Iran To Expand Nuclear Program After UN Atomic Watchdog Censures Islamic Republic for First Time in 20 Years

Iran on Thursday announced plans to build another uranium enrichment site and upgrade an existing facility in retaliation against the United Nations' nuclear watchdog found that Tehran is violating its nuclear obligations and President Donald Trump said he was "much less confident" about making a deal with the Islamic Republic.

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Progressive Democrat sits down with Glenn Beck despite disagreements: 'We're all Team America'



Glenn Beck hosted Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on "The Glenn Beck Program" Thursday, where the two reached across the aisle to share some friendly disagreement, as well as some areas of common ground.

Khanna is one of few Democrats who refrains from acting as an ideologue and is willing to talk to those he will likely disagree with. Whether it's DOGE cuts or nuclear energy, Khanna has no problem breaking from his party's messaging.

"You've got a lot of followers, and look, at the end of the day, we're all Team America," Khanna told Beck. "We have differences of opinion, but this country has gone down a place of greater and greater division. And I do hope that the next generation, whether that's JD Vance, Rubio, myself, others, that we find some way of turning that around."

'They didn't talk a lot about my rights. They talked about my responsibilities.'

RELATED: Vance tells Glenn Beck Congress needs to 'get serious' about codifying DOGE cuts

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Khanna's veneration for our country's founding makes him stand out within his party. Rather than condemning the roots and the history of our nation like some of his fellow Democrats, Khanna says he was raised to appreciate and value America.

"Our common, defining moment as a nation is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as interpreted through the Declaration of Independence," Khanna said. "The biggest blessing I had, as a son of immigrants born in Philadelphia in our bicentenary, is I got to go to a school that taught American history and gave me a reverence for this country."

"My parents said, 'Ro, you won the lottery,'" Khanna added. "They didn't talk a lot about my rights. They talked about my responsibilities."

Beck and Khanna had their fair share of respectful back-and-forth on subjects such as the 14th Amendment and immigration. One area of agreement Khanna pointed out was about the role of government with respect to asset forfeiture.

"Progressive Democrats like me and libertarians in the Freedom Caucus often align, saying that the government shouldn't come in and be able to take things from citizens without due process," Khanna said. "I believe that's the essence of who we are as a people, that yes, you have inalienable rights endowed by God, and that's who makes citizens."

RELATED: Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' narrowly passes the House, notching another win for Johnson

Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Khanna also departed from his Democratic colleagues on the border, admitting that it was a weak point of their party platform.

"Someone said it's like a knock-knock joke," Khanna said. "You say, 'Knock, knock. Who's there?' The American people just want to know who's there, who's at the border, just like you would when coming to someone's house and making sure that people are vetted before they come in. That seems to be a very reasonable a place. We can agree."

"But I also believe that people here, now that they're here, if they're paying taxes, and you and I may disagree with this, if they're paying taxes, if they're working hard, and ... if they've been here that there should be some path to at least legalization," Khanna added.

Khanna insists that, above party, all people should be skeptical of their politicians. At the same time, Khanna said that the state of our divided politics is not due to a lack of skepticism, but rather to a lack of trust.

"Skepticism is healthy," Khanna said. "I get concerned if there were town halls and people weren't asking hard questions, weren't criticizing their politicians. But I think there's a difference between skepticism and what's happened now, which is just the loss of trust, the sense that people aren't in it for the country, aren't in it for the public good."

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Obama and Trump White House Physician Says Biden Cancer Diagnosis Is Grim. Plus, Biden Family’s Long History of Lying About Health.

Grim prognosis: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), the former White House physician who served both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, told the Free Beacon that Joe Biden’s metastatic prostate cancer could leave him with as little as 12 to 18 months to live. "Hopefully it’s longer than that, and I hope that they’re able to treat this effectively, and, you know, he lives many, many more years. But it’s far advanced," Jackson said.

The post Obama and Trump White House Physician Says Biden Cancer Diagnosis Is Grim. Plus, Biden Family’s Long History of Lying About Health. appeared first on .

Trump Energy Secretary Tells Europeans To Ditch 'Climate Alarmism' and Embrace Natural Gas as Nations Face Widespread Blackouts

Energy Secretary Chris Wright implored European nations to reject "climate alarmism" and instead reembrace natural gas and nuclear power as parts of the continent continue to face widespread grid blackouts.

The post Trump Energy Secretary Tells Europeans To Ditch 'Climate Alarmism' and Embrace Natural Gas as Nations Face Widespread Blackouts appeared first on .

Apple to invest $500 billion in US including new AI server factory in Texas



Apple announced a $500 billion commitment to infrastructure in the United States over four years, its largest commitment to domestic spending to date.

Apple said it will expand teams and facilities in Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Washington as part of its new spending.

With a new facility in Houston, Texas, Apple will reportedly double its investment in advanced manufacturing along with increasing investments in AI and silicon engineering. The company said in a press release that the Houston facility will produce servers to support Apple Intelligence, the "personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done."

'We are bullish on the future of American innovation.'

