As data centers continue to sprout up around the country, some leaders have begun reassessing and responding to many communities' concerns about their impact.
On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) announced a comprehensive data center audit as concerns grow around many of the projects.
'Our top priority is to protect Texans’ safety and quality of life.'
Abbott directed the two relevant Texas agencies, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, to conduct a full audit on all data center projects, pausing all projects until they successfully complete the process.
The audit itself demands that these data centers demonstrate their impact on local communities. The audit will specifically require answers regarding water and electricity usage, as well as solutions to reduce noise and light pollution, among other concerns.
“Our top priority is to protect Texans’ safety and quality of life,” said Abbott. “Any project that fails to comply with the requirements set forth by the PUCT and ERCOT, and by state law, must be denied connection to the Texas grid. Simply put, Texans must come first.”
RELATED: Fossil fuels fuel the AI boom: Microsoft and Chevron partner on massive Texas energy project
While these concerns have been repeatedly raised by citizens across the country, Abbott is also requiring data centers to provide information on ownership and controlling interests and, crucially, how they are paying for the construction and maintenance.
The audit will require data centers to show the extent to which they are "paying their own way" or relying on cushy tax breaks.
Texas has positioned itself as one of the best states for data center projects, due in large part to the tax incentives granted as an investment by the state. These incentives, however, are under increased scrutiny as data center projects have skyrocketed in the state.
Earlier this year, the Texas Tribune reported, citing the Texas comptroller's office, that Texas stands to lose out on $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years from this tax break alone.
The governor's press release reports that 90% of new power requests, totaling a massive 474 gigawatts in capacity, came from new data center projects, yet doubt has been cast on these projects holding up their side of the bargain.
In a July 27 Texas Senate Committee on Finance hearing on data centers, Brad Reynolds, chief revenue estimator for the comptroller's office, gave testimony that of 138 new data centers that have come in for certification but are not yet verified for the sales tax exemption, only 20 of them have been audited.
What's more, according to Reynolds, six of the 20 were found to be noncompliant with the requirements for the tax exemption.
In June, Abbott set in motion a plan to reexamine the legal framework and incentives in place, specifically pledging to work with the legislature to "repeal" sales tax exemptions and other "outdated" incentives for data centers.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) recently held a town hall in Houston where he discussed what black voters would supposedly get in return for supporting him over Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the Texas U.S. Senate race.
During the town hall, Talarico appeared to agree that convicting the person who murdered Austin Metcalf was a "tragedy."
'It's a satanic strategy to deny truth in all aspects of life.'
"What is a tragedy is that James Talarico would rather side with dangerous criminals than keep Texas communities safe," National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell told Blaze News.
Talarico — the Democratic Senate candidate and part-time Presbyterian seminarian who has attempted to use Scripture to justify abortion, fought to keep the Bible out of school, taken money from an associate of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and championed keeping male athletes in women's sports — fielded several questions during the recent town hall, including one from a black identitarian named Amanda Meredith.
Meredith, who said she is a Navy veteran, complained about perceived "over-policing" in black neighborhoods, claimed that police shut down her Juneteenth event prematurely, and suggested that the "craziness in this country has gotten worse" under the Trump administration.
"Our people getting killed left and right. Karmelo Anthony's case is just a f**king tragedy," Meredith said while Talarico nodded in apparent agreement.
At no point did Talarico challenge the identitarian speaker.
Karmelo Anthony, a black teen, savagely murdered Austin Metcalf, a white teen, at a high school track meet last year. In early June, Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. A month later, Anthony's attorney filed an appeal and requested a new trial.
RELATED: Female attackers yelled 'free Karmelo' according to alleged assault victim; 3 suspects arrested
The identitarian whom Talarico nodded along with at his town hall said in a video shared to Instagram after Anthony's sentencing, "To the mother of Karmelo Anthony, I'm so sorry that the system failed your boy."
In the video, Meredith also accused local authorities, including police and prosecutors, of being "hateful"; claimed that Anthony was "simply defending himself" when he fatally stabbed his unarmed victim; suggested "we don't get justice here"; and said that she was preparing to leave the U.S. with her son to avoid being "terrorized by the white people in this country."
After Meredith concluded her rant at his town hall — in which she also suggested that her life in America is more traumatic than the time she spent in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern nations — Talarico thanked her, apologized on behalf of law enforcement for supposedly shutting down her Juneteenth event an hour or two early, and criticized police.
"Thank you. Thank you for your question, and thank you for your service. This is unacceptable," said Talarico.
