Based Steamfitters Union Local 602: "We will no longer offer our political, financial, or organizational support to any candidate or elected official in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C. who opposes data center development in our jurisdiction."

Call it the backlash to the backlash—Unions and building trades say they will oppose candidates attacking data centers, putting Democrats and other long-term allies in a pickle. W/ @lindsayaellis:

Well said and well written. Full agreement. Hung out with a friend who builds data centers today. Notes: - They're offering 400-home towns with $1.2m annual budgets $30m/year for 40 years.....and getting turned down. - Reasons: 2-3 of the 5-6 person town council have local businesses and are worried they'll be scorned locally if they vote yes - There's a loud 20% that's anti turning down a 60% who are big thumbs up on it but don't want to publicly fight. - He travels with security and receives death threats weekly - Energy is not the immediate top problem, it's entitlements. - They're having the construction GC bring all their subcontractors to town mtg's to show the job impact - Unions in MI and other places are defunding Dems bc they're anti-jobs now. He got emailed this while we were hanging. All of this actually, strangely, gives me hope. Because it's so feverishly dumb for local towns to turn these down that the dam will break. But, meanwhile, China is on its way to basically limitless electricity. AI supremacy might be for all the marbles. We must accelerate.

Dolly Parton rose from poverty to stardom. She gave $500 to every student in her hometown who finished high school, she built hospitals and bald eagle preserves; her Imagination Library has gifted 300 million books to children. Roger Ebert once met her and came away thinking she was a literal angel. RIP.