This farm is 150 acres. Yeah, they're going to be farms. And there will be transmission lines that have to go through developments and farms. That's the very nature of a growing economy. Everybody needs to get on board. I just don't it's you know what? [00:00:17] Buy a fake tree. Oh, oh, oh, dagger. Right in my heart. - I have a fake tree. - Oh, no. Oh. Well, unlike Dagen McDowell over at Fox business, some American Christians who celebrate Christmas, don't see Christmas trees. [00:00:36] The way she sees the human face, they don't want the fake thing. They want the real thing. And now Fox has decided to launch their own version of the War on Christmas on behalf of AI companies that are looking to build data centers across the nation. [00:00:52] So that would be a little disastrous, especially since some of these data centers could be displacing, I guess, tree farms and replacing them with the data centers. Jake, what are your $0.02? Sounds like a war on Christmas, if you ask me. [00:01:08] I mean, honestly, how is this not an assault on Christmas? When you think about it, where you're prioritizing corporate interests, in this case tech companies, and telling Americans who want to celebrate Christmas and might want a real tree to buzz off and just get a fake one, who cares? [00:01:24] By the way, I actually do have a fake Christmas tree. I don't buy new ones. It's just too difficult. It's a mess with the new ones. And it could be a fire hazard. So it's not like I'm against fake Christmas trees. None of them are made in America. By the way, I was specifically looking for an American made Christmas tree. [00:01:40] None of them are made in America. All of them are made in China. Okay, with that in mind, McDowell was discussing this proposed transmission line in Virginia. It would stretch 67 miles and would be used to power AI data centers in the state. [00:01:56] Now, Virginia farmers have stated that the line could cost them literally millions of dollars in land and business, and the line would also run through parts of Maryland, even though it would have no direct benefit to any Maryland residents. [00:02:11] So, I mean, that's a massive injustice. And while McDowell doesn't really care what happens to like, everyday Americans and small business owners, there is one senator who seems to care a lot. Who is aggressively pushing these technologies. [00:02:28] Well, surprise, surprise, it happens to be the very wealthiest people on earth. People like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel. Do you believe that these guys, these multibillionaires are staying up [00:02:44] nights worrying about what AI and robotics will do to the working families of our country and the world? Well, I don't think so. Elon Musk recently said, quote, AI and robots will replace all jobs. Working will be optional. [00:03:05] End quote if AI and robotics eliminate millions of jobs and create massive unemployment. How will people survive if they have no income? I mean, regardless, colossal data centers are sprouting up across the country [00:03:24] and they're set to consume mind boggling amounts of energy and water. So by 2030, industry and government projections show data centers could gobble up more than 10% of the nation's power usage. And keep in mind, this is happening while you know blue states [00:03:42] want to pivot to EVs entirely. You know, California implemented a ban on gas powered vehicles in a few years, and our power grid is already overwhelmed. Like we're just not prepared for this. [00:03:57] And communities are already suffering as a result of these data centers. So estimates vary, but all show a dizzying rise of between 60 and 150% in energy consumption by 2030. On average, they project US data centers will use about [00:04:14] 430,000,000,000,000 watt hours by 2030. That is enough electricity to power nearly 16 Chicagos, and a small minority of elected Republicans are starting to get nervous about, you know, what, the voters are going to think about this because there could be [00:04:32] serious political ramifications thanks to these data centers. Representative Bob Whitman, for instance, is one of them. He says, I think people have very legitimate concerns, and that is who is going to pay the bill for the additional energy that's demanded. From this, they go, my power bill has gone up because somebody [00:04:50] down the road is building a data center. So this is a very real problem. And there have been some local news reports featuring residents in various communities where data centers have already been built, and it's actually taking up a lot of water as well. [00:05:06] So they'll turn on their tap and the reporter will be there filming it. They turn on their tap, no water comes out. I mean, it's we don't have the infrastructure for this, and no one cares other than the actual residents who are being harmed by this. - What do you think? - So I think 10% extra in, [00:05:25] energy usage is a colossal number. It's a it's a unfathomably large number from just one industry. That's crazy. So that's on top of all the other problems that AI is going to bring. But there's it's symbolic, right? [00:05:43] It's they're literally sapping the energy out of the American, you know, government, country people. They're bleeding us dry. No water, no electricity. Did you notice that that quote at the end there? We're going to have to pay higher energy costs. [00:06:01] Why are we paying for it if it's their cost? They should be paying for it. That's how capitalism is supposed to work. You don't take your costs and then just give it to someone else. That's not a free market. That's crony capitalism. That's corporatism. [00:06:18] That's corporations stealing our government from us, making us pay all of the costs, the cost of the severe weather events we all have to pay for the cleanup of the tornadoes, the hurricanes, and every other thing that happens. Now we got to pay for the extra cost of these guys are going to make trillions [00:06:36] of dollars if you're going to make so much money from it. What are we paying your bills for? And then on top of that we give $35 billion a year in oil subsidies. This is just robbery after robbery after robbery. So and now they're coming after Christmas. [00:06:52] I mean, look, it's kind of a funny part of the story, of course, but it's also telling, because what do we always tell you guys? Like, all of politics and the media and stuff is theater, right? So there's good cop, bad cop, but really they have the same objective. [00:07:09] So they get us to fight on the culture wars. So the way that it's related to this story is, Fox News came up with this ridiculous idea, you know, over a decade ago where Bill O'Reilly started saying, oh, the liberals have a war on Christmas. [00:07:24] They only say happy holidays. We hate that. No happy holidays. It's got to be Merry Christmas. You understand that? You Jews, Muslims and atheists. It's all your fault, right? And I was like, okay, it's cultural wars. The device now because. And that was to help corporate interests distract everyone. [00:07:42] So you don't notice the giant corporate tax cuts, the giant subsidies, the giant bank bailouts, etc.. Right now they've turned all the way around to screw Christmas. Who cares? The corporations need those Christmas trees. Shut up. Give us all your Christmas trees. - We're going to butcher them. - Who cares about the farmers, right? [00:08:00] Who cares about the small businesses and the farmers? I know it is amazing, but you know what? I love that she had her mask off moment. I mean, we always suspected that they were disingenuous about their war on Christmas arguments or their pretend concern about farmers or small business owners. [00:08:17] Now it's just abundantly clear they will do anything and say anything on behalf of corporate interests. Yeah, and I like that you looked into American fake American Christmas trees and couldn't find any. Yeah. The Chinese must be laughing their ass off as they make Christmas trees for us, [00:08:36] and we pay them for celebrating Christmas. I know it's impossible, but I really do go out of my way to try to buy American or, you know, shop at consignment shops and things like that, but anyway. Well, and I did do one better. I got a Christmas tree from America itself. [00:08:54] My nephew is a sawyer that is a professional, at cutting down trees in the forest. Okay. And with permission and, and going through the legal channels, we went out or he went out with my daughter Joy, and they cut down a tree and brought it here. [00:09:14] And we had a National Lampoon kind of moment where we had trouble fitting it into the house. But we have an honest to goodness, real American tree in our house for Christmas. Every time you ring the bell below, an angel gets its wings. Totally not true, but it does keep you updated on our live shows.