Well, this is so exciting.
I'm Ben, my cellist.
“It's great to be with you all right now.”
I want to welcome you all to in your backyard. This is the latest show from the Midas Touch Network. Let me tell you about what we're going to be doing here with this new show in your backyard. And this comes from your popular demand.
Every two weeks, we are going to be unpacking how public policy and political failings are playing out in communities around the country, hence in your backyard, from data centers, to forever chemicals, to insane utility costs,
and more. In your backyard, we'll be hosted by Luke Radel, one of the Midas Touch Networks, New Hosts, a rising star here at the Network. And he's going to be talking to experts and candidates
and elected officials and the real people who are experiencing the very real consequences and fighting back. I mean, you often hear the expression, the kitchen table issues.
And I would also add to that the in your backyard, in your community, in front of your door, type issues. And it was Senator Bernie Sanders who told me earlier in this horrific Trump regime who said,
“Ben, the thing you need to know was that the issues”
that are most important to the American people
are the ones that do not get any attention in the media. The issues that are getting unnoticed by corporate news, those are the issues that matter most to the American people. A horrible Bernie Sanders impression, but an incredibly critical, I would say, existential point
that he makes, and it's always played a major role foundationally into what we do here at the Midas Touch Network, to talk about the issues that I know are most on your mind. The kitchen table issues, the in your backyard issues, the outside of your front door type of issues
that you see that you experience that this Trump regime inflicts upon you. So in our inaugural episode, what are you going to see? Other than me say inaugural, like someone who grew up from Long Island, which I did.
Well, Luke Ray don't, we'll dig into what's driving the massive push back to data centers that's driving a movement throughout the country, as Trump claims that we need more data centers everywhere, a data center and everybody's backyard.
Trump and the Niagara Republicans are now campaigning on as Howard Luttonic tries to claim what? They don't even take up any water. No water consumption, which we know is the biggest blinds, people lies so freaking horribly.
But communities are rejecting them throughout this country. Donald Trump says, if you reject data centers, you are backwards, you are poor, and you are not someone that Donald Trump thinks is intelligent. That's what he said.
So Donald Trump said, so what do people on the ground actually think? Luke Ray don't, we'll hear from individuals on the front lines of the fight against data centers in Tennessee and in Texas. And he interviews Texas, Gubernatorial candidate,
Gina Hosa, we've had her on the mightest touch network a few times, what a compelling candidate she is. And she's interviewed by Luke about why data centers have become a central issue in her race. The central issue, hint hint, Governor Abbott,
the Maga Republican extremist.
He basically said data centers come on in.
Let me give you tax breaks. Let me lavish you with gifts. Ravage our state data centers. Texas will become the data center capital. That's what Abbott said.
That's what Trump said.
“That's what all these Maga said in side of Texas.”
And now they're like, oh, we did say that. We didn't say that, that wasn't ours. People who looked like us, that wasn't ours. Anyway, tell us what you think of our inaugural episode in your backyard.
Tell us what issues are playing out in your backyard that you'd like to see covered here on the mightest touch network on future episodes. Thanks so much.
And here's our first episode of In Your Backyard.
Hey, everybody. It's Luke, right, a welcome to the first ever episode of In Your Backyard, a brand new show. Here on the mightest touch network about the issues affecting you and your community.
I'm so glad you're here. Because we're going to be talking about an issue that we've been hearing a lot about here at Mightest. And that is data centers. They are increasingly unpopular across the political spectrum
and across the country. New polling shows that three and five Americans say they don't want any data center construction
To happen in their backyard.
That is up by double digits since just March.
It's become such a political unifying issue that Jason Kelsey recorded this video encouraging folks to send their pee to help power the data centers. Hey, I data centers with millions of gallons of water.
“That's why I look with definitely garage beer”
to send the team up. We want your pee to cool these data centers. We've obviously been hearing a lot of the concerns about the use of water, the use of power, and just the general disruption to the community
that data centers can cause. With that said, despite major pushback, there's one person who has been very supportive
of data centers and continues to be,
and that's our president. Just recently, he posted on his true social platform, the following quote, "the only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want data centers is if they want
to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful in rich with far lower taxes
“and jobs all over the place, let data rain.”
The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them, if we kill the golden goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti-data center movement. Actually, they can't believe it is happening.
We signed that president DJT. So, we thought to start off this brand new series, we're going to explore some of the pressing environmental issues and community issues facing the construction of data centers.
