helicopter ride-along.

Fox News took an exclusive helicopter ride with Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, Texas. (Fox News)

Our camera crew on the ground captured several of the apprehensions, including that of a 19-year-old from Mexico and a man from Guatemala.

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Not only are encounters down in the El Paso Sector, but agents tell Fox News the number of “gotaways,” which are migrants who evade capture, has also decreased. On Wednesday, Border Patrol agents said they had zero gotaways, which was the first time in a few years. 

Agents also pointed out the new presence of Border Patrol and National Guard vehicles stationed in hot spots. Prior to the Trump administration, Border Patrol agents were stretched so thin that they said they didn’t have the manpower to have a strong presence in these critical areas.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Stunning trade sends Luka Doncic to Lakers, Anthony Davis to Mavericks: reports

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Stunning trade sends Luka Doncic to Lakers, Anthony Davis to Mavericks: reports

In what is one of the more surreal trades in the history of professional sports, the Los Angeles Lakers have sent away one of its franchise legends in exchange for a young superstar.

As first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, and since confirmed by multiple other reporters, the Lakers will bring in 25-year-old guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, as well as role players Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

The Lakers are sending away Anthony Davis, who won the 2020 NBA Championship with LeBron James and the Purple and Gold.

Davis is headed to Dallas alongside Max Christie and the Lakers’ first-round draft pick in 2029. The trade was a three-teamer with the Utah Jazz, which will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round draft picks.

FILE – Los Angeles Lakers forwards LeBron James (23) and Anthony Davis (3) in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Doncic is one of the brightest stars in the NBA. He’s a five-time All-Star and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals just last season alongside former LeBron-teammate Kyrie Irving.

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He’s dealt with injuries this season, and has only played in 22 of a possible 49 games. The trade appears to be a move looking toward the future for the Lakers, who are led by the 40-year-old James.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, left, defends against Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Dončić, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Davis, 31, was in his fifth season with the Lakers after playing his first seven with the New Orleans Pelicans. Listed at 6-foot-10, L.A. now has a clear defensive hole, as Davis has been one of the better defenders in the NBA throughout his career.

Doncic is a prolific scorer, having averaged more than 28 points per game in his career.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Officers shoot, kill homicide suspect on popular Southern California pier

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Officers shoot, kill homicide suspect on popular Southern California pier

Police shot and killed a man accused of murder early Saturday morning on a popular pier in Orange County.

According to the Santa Ana Police Department, its officers were contacted by an outside agency to help apprehend a homicide suspect. Officers found the suspect’s vehicle, which then led to a pursuit.

The driver eventually led the officers to the city of Newport Beach at around 6:50 a.m., when officers from the Newport Beach Police Department were contacted.

The pursuit ended at the Newport Pier, authorities said. At that point, an unknown number of officers opened fire on the man, killing him.

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He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not yet been released publicly.

No officers were injured.

It’s not immediately clear if the man shot at police, or who fired the first shots. Police didn’t say where the alleged homicide occurred.

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