Latest news with #Schlossberg
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report highlights community pushback stalling $64 billion in data center development nationwide
A representative for the Data Center Coalition speaks in opposition to a bill on data centers with Virginia Del. Josh Thomas (D-Prince William) and labor union representatives behind her. (Photo by Charles Paullin/Inside Climate News) As Elena Schlossberg of Prince William County, Virginia sees it, the community effort to fight the richest companies in the world seeking to build data centers began about a decade ago when opposition coalesced in the early days of the industry's development. Then, a couple of years ago, when people began to learn much more about the warehouse-like server farms proliferating at double the earlier rate, the fight strengthened with a meeting in Warrenton. 'That was where we all just started saying, 'OK, in order to fight this behemoth, we have to have some organizational process,'' Schlossberg said. 'We have to be able to communicate. We have to be able to support each other. We have to have a clearinghouse for all the information.' Schlossberg's group, the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, about 35 miles southwest of the nation's capital, teamed up with several other groups, including the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association, and met in one of the areas facing development pressure that could now triple in the state. They formed the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition. Such community opposition is the focal point of a recent report by Data Center Watch, a research organization tracking data center opposition. A key finding: '$64 billion in U.S. data center projects have been blocked or delayed by a growing wave of local, bipartisan opposition.' 'What was once quiet infrastructure is now a national flashpoint — and communities are pushing back,' the report says. 'This report highlights political risks and local opposition as frequent factors in data center project delays or cancellations, including community resistance, environmental concerns, and zoning issues.' As data center development explodes, the industry has faced particular challenges in Virginia, its global epicenter. Some $900 million in projects in the state have been blocked, and $45.8 billion in projects have been delayed. Yet, environmental advocates say few protections have been put in place. At the state level, dozens of bills were introduced in the Virginia General Assembly this year to enact development safeguards, but only a symbolic one about utility costs was signed into law by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, a trade group representing many of the tech companies developing projects in Virginia, said the group is 'committed to working collaboratively with local officials, policymakers, and regulatory bodies at every level. 'Data center companies site projects where they are permitted under local zoning ordinances, rules, and regulations, which are developed by local leaders representing their communities,' Levi said. 'The industry seeks to work collaboratively with local officials to minimize community impacts, which often includes participating in town halls and other community and public engagement opportunities.' The locations of projects getting blocked or delayed are mostly centered in the Northern Virginia suburbs and exurbs of Washington, where the internet began. The region now serves a vast federal government, defense and intelligence complex. A couple other projects highlighted in the report branch out into the Northern Neck, south of the Potomac River, and outside Richmond. Virginia is home to 13 percent of the world's data center capacity, while 70 percent of the world's internet traffic moves through computers in the state. One case study in the report highlighted the effort by Schlossberg's group, the Manassas Battlefield Trust and others to stop the $24.7 billion Digital Gateway development of a campus with 37 data centers in Prince William County near the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Another is the Bren Pointe residential community in Fairfax County, fighting a $165 million hyperscale project that would need transmission lines and a five-acre substation 60 feet from the boundary of a townhome complex. In another project in Warrenton, proposed by Amazon with an undetermined development cost, hundreds of people, including actor Robert Duvall, attended and spoke in opposition, according to FauquierNow. Legal challenges have stalled the town council's approval of the project, and during that period, council members who supported it have been voted out of office. The report noted that Republican elected officials made up 55 percent of those critical of projects, expressing concerns over the use of tax incentives. Democrats made up 45 percent of those opposing projects, largely over environmental concerns. But many elected officials are approving data centers. 'What will it take for people in positions of power to make different choices?' Schlossberg said. 'As plain as the nose on my face, data centers are impacting the integrity of our water and our air and our communities and our reliable, affordable electricity.' Ann Wheeler, former chair of the Board of Supervisors in Prince William County, declined to comment on why she lost her Democratic primary race for re-election, but stood by her choices to support the industry in today's digitally driven society. The environmental concerns used 'misinformation' as part of a campaign of BANANA, or Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone, she said, and supporting the facilities' construction meant union jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in local revenue to support social services her party has traditionally aligned with. 'They'll go in somewhere,' Wheeler said, adding her county had resources for responsible planning. 'I would rather have that tax revenue in Virginia.' The report did not feature the opposition to a proposed data center in Pittsylvania County. There, community pushback and a report commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center, which highlighted the health effects from on-site, fossil fuel-powered generation equipment, led to the Board of Supervisors rejecting a needed rezoning application, effectively killing the project. The report included other case studies of successful data center opposition in Indiana, Texas and Arizona. Virginia's legislative research arm, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, issued a report in December that comprehensively examined the costs of data center development. It found that data-center energy demand would roughly triple from 2023 to 2040 if development went unconstrained. Even so, the legislative protections proposed this year failed to make it across the finish line. Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have had localities require a description of substation needs and a study on the noise the facilities close to homes and schools generate, which can come from their air conditioning units, and onsite power generators. House Democrats killed a requirement for state regulators to review data center power contractsto ensure that electricity generation and transmission lines could support the need. One change that did pass requires the State Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, to review cost allocations for data center projects between consumers and the center operators. The commission already had that authority. One Republican lawmaker, Del. Ian Lovejoy of Prince William County, pushed for ways to have the industry pay for the electric grid upgrades it necessitates. But debate on the bills married business and labor union interests, which 'usually are opposed to one another,' Lovejoy said. 'When those two groups agree on something, [there are] very difficult headwinds.' The General Assembly was also leery of interfering with local land use decisions in an election year, Lovejoy said. All 100 delegates are up for election this year, along with the governor. Democrats control the chamber 51-49. The state Senate, also controlled by Democrats, 21-19, has elections in two years. A similar debate driven by community opposition to new solar projects also took place this year in the legislature. Community opposition to data centers, Lovejoy said, 'is going to affect more and more people when they build data centers directly next to houses. That's the cautionary tale. Look at Loudoun [County], look at Prince William. Don't build them next to schools, don't build them next to houses. Make sure they're set back properly, or you're going to have the same issues that we're having.' Schlossberg said members of her group traveled a couple of hours down to Richmond one early morning during the legislative session earlier in the year. They were there to lobby for the swath of data-center bills as part of the group's increasing battle at the local, state and federal level that is costing the industry money and creating a community of opponents. 'I think it's important to really talk about the building of community,' Schlossberg said. 'In a digital world, I think we have seen people who have never felt lonelier. And I think that's been a really important positive outcome, is that people connect.' This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Boston Globe
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Mike Pence awarded JFK Profile in Courage award for certifying 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6
'I will always believe by God's grace, I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America,' Pence said. Advertisement Pence received the award 'for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,' the JFK Library Foundation said in On Jan. 6, 2021, as rioters who contended the election was stolen took over the US Capitol chanting, 'Hang Mike Pence!' he ensured the constitutionally mandated transfer of power. Pence remained in the Capitol during the riot, despite Secret Service urging him to evacuate, and coordinated with military and congressional leaders during the attack. Advertisement Among the guests giving Pence a standing ovation as he received the silver lantern-shaped award were David Letterman, Governor Maura Healey, Senator Ed Markey, former governor Charlie Baker, Senator Christopher Dodd, Marc Short, Pence's former chief of staff, and Greg Jacob, Pence's former general counsel. The award was presented to Pence by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of John F. Kennedy and honorary president of the library, and her son Jack Schlossberg, a member of the Profile in Courage Award Committee. Schlossberg said the award does not celebrate victory or success. 'Instead, the winner often has to lose something first,' Schlossberg said. The attack on the Capitol 'was an attempted coup, a failed insurrection that nearly succeeded and might have, if not for Mike Pence, who saved America that day,' Schlossberg said. Kennedy commended Pence's leadership as a lesson to Americans in Trump's first hundred days that 'we can no longer take our democracy for granted.' She added that she first thought Pence's certification of the election was just the vice president 'doing his job.' 'Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen, and is happening right now,' Kennedy said. When Pence reflected on Jan. 6, he said, 'the only heroes I saw were wearing uniforms.' 'Jan. 6 was a tragic day, but it became a triumph of freedom,' Pence said. 'History will record that our institutions held. When, after law enforcement secured the Capitol, leaders in both chambers, in both political parties, reconvened the very same day, and finished democracy's work under the Constitution.' Advertisement Pence also acknowledged his break from the Republican Party on some issues, including his support for Ukraine. 'I also have differences with members of my own party on spending, tariffs, and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must continue to stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secure,' Pence said to a standing ovation. Pence repeatedly highlighted working Americans, including his supporters in Indiana. 'I have faith in the countless Americans who make this country work every day, and so should you,' Pence said. 'People who get up every morning, put in an honest day's work, look after their families, do the right thing when nobody's watching and never get a chance for a night like this.' The award is presented annually by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to a public servant who, in the view of a bipartisan committee of politicians and other public figures, has made a 'courageous decision of conscience, without regard for the personal or professional consequences,' the library The award was created in 1989 to 'honor President Kennedy's commitment and contribution to public service,' and was named after Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, 'Profiles in Courage,' according to the library foundation. Former recipients include three US presidents, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pence credited the former president with inspiring the start of his political career. 'It was President Kennedy's eloquence and example that first inspired me to believe that public service was a noble calling, so to be here tonight bearing witness to a journey that President Kennedy helped inspire in my small life is more meaningful than I can possibly express,' Pence said. Advertisement Jade Lozada can be reached at