"Too often, we see law enforcement weaponized against black and brown communities in this state," said Talarico. "We have a deeply broken justice system. We have a deeply broken approach to policing."
Neither the Talarico nor the Paxton campaign responded to requests for comment.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) was among the many critics puzzled by Talarico's response to Meredith's commentary, asking "why it was a tragedy for a black kid to go to jail for murdering a white kid?"
"There's an incredible hostility to truth in a world this secular. It's a satanic strategy to deny truth in all aspects of life. Men can be women and have babies. We have a Supreme Court justice who can't define the word woman," BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock told Blaze News. "When a teenager murders another teenager in front of multiple witnesses, the approved lie is to call the dead teenager the villain and the murderer the victim. Lying is a qualification for politics. Talarico clearly seeks a more important political office."
Jeff Metcalf, the father of the murdered teen, told Whitlock in mid-June that he has been inundated with death threats and disgusting messages from the murderer's supporters.
"Just the vile statements from everyone, and ones who are in denial of the truth. That’s the hardest part. It’s like now that the truth has been shown, all the facts have been presented. So all your lies have been debunked, but they still refuse to accept the verdict, the truth, and they’re all hanging their hat on this appeal," said the bereaved father.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Intense bodycam video shows the moment a police officer saved the life of a Texas toddler after the child was choking and unresponsive. The hero officer credits Jesus Christ for enabling a "miracle" in saving the young child's life.
Southmayd Police Department announced in a statement on Facebook that police responded to reports of a "medical emergency involving a 23-month-old child who was reportedly choking and had stopped breathing" at approximately 12:50 a.m. last Tuesday.
'Jesus, he definitely was there with me, kept me calm, helped me to be able to think through the processes of what I needed to do.'
Police said the female toddler was "unconscious, unresponsive, and not breathing," plus she was seen with blood coming out of her mouth and nose.
Southmayd Officer Scott Barrett is seen on police bodycam video responding to the incident and administering emergency assistance.
"Without hesitation, officer Barrett took custody of the child and immediately began administering age-appropriate back blows in an effort to dislodge the suspected airway obstruction," police stated.
Authorities noted that the girl had at least a partially blocked airway, but Officer Barrett's actions enabled the toddler to breathe again.
Sherry Steward, the child’s grandmother, told KXII-TV: "It's like she's convulsing, so I run and get her, and she’s solid purple, and I realized she’s choking. Blood was coming out of her mouth. Blood was coming out of her nose. She was just non-responsive."
Emergency personnel from the Whitesboro Emergency Medical Service arrived at the scene shortly after and rushed the child to the Texoma Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.
Southmayd Police Chief Jeff Laughlin and Lieutenant Michael Aguirre later visited the child's family and said the relatives were grateful for the quick and effective response by police.
Police noted that the girl is expected to make a full recovery.
Barrett recalled the crazy situation and explained the challenges of attempting to rescue a choking toddler.
"They're just smaller, you know, and you don’t want to hurt the child by putting all that force on their abdomen and everything," Barrett told KXII. "We're taught to tilt the child over and to just do back blows, firmly, and that’s what I did."
Barrett also credited Jesus Christ for assisting him during the life-threatening incident. "I was praying Jesus would keep me calm during the whole thing and remember my training," Barrett stated.
Barrett credited his faith for enabling him to save the young child.
"Praise God, she started breathing," Barrett explained. "She started whimpering a little bit, and you could tell she was breathing at least a little bit."
Barrett added, "Jesus, he definitely was there with me, kept me calm, helped me to be able to think through the processes of what I needed to do."
"He worked a miracle, in my opinion," Barrett told KXII. "I was just his instrument. Without the training and Christ ... who knows what would happen."
Barrett stayed at the hospital until the child was released and then visited the family the following day at their home, according to KXII.
Barrett said of the toddler recently released from the hospital, "The little girl was out running around like nothing even ever happened."
"I got to hold her. She let me hold her, which was cool, at least for a little bit before she wanted to go back to Mom," he added. "But it was awesome seeing her smiling and playing and running around."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Federal law enforcement under the Trump administration is working diligently to keep dangerous foreign elements out of the country and to ensure that dangerous homegrown elements stay off American streets.
Aiding in this effort, which has coincided with a historic drop in border crossings and murders, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Del Rio port of entry earlier this month nabbed a man wanted in Texas in connection with a brutal crime against a child.
'This arrest highlights the critical role CBP plays in protecting the most vulnerable among us.'