First, let's head to Memphis, Tennessee,
where I spoke to Latricia Adams of Young Gifted and Green, about the work that she's been doing to fight data centers coming into her community. She gave me a crash course on all the damage that a hyper-scale data center can do in her backyard.
Let's take a listen. Tell me a little bit about what's happening where you live. - Yes, so Memphis, who there is a lack going on in a mirror of ways, but essentially, we have been dealing with a hyper-scale data center.
Now, almost like two and a half years, it came by surprise, meaning that back in June, 2024, we literally all learned about XAI, which now it got to space XAI with Colossus I. And now Colossus II, I'll talk about that later,
in South Haven, Mississippi, across state line. But with this Memphis project, was really able to circumvent a lot of traditional processes that you would typically have to go under at the local level.
So, they were able to circumvent our land use protocol, which typically with any type of development, especially at that scale, you would have the cement application, get a recommendation from our land, we used control board.
“It would be voted up or down by our city council folks, right?”
So, we were really robbed of democracy, and essentially people who were on our ballots that were selected to be the decision makers for our city, they didn't even have an opportunity to do that. And so, in the beginning with Colossus I,
with these methane gas turbines, they were not permitted, they were not required to put pollution controls. So, that means, for 24 hours every single day, these methane gas turbines dozens of them were emitting, and still currently emitting pollutants such as nitrogen oxide
and formaldehyde, like, when I think of formaldehyde, I think about, like, embombing, right, for dead people. - Yes, not for people living in your neighborhood. I want to talk a little bit for folks because a lot of names and people involved here,
but if people recognize the names, SpaceX, X-A-I, that's the company run by Elon Musk, right? - Yes indeed indeed. - Oh, you have the richest man in the world taking over your backyard and building these facilities,
which he is calling Colossus, a little on the nose, talk to folks, in case the name doesn't drive at home about just how big these data centers are. - Yeah, so, you know, and now in 2026 fast forward, we were able to get a slim win if you wanna call it that,
and Memphis, where we were really adamant and Memphis about this air pollution, the proximity to residential communities, but then,
After we were able to get X-A-I to decommission,
some of the turbines that they had set up in Memphis,
“they just went right next door across state line”
and South Haven, Mississippi, with even more turbines. Like, at least at this point, like, they were going up to like 60 summer turbines. So, like, even worse than what they had set up in Memphis, but the issue is, we share the air.
Sure, you have like a arbitrary spake line, but like air goes anywhere it wants to go, and so now you start to see an exacerbation of air pollution on top of the legacy pollution, right, that already existed there, now both in Memphis
and in South Haven, Mississippi. - So it seems like pollutants aren't necessarily being respectful of state borders. - Whoa!
- Obviously, it's just not a map.
Talk to me, you mentioned the legacy pollution. This is a community that has a history of air quality issues. Talk a little bit more about that,
“and what are residents telling you about their beliefs,”
about how pit-off they are, about all the development that's going on near you, 'cause you've my language. - Yeah, no, no. So, essentially, in this zip code for this community which has box town in a community called Westwood
and right kinda next door is a community called Riverside, which is very important. So, where XAI is located is in what you would call an industrial corridor. So, right beside XAI is the Tennessee Valley Authority
or TVA's Power Plant.
You also have right up the road, still in 3109,
you have Valero, which is an or refinery that so happens to be right beside Dr. Martin Luther King Park like, wow, this is not the dream. But this is not the dream. And so, some of the, like PN2, particularly matter, ozone,
“like these are already existing pollution issues”
that exist, not even just within 3A109, because again, we don't share the air, but there's been a history with attainment, being in compliance for the truest day area. So, where Memphis sits, it touches both Arkansas
and it touches Mississippi and again, what happens on one side of the state line? I mean, the air travels, you know, right next door. And so, you know, adding on additional pollutants, especially like pollutants that are this concentrated
that we have an experience before, you know, we haven't even had a chance to really truly assess the depth and breadth of how much damage this may have caused to people who are already sick. So, in 3A109 is the cancer cluster.
So, there's a significant amount of people who also have respiratory issues. So, I even think about, like, my personal family, this is before XAA even came into this community. My family is in 3A109.
My dad passed away at literally just 65 years old. His mother passed away my grandmother, my last living grandparents got six months after he passed away. Also from respiratory type of, you know, chronic illnesses. And so, this unfortunately is not just a story
that is just specific to me, it's not an anomaly. Like, if you talk to other people within the community, they've experienced the exact same things. Cancer asthma, even in some instances, renal failure. Because a lot of these pollutants also impact kidney health.
