GOP lawmaker says US needs to do better regarding data centers: ‘China’s going to win this war’
Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, discusses data center concerns as OpenAI and NVIDIA back a massive $500B data center in Ohio, his expectations for the legislative agenda and addresses Stock Act violation allegations on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
The social media platform X announced that it performed a probe regarding “suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts” participating in influence efforts, uncovering a bot farm of around 200,000 accounts, of which 200 accounts were posting in a way that could distort true debate regarding U.S. artificial intelligence and energy policy.
“The X Safety team conducted an investigation into suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts involved in influence operations: We identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts. Within this farm, we found 200 accounts posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy,” the post on the X Global Government Affairs account noted.
“These posts contained claims that AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the grid. Others included AI-generated cartoons that depicted data-center operators enriching themselves at the public’s expense,” the post continued.
NEW YORK BECOMES FIRST STATE TO FREEZE NEW AI DATA CENTERS IN MOVE CRITICS WARN COULD DRIVE AWAY JOBS
The popular social media platform X announced that it conducted a probe regarding “suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts” participating in influence efforts. /
“We remain committed to maintaining an open and authentic platform where people debate topics of public interest. We take seriously any attempts to undermine the integrity of the global town square and suspend accounts that violate our Authenticity policy,” the notice concluded.
The post featured several screenshots of examples of relevant posts. One showed a post depicting what appeared to be an anti-data center comic strip titled, “DATA CENTERS GET SUBSIDIZED WHILE WE FOOT THE BILL!” A message at the bottom read, “ELECTRICITY RATEPAYERS GET STUCK WITH THE COST!”
OPENAI, 100+ COMPANIES WARN OF COMING SURGE IN AI-POWERED CYBERATTACKS, CALL FOR GLOBAL DEFENSE PUSH
A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Fla., on July 18, 2026. (Thomas Simonetti / AFP
Data centers have been a topic of debate within the U.S. amid concerns regarding environmental impacts and energy costs in local communities.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote in a post on X last week, “The concerns by citizens from across the political spectrum re: hyperscale data centers are rooted in distrust of these Big Tech titans and their designs on expanding tech power over the citizenry. It’s not just — or even mainly — about concerns about water and power usage.”
Trump sends message to governors, mayors on AI data centers: ‘I would want that plant’
President Donald Trump urged governors and mayors to welcome AI plants and data centers into their communities, saying he would “absolutely want” such projects because of the jobs and tax revenue they bring.
But some, including President Donald Trump, want to ensure that China does not outpace the U.S. in AI-related advancements.
TRUMP SAYS ANY GOVERNOR OR MAYOR SHOULD WANT TO WELCOME AN AI DATA CENTER
In part of a Truth Social post last month, the president asserted, “The Radical Left Dumocrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China, and other countries!”