On July 15, CBP officers on the Del Rio International Bridge flagged a vehicle driven by 58-year-old Juan Manuel Gomez, an American citizen, for secondary inspection.
Officers ran Gomez's biometrics through law enforcement databases and discovered that he had an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child, which had been issued by the Val Verde County Sheriff's Office in Del Rio.
The Del Rio Police Department took custody of the alleged sex offender and sent him on his way to the Val Verde Correctional Facility.
Liliana Flores, port director for Del Rio Port of Entry, said in a statement to Blaze News, "This arrest highlights the critical role CBP plays in protecting the most vulnerable among us."
RELATED: Democrat crashes out AGAIN, threatens ICE with 'day of reckoning' for catching suspected terrorist
"The apprehension of individuals wanted for heinous crimes, such as the sexual assault of a child, underscores our dedication to public safety and our collaborative efforts with law enforcement partners to protect our communities," added Flores.
In addition to nabbing suspected citizen criminals like Gomez, CBP has also intercepted over 5,648 criminal noncitizens so far this fiscal year, 75 of whom had previous convictions for sexual offenses.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
"Have you ever been to the U.S.-Mexico border?”
“No.”
One word. That may have been the most revealing moment of New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent interview with the New York Times.
Sanctuary policies are easy to defend from a podium at New York City Hall. They are much harder to defend before communities that have already paid the price.
Mamdani defended his city’s sanctuary policies, which he reinforced after taking office by signing an executive order reaffirming them.
The problem is not so much that Mamdani has never visited the border. It is that he seems unwilling to understand why communities that lived through the border crisis reached a very different conclusion.
That lesson is visible far beyond the Rio Grande.
Consider Goliad County in South Texas. The rural county has about 7,000 residents and sits roughly 160 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, Sheriff Roy Boyd described how the crisis transformed the community he serves.
Boyd’s office averaged 77 arrests a year during the five years before 2021. From 2021 through 2024, that average jumped to 413. Deputies discovered 16 cartel stash houses, and pursuits involving suspected human smugglers became routine.
Residents began hearing voices and movement on remote properties after dark. Many no longer felt safe alone in their own homes.
Those facts expose what Mamdani’s answer overlooks. The border crisis did not remain at the border. Cartel activity and illegal immigration reached inland communities that lacked the personnel and equipment to confront them. Former Border Patrol agent and Texas Public Policy Foundation senior fellow Ammon Blair calls cartels “hybrid threats.”
As Blair puts it, “Cartels don’t just smuggle. They destabilize.” Boyd has described them as “contractors and subcontractors” in a network moving migrants and drugs from the border into Texas’ largest cities.
That reality changed Texas’ response. In 2021, as illegal crossings surged under President Joe Biden, Goliad became one of the first inland counties to declare a local disaster. Boyd suggested giving local law-enforcement agencies flexible grants for overtime, new officers, patrol vehicles, and other equipment.
Those grants became part of Operation Lone Star.
According to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, Operation Lone Star has produced more than 535,700 apprehensions and referrals, 57,400 criminal arrests, and 47,500 felony charges. Texas law enforcement has also intercepted more than 779 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
RELATED: The revolution will not be televised — it will be livestreamed in 4K
Boyd later launched the Operation Lone Star Task Force, which allows local agencies to share deputies, intelligence, and resources across jurisdictional lines while targeting human smuggling, cartel activity, and organized crime.
New York has felt the downstream effects too. Former Mayor Eric Adams warned that the migrant crisis would “destroy New York City.” Mamdani nevertheless continues to defend sanctuary policies that impede cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Goliad’s experience carries a national lesson. Criminal organizations do not recognize state boundaries. The same networks that move people across the border traffic drugs, weapons, and money into communities nationwide. They exploit ports of entry, the northern border, and weaknesses far from either frontier.
The farther those networks spread, the more Americans discover that border security is not someone else’s problem.
Mamdani may be proud of New York City’s sanctuary stance.
His one-word answer showed more than where he has never been. It revealed what he refuses to see.
Sanctuary policies are easy to defend from a podium at city hall. They are much harder to defend before communities that have already paid the price.
To pay for transgender procedures for children, TCH and its providers pretended that those children had illnesses that they didn't have. Then they billed insurance for the treatment of the fake illnesses.
With this change, Texas becomes one of several states that now accept the CLT for public university admissions.
It’s an interesting twist in the key Senate race, given that Talarico has accused his opponent of illegally voting in elections.
www.theblaze.com
www.theblaze.com
thefederalist.com
www.theblaze.com