I mean, just a, you know, a litany of all of these different chronic illnesses in a community that's already experiencing at the none of the stress. And we know that the healthcare in the United States is,
not the best, very expensive, you know, and let's just tell for people that are already struggling as it is. - Well, and obviously, I'm very sorry for your loss and for your family's loss and a loss of so many folks in your community.
These are our life and death issues for so many people and it often goes beyond politics. But talking a little bit about the politics, you're from Tennessee, you're from Memphis. So, I don't know if there are a lot of folks there
who are supporting the president, but statewide, there certainly were same thing next door in Mississippi. When you're talking to folks, maybe some of them did vote for the president,
He's been very supportive of data centers.
Are they in line with his position on that or is that in area where you're able to work
“across party lines and find some common ground with folks?”
- Yeah, I'm really glad that you exit that question. We've been calling this phenomenon partnerships with unlikely allies. It's been so interesting, particularly working between Memphis and South Haven.
South Haven has a really, I'll say, colorful history. Particularly as it relates to black people, I just have to be candid. And so, what we have seen is really working across like racial boundaries,
working across like economic boundaries, we have one common thing. We do not like these data centers, or at least like how they've been rolled out. Without any type of precautions,
without community input, draining our resources, I know specifically beyond just the air quality issues that were raised a lot in Memphis. And South Haven, the noise is abysmal. - Yeah, yeah. - Like, my heart breaks for women
who are postpartum to have newborns. newborns sleep a lot 'cause they're growing. And it literally imagined multiple jets, jet engines in your backyard, going 24 hours a day. So, it has been, I hate that this was the thing
that brought us together because I don't wish harm on anybody, but it really is outpinning.
“I think for everyone, particularly regardless”
of political affiliation, I know specifically with South Haven is interesting 'cause there is some part of the city. And we see this across the country, particularly in rural communities,
being fearful for land, land loss, land that has been in folks, families, you know, for generations, potentially being at risk. So, we're all mad about the same thing, and you're not even on it.
- Well, it's really appreciate your time. And thank you so much for sharing this story with me today. I really appreciate it. - Thank you. - When it comes to the weather, to the barbecue,
and to the politics, there's no place hotter right now than the great state of Texas. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the issue of data centers, where the governor, Greg Abbott, has tried to reverse course on the issue of data centers.
We're going to speak to his opponent
in that race in a moment, but first,
I want to show you some of what real people have to say about what's happening in their backyard on this issues. First, I want to talk to you about Tom Weeks, who lives in Granbury, he's a retiree, and a lifelong Republican, but now he's a single issue voter,
that issue is data centers. - With the people that are directly affected, it is, people just, they're at a point a lot of where I'm at, they're just sick and tired of this. We've been listening to this noise for three years,
and we're not getting a break. It's gone beyond politics. It's a people issue. It really is, and like I said, my party, I've been a Republican my entire voting life,
and I've been given the finger by my party. - I also talk to Andrew Howard, who lives in South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, and he's been organizing against data centers in his community, and his job takes them to all different parts of the state
where he hears very similar complaints from folks across the aisle. The long-term jobs is only 50 to 100 people, and they're going to take all your water, one million to five million.
I don't know how much a two giga watt data center does, but one million to five million gallons a day. It's going to, it's going to raise your electricity bill, and it's going to make a lot of noise. Apparently it's a industrial home.
I never knew about that until two weeks ago,
and I was like, okay, that makes sense. I never thought of it, I should have thought of it,
“but that's what I learned from people that were timing me”
about it. So where does all this political energy go? This outrage about data centers coming into the state of Texas, well, I caught up with Gina Hina Hosa, who is the Democrat running to replace Greg Abbott
as governor of Texas. And I asked her about this issue, which might be the defining fight in this critical battleground race, and if she's governor, what she will do differently
than governor Abbott. Here's my conversation with Gina Hina Hosa. - Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it.
We are focusing on data centers for this first episode
Of In Your Backyard.
I want you to lay out for folks,
what your position on data centers is, and what you would do in regards to data centers, if you are elected the next governor of Texas. - Yes, well, we have real urgency in Texas. Texas has become the epicenter for data centers.
The epicenter in the world, Greg Abbott announced it as such at the end of last year, and invited it all these data centers with the most generous text rights in the whole country.
They pay, for instance, no tax on any electricity they consume, and we know they guzzle electricity. So there's this mad rush right now to get in to Texas. So I've called on him to issue more time until legislature can meet and put real protections in place.
He has yet to do it, even though he has the sole power to stop this madness. And let me go over some of these protections that we need to have in place. Some of the worst offenders of these data centers
“are shipping in foreign labor to build them, right?”
