AI Boom Is Driving Up Your Power Bill

Written By Guest User

Plus: Russia Ceasefire Deadline Looms & Promising News On Colon Cancer Screenings For Younger Adults

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Good afternoon,

Slurp, it’s National Oyster Day 🦪 But if you’re like me, reports of people getting sick from oysters (tied to warming waters) might make you a little nervous to eat them — unless they’re cooked, like the ones I had above on New Year’s Eve.

Well, I learned on the Mo News Podcast this morning that there’s actually a rule to help avoid that dreaded tummy trouble: only eat oysters in months that contain the letter “R” — from September to April, when waters are cooler and the risk of bacterial contamination is lower. That’s what Mosh sticks with, while co-host Jill is an all-year-long oyster lover. Our audience had thoughts:

Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund calls oysters an “unsung hero in a changing climate,” citing the mollusks’ ability to clean ocean water as they eat.

So whether you eat them today, wait until September, or simply appreciate them for helping the sea — today is for you, oysters.

Lauren
Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Electricity Prices Rise Across The US As AI Data Centers Require More Power

Electricity prices are rising across the country amid the explosion of data centers to accommodate artificial intelligence, according the latest available data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

  • The nationwide average residential price for 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity rose by 6.5% from May 2024 to May 2025.

    • Maine topped the chart with a 36% increase, while Connecticut and Utah saw increases of over 15%. Click the Axios map above to see where your state falls.

📍 The reason for the price increase varies by region — for example, Maine’s spike is also tied to natural disasters and aging infrastructure. But, analysts say the AI boom is playing a major role.

EACH SEARCH = MORE ENERGY
Data centers, which train and run AI, demand a massive amount of power — more than the current grid can support. U.S. power grid operators are investing billions of dollars in new transmitters and other technology to accommodate the needs, and passing those costs along to consumers.

  • One estimate found that building up infrastructure to accommodate AI data centers meant that $9.3 billion in costs were recently passed along to customers, according to Axios reporting.

    • A new IEEFA analysis noted that a major spike in prices set at auction by PJM — an electric grid operator covering many Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states — is largely tied to data centers.

Zoom in: One place where this is playing out is Loudoun County, Virginia, just outside D.C. It’s home to over 200 data centers and handles two-thirds of global internet traffic. It’s the world's largest market for AI-supported data centers.

  • While it means big bucks for the county’s budget, some residents are less than thrilled. “We’re giving all this energy to data centers, we’re giving all this water to data centers, and it doesn’t seem like we’re getting much back,” Tim Cywinski, communications director at the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter, told Bloomberg.

It’s not just power: AI also consumes massive volumes of water to cool servers, raising concerns in water-scarce regions — where about two-thirds of new data centers since 2022 have been built. Heat reduces data operations’ efficiency and can even make them inoperable.

Demands on the energy grid and water supply are not expected to slow down, either. And it’s not just the U.S.; countries around the world are grappling with similar strains.

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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE MONITORING

Trump’s Russia Ceasefire Deadline Nears As He Pressures Countries to Stop Buying Putin’s Oil

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow on Wednesday, potentially meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s Witkoff’s fifth visit to Russia this year, but would be his first meeting with Putin in more than three months.

The meeting is seen as a “last chance” to reach a peace deal before U.S. sanctions are imposed on countries that import oil from Russia. President Trump has set a Friday deadline for a ceasefire deal.

  • One option the Kremlin is reportedly weighing to appease Trump, per Bloomberg, is a limited truce on airstrikes involving drones and missiles — which have increased in recent months.

    • Russia doesn’t appear inclined to end the war entirely, as it continues to make advances on the battlefield.

If there’s no acceptable deal on the table, the U.S. says it could target Russian oil sales to major buyers like India and China.

ECONOMIC PRESSURE
In a phone interview Tuesday, he told CNBC that he would “substantially” increase the existing 25% levy on India, a U.S. ally, within the next 24 hours, as country continues to buy Russian energy.

  • Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Tuesday morning. Afterward, Zelensky posted on X that Russia’s "economy continues to decline, and that's exactly why Moscow is so sensitive to this prospect and President Trump's resolve. This can change a lot."

🚨 ONE THING THAT’S GOOD NEWS

More People Are Getting Screened Earlier For Colon Cancer

Encouraging news in the fight against colorectal cancer, particularly among younger adults, thanks to updated screening guidelines and increased awareness.

  • According to new research from the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer screenings among adults aged 45 to 49 rose by 62% from 2019 to 2023, after guidelines were lowered to recommend screening beginning at age 45 for those at average risk (down from 50).

As a result, the disease is being caught earlier — when it’s more treatable and the procedures are less intense. There’s also been a 50% relative increase in early-stage diagnoses from 2021 to 2022, which experts attribute to the rise in screenings, not necessarily a spike in new cases.

Part of that rise in testing is being attributed to higher participation rates when people get tested via at-home screening kits, a separate study published Monday in JAMA found.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

  • Epstein’s ex, Ghislaine Maxwell, doesn’t want grand jury transcripts released (AP)

  • Trump says Texas Republicans 'entitled' to more seats as redistricting showdown continues (ABC)

  • Tennessee executes man with heart device despite concerns it could shock him (NBC)

  • Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond captured after intensive Tennessee search (FOX)

  • A Confederate statue toppled during Black Lives Matter protests will be reinstalled (NPR)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

  • Nations gather in Geneva to again confront the world’s spiraling plastic pollution crisis (AP)

  • NATO countries pledge millions to fund US weapons for Ukraine (POLITICO)

  • 4 dead, 50 missing after flash floods and landslide hit Indian village (CBS)

  • Danish zoo calls for unwanted pets to be fed to its animals (NBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

  • Trump narrows Fed chair candidates to four, excluding Treasury Secretary Bessent (AP)

  • AI software provider Palantir tops $1 billion in revenue for the first time (CNBC)

  • Trump threatens tariffs on pharmaceutical imports of up to 250 percent (THE HILL)

  • China reports 7,000 cases of chikungunya virus (BBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • MTV Video Music Awards 2025: Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, and more score nominations (ABC)

  • Ozzy Osbourne died of cardiac arrest, death certificate says (GUARDIAN)

  • Roku launches ad-free streaming service, Howdy, for $2.99 a month (CNBC)

  • Los Angeles Rams' top running back, Kyren Williams, signs three-year, $33M extension (ESPN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of our lives, people have developed a new slur to express their frustration with the tech: Clanker. The term has even reached the U.S. Capitol, where Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) used “clanker” when explaining how his bill targets automated phone calls. He said: “My new bill makes sure you don’t have to talk to a clanker if you don’t want to.”

  • The term is being used to describe technology that could replace humans. It stems from a “Star Wars” video game, used by clone troopers to describe B1-series battle droids.

  • Everyday use of “clanker” has exploded on platforms like TikTok, with users predicting that in 30 to 40 years, Gen Z’s kids will scold their parents about using the term.

    • E.g.: “Sara, I can’t believe you are dating a clanker (her AI boyfriend).” To which Sara will respond, “Dad, you can’t say that.”

We asked ChatGPT what it thinks about it:

Guest User
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