Furthermore, the company will see an increase in supply management throughout all 50 states and increase employment in data centers, AI infrastructure, and Apple TV+ production in 20 states.

"We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we're proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future," CEO Tim Cook said.

He added, "From doubling our Advanced Manufacturing Fund to building advanced technology in Texas, we're thrilled to expand our support for American manufacturing."

While Apple boasted its increased domestic spending, reports have surfaced alleging that Microsoft has canceled contracts with at least two private data center operations in order to spend more money in the United States.

This reportedly involves Microsoft reallocating "a considerable portion of its international spend to the U.S.," according to Data Center Dynamics.

An analysis suggested that channel checks found that Microsoft seemed to be pointing its spending stateside and slowing down on its international leasing.

Microsoft announced plans in January to spend $80 billion on AI data centers in 2025, with CFO Amy Hood reportedly revealing that the company has been "short [on] power and space."

Microsoft was one of many companies in 2024 to announce investments in nuclear energy to power data centers and AI projects. The need for direct sources of energy to power these campuses has become an arms race for Microsoft, as well for as brands like Amazon and Oracle.

In fact, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) procured a report for possible small modular reactors in his state in hopes of bringing in over $50 billion in new economic output to Texas.

States like Virginia and Maryland have also become popular sites for SMRs and self-sustaining commercial campuses.

Apple added in its press release that the company is one of the largest taxpayers in the United States, having paid "more than $75 billion in U.S. taxes over the past five years, including $19 billion in 2024 alone."

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Indiana GOP Considers Forcing Ugly, Unreliable Energy On Unwilling Towns

Common-sense counties are right to question the highly-subsidized renewables eating up vast acres of farmland, which already appear to be losing their luster in a nuclear future.

How Trump Can Make The Nixonian Dream Of 1,000 Nuclear Power Plants A Reality

As we grapple with the twin challenges of energy security and energy reliability, revisiting Nixon’s vision offers valuable lessons.

Texas announces plan for advanced nuclear reactors across the state worth over $50 billion



Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Public Utility Commission of Texas have identified 61 possible sites across the state for new nuclear reactors.

A recently-released state report on Advanced Nuclear Energy is hoping to bring in over $50 billion in new economic output to Texas, along with $27 billion in income for Texas workers.

Governor Abbott announced the state's new plan, saying the plants would enhance the "reliability" of the state grid and provide "affordable, dispatchable power" to residents.

"Texas is the energy capital of the world, and we are ready to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power," the governor added.

The Nuclear Energy Institute defines advanced nuclear reactors as smaller, more efficient reactors that are safer to build and protect than the previous generation of reactors. Underground and underwater housing can be used for advanced reactors to greater endure natural disasters.

Advanced nuclear designs have been used for the newly popular small modular reactors being built privately across the country by the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle. States like Virginia and Maryland have become popular sites for SMRs and self-sustaining commercial campuses.

Texas is already home to two nuclear plants that generate over five gigawatts of electricity, which makes up about 10% of the state's grid.

The state report alleged that the two plants have already displayed "resilience during extreme weather."

— (@)

Of the 61 possible nuclear sites identified, 21 of them are closed or closing coal sites. The report stated that replacing the coal sites, which are typically seen as bad for the environment, would be just one puzzle piece in overcoming strong environmental regulatory hurdles.

In order to garner approval for the plant builds, energy officials suggested appointing a Nuclear Permitting Officer to facilitate "tailored assistance to companies seeking to build advanced nuclear reactor operations in the state."

Cool
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, 2024

The report pinpointed a possible $700 million in costs leading up to the building of advanced nuclear reactors, using estimations based on public funding that has been awarded in other states.

This included $60 million to retain and attract supply chain companies and another $350 million for design and development of small nuclear reactors.

About $100 million was awarded across Kentucky, North Carolina, and Wyoming for permitting and studies, along with $40 million in South Carolina for support of nuclear workforce development.

While these costs are similar to what other companies have been spending on small modular reactors across the country, those are typically used to power a company's campus and/or data centers. This means that reactors meant to power the public at large would likely come at twice the cost, especially considering how much government oversight and appointed positions the state report has recommended.

For example, computer technology company Oracle announced in early September its intention to build a 1-gigawatt data center campus powered by three small modular reactors.

Therefore, about 15 small modular reactors would be required to match the five gigawatts of power (10% of the grid) put out by Texas' two existing plants.

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Former Trump Energy Sec Who Unleashed Production Boom Positioned for Return to Admin

As Donald Trump's energy secretary, Dan Brouillette unleashed an energy boom, with America becoming a net energy exporter and producer for the first time in 75 years thanks to record-high oil and gas production. Now, Brouillette is positioned to potentially serve in the second Trump administration, saying Trump's victory is an opportunity to "reshape U.S. energy policy" and usher in "an era of unprecedented innovation."

The post Former Trump Energy Sec Who Unleashed Production Boom Positioned for Return to Admin appeared first on .

Why It’s Terrifying That China’s Nuclear Capabilities Have Lapped The United States

China’s steady climb to the peak of nuclear energy technology underscores the need for a decisive American response.