If this is about jobs, they should be American Union jobs, because these global corporations, multinational corporations that own these data centers are have these global corporations that own these data centers have the power
that workers don't have. So you need to have an organized labor for us that pushes back against them. They are gazzling our electricity and our water. There are no rules in Texas.
We need real protections when it comes to water and electricity. They should pay for themselves. The tax breaks that Greg Abbott signed into law need to go away.
We need to repeal that law they are owned by the richest men in the world. It is unconscionable that taxpayers should have to pay for them. I believe when that happens, it slows it way down because it's real easy to be building these data centers
when you're not footing the bill for the cost of it.
And then finally, when it comes to AI,
“there are here no guard rills, no laws, no protections”
for people either. Our governor has begun converting public schools into AI schools in Texas, replacing teachers with computers. Nobody wants that.
There should not be AI replacing us. AI should be a tool in the workplace, not a replacement for human labor, especially not when it comes to interacting with our kids, when it comes to medical decisions,
when it comes to life, health or safety. But again, there are just no rules in Texas right now. And so Texans are mad. We've seen in deep red counties where people who have voted for Trump voted for Greg Abbott in the past say no more.
We're done, we're breaking ranks, and we're voting for you, Gina. So that is the opportunity in this election, but the data centers are the latest physical embodiment of a governor who works for the money,
special interests, and not the people of Texas.
“So it's in with this theme of who Greg Abbott is,”
and we're just hammering that every day on this campaign trail. - Talk to me a little bit about what you would want to see the legislature do. When they come back in this session, you're messing with some of those restrictions.
But do you think for the time being, they should just place a moratorium on data center construction in your state? - Greg Abbott has the power to do that. So he should do, so yes, I've called on him to do that now,
until some real protections can be put into place. Some laws can be put into place. And I just went through those laws that the kind of laws that we need. But because we are starting from scratch,
when it comes to any regulation of these data centers, there's just a lot. I mean, I mentioned the big ticket items, but just to give you more of a sense of how bad it is. Many of these data centers are in rural communities,
where there's just no rules, no regulations about development protections for people. And what I heard in these communities is they just want to seat at the table. They want to be able to decide
if and how these data centers come into their communities. So empowering people with that voice and that participation in these decisions
is also an essential part of the laws
that need to pass to protect Texans. - And you're saying essentially before we move out from this point that, but if those restrictions are not put in place and there shouldn't be any more data centers built in your state.
- Yes. - It's already so many data have been built in under construction. - That's right, absolutely. And it's not that I hate data centers. It's that I hate the way they are taking advantage of Texans.
It's that I hate the way Greg Abbott is allowing this to happen. And so that is my position. - You mentioned that issue of local control. That feels like it could be something that resonates with even conservative Republican voters
In your state.
Texas often seems like the kind of place
“that wants to have that sort of independence”
and not have government control telling them what to do in their local communities. What have you been hearing from Texans out on the campaign trail about this idea that the state government is coming in
and an overriding what they want in their individual towns and communities? - They're angry about it. And this data center issue has created the urgency about it because they're finding that they're blocked
from having any say in these decisions. Their elected officials are even blocked from having any say in these decisions because of laws like Greg Abbott has signed into being. So this is tested those restrictions on local communities
and their power. The status center issue has tested that and the results are, people are mad. - Talk a little bit, you mentioned the special interests who are involved on this issue.
That has played such a major role, particularly with campaign finance. What are some of the names of the folks who have been backing your opponent, the incumbent governor, Greg Abbott?
“And frankly, do you think that the money they've given to him”
and to his campaign has compromised his position and his actions on this issue?
- Yes, he has received $20 million,
$20 million from data center interests. It's too many to name all of them. But the ones I remember are Harlan Crow and Elon Musk, some names that we know out there but there's just a lot.
And we've put out some social media about it so that people understand where this money is coming from. - I was also in Loudon County, Virginia. Northern Virginia has pitched itself as kind of the data center capital of the world.
You mentioned how governor Abbott is trying to rival the amount of data centers that we've seen in Northern Virginia. What do you say to folks who have that concern? That if these data centers aren't built in Texas,
then those jobs that economic development will go elsewhere. We'll go to another state where there aren't as many restrictions or there are more tax breaks. What do you say to that? - Yeah, look, of course we want good jobs in Texas
and I will acknowledge that there are people who are making good money building data centers. I mean, some of our union allies are talking about how they've, they're making six figures over again, right? Building these data centers.
And at the time in this economy, when it's just hard to make ends meet, I get it. But we can't throw our communities under the bus to have good jobs. Like we have to find a way forward
that creates good jobs and that protects Texans and protects our communities. And we just don't have any semblance of that right now in Texas. And so I reject the notion that it's either or. It is, it should be good economic policy.
Should be about good jobs, yes. But also good protecting people, right? Good policies for people and communities. And that's my commitment. - The other thing that struck me
seeing those data centers in Loud and County was just, I don't know, how ugly they are. They're very big, large industrial buildings. They're loud, they just take up such a presence in a community. I've been hearing from people who maybe aren't opposed
to the idea of having this type of development in their backyards, but are concerned about the way their community will look. There are so many beautiful places in the state of Texas as their concern that these data centers could ruin that.
- Yes, absolutely. I mean, people like living in some of these real areas because of the beauty of the land. And because they can see the stars at night, right? And now I was in a community in the Panhandle of Texas.
And they said, it's always daytime here, right?
Now with the lights that come off the data centers. So yeah, that is for sure a concern and really it is sad for these communities that they've lost something that is really important. - On the issue of water, there are some restrictions
in place in Virginia that require those data centers to operate in what they call closed loop system. Essentially, if you're using water,
“you have to put out a similar amount of water back”
into the community. It sounds like from what you're saying that type of restriction or requirement doesn't exist in the state of Texas that they could essentially operate an open loop system
where they take in all this water and then don't put any back out for the community to use. Is that right? - Yes, so again, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no regulations,
somebody was killed, building one of these data centers. They don't even require licensed electricians to be building these hyper-skilled.
I mean, it is the wild west in Texas right now.
And so when I hear about debates about closed loop all those things,
those are great, those are great debates to have. We don't have even the ability to, we don't have anything like that in Texas. So I think what it sounds to me like is that our state is so behind when it comes
to basic protections for a Texans that we are an example of worst case practices when it comes to data center, Greg Abbott let that happen. He invited these data centers in with no protections, no rules, and here we find ourselves at their mercy.
And he fails, he refuses to use his power. He is a sole person in the state who has it to call a special session two day. I'm a legislator. I would gladly show up to pass laws to protect Texans
because right now there are no protections. - The president is going to be in your state for this summer midterm convention. And he's expected to say two Republican voters in your state and across the country
that they should pretend as though he is on the ballot and that his record and his administration so far are on the ballot. The position on data centers has been made pretty clear. He believes that they should be built anywhere
in everywhere and that if they're not built here they'll be built in other countries because those other countries want them as part of this AI space race as it were. What's your response to that on kind of the national security
front do you have a take on that? And then also do you believe that the president's position on data centers will be on the ballot in your state in November?
“Why do you believe data centers are on the ballot in November?”
The president ran on a populist agenda and that is why people voted for him. He said the system's rigged, right? And that's true, the system is rigged and Democrats have defended an indefensible system for too long
but he is turning his back on those populist positions and empowering big tech in this country in a way that people are really concerned with. So I would say to the president that you are alienating your base with this position
and urge the president to talk to some of these communities to understand what is really going on and how they need protections. - Last question for me before I let you go back to the campaign trail to talk to Texans.
I really appreciate your time. When was the last time we've been talking a lot about AI? When was the last time that you used AI and what did you use it for?
“- I can't remember the last time I used it.”
I mean, I'm guilty, it's charted, right? I can't remember, I don't use it all that much. I will tell you, but certainly I can tell when it's been used in many cases and yeah, look, it is a tool and that's all it is
and we need to use it as such and also remember that humanity has to come first.
Humanity has to come first, always.
And I will always forever 100% be on team humanity. - Representative Hosa, thank you so much for joining me on the inaugural episode of In Your Backyard, I really appreciate it. - My pleasure, thank you.
- Now Gina Hosa's opponent, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott responded through a spokesperson saying in part quote, Governor Abbott's top priority is to protect Texan's safety and quality of life.
He has directed Texas regulators to ensure data centers do not take water needed by communities or power needed by the Texas grid, do not disrupt neighborhoods or rural communities, lower electricity costs for consumers
and pay for their own electricity infrastructure. He goes on to say quote, simply put data centers
must pay their own way and Texan's must come first.
That's the response from Governor Abbott's office. We have not yet received response from XAI or Elon Musk. We wanna let you know what issues are you tracking in your communities right now,
“what issues do you want us to cover on future episodes?”
We'll be back in two weeks with another important issue of fact in folks across the country until then, please subscribe to the Midas Touch Network and continue to like and share all of our videos. (upbeat music)