New York Post
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jack Schlossberg lets it all hang out in Instagram post amid Met Gala feud with Anna Wintour
The controversial grandson of President John F. Kennedy posted a throwback photo of himself as a child — naked and urinating — amid an ongoing feud with his former boss,Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The adorable shot shows a tow-headed, fully nude Schlossberg as a young boy holding a pair of oversized sunglasses to his tiny face while standing on a balcony, peeing. 'TFW you boycott the met gala,' he captioned the image, using an acronym for the phrase 'that feeling when.' The photo was posted late Saturday morning and quickly removed. Even Schlossberg's loyal fans had begged him to take it down. 'JACK, please NO. I opened IG to this. I love the memes, but this is unacceptable man,' wrote someone with the handle, 'The Gay Liberal.' 'Hey Jack pedophiles love and use this kind of thing,' wrote supbreaux1. 'Please reconsider this post for children everywhere.' 3 Jack Schlossberg, the controversial grandson of President John F. Kennedy, posted a throwback photo of himself as a naked child urinating as part of his war against his former boss, Vogue editor Anna Wintour ,and the Met Gala. Jack Schlossberg/Instagram 'Hey uh.. this ain't it man.. I live for the kooky vibes but please take this down,' pleaded Idoveivy. Schlossberg has amassed quite a following online for his often bizarre rants against his mother's cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other members of the Kennedy family who support RFK Jr. But lately he's been warring with Wintour over the 2025 Met Gala and calling for a boycott, saying the flashy annual event is too frivolous given current world events and that it should be boycotted. 3 Schlossberg and his mother Caroline Kennedy attended the Met Gala in 2017 but he's calling for a boycott this year. Instagram/@jackuno Schlossberg, 32, who attended the Met Gala with his mother Caroline Kennedy, 67, in 2017, scored a cushy gig with Vogue in 2024 as a political correspondent but does not seem to still be working for the magazine. A review of his work shows he wrote seven articles for Vogue between June and October, with nothing since. 3 Schlossberg, seen here at the 2024 Democratic Convention, has amassed quite a following on social media for his rants mainly against his uncle, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Getty Images 'Hey Anna Wintour! I am boycotting the Met Gala this year with so much happening at home and around the world,' the social media personality said in Thursday TikTok video. 'It's not the time for a party like that, at least for me.' He posted another video on Instagram from his paddleboard in the Hudson River, also announcing his boycott of the Met Gala and the imminent launch of a his new video channel.
Newsweek
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
JFK's Grandson Jack Schlossberg Calls for Boycott of 2025 Met Gala
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, is calling for a boycott of the 2025 Met Gala, criticizing Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and the event's growing emphasis on celebrity over substance. Schlossberg, a Harvard-educated attorney who has written for Vogue, took aim at the annual benefit gala in a series of social media posts. "I love to party, and I've been to the Met Gala before. I had a great time," The 31-year-old said in a video on Instagram on April 24. "But this year, with so much happening around the world and at home, I cannot in good conscience go to the Met Gala." Newsweek reached out to the Met Gala press contact seeking comment. When Is the 2025 Met Gala? The 2025 Met Gala is scheduled to take place on Monday, May 5, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Traditionally held on the first Monday in May, the annual event serves as a fundraiser for the Met's Costume Institute and marks the grand opening of its annual fashion exhibit. Invitations are typically limited to elite figures in the worlds of fashion and entertainment, and are approved by Anna Wintour, who has overseen the gala since 1995. Jack Schlossberg speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 20, 2024. Jack Schlossberg speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 20, 2024. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images Who Is Jack Schlossberg? Jack Schlossberg is the youngest of three children of artist Edwin Schlossberg and former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. He is the grandson of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Schlossberg's politics are left-leaning. He was a member of the Young Democrats club in high school and had canvassed for former President Barack Obama. He has been known to comment on political and social issues via public platforms and has appeared alongside his mother at official functions. He has also worked as a political correspondent for Vogue. Why Did Schlossberg Call for a Met Gala Boycott? In a series of social media posts, Schlossberg said he was boycotting the gala. In one video he shared on Instagram, he directed his statement to the host: "Hey Anna Wintour, I'm sorry but I'm boycotting the Met Gala this year, I can't go in good conscience with so much happening around the world and at home." Schlossberg's criticism centers on what he views as the gala's performative activism and detachment from broader societal concerns. On X, formerly Twitter, he asked Vogue to "focus on issues and use their platform to take a stand." "FASHION IS POLITICAL — So then why is VOGUE SO QUIET ?! VOGUE shouldn't be so scared of my boycott," Schlossberg wrote. What Is the Theme of This Year's Met Gala? The 2025 Met Gala theme is "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The exhibit will showcase items with a focus on themes of transformation, preservation, and fashion's role in capturing the ephemeral nature of beauty. Despite Schlossberg's call for a boycott, the Met Gala remains one of the fashion world's most prominent events, attracting massive global attention and raising millions for the Costume Institute. What Happens Next It remains unclear whether Schlossberg's call for a boycott will significantly impact attendance or press coverage of the 2025 Met Gala. The event continues to draw a powerful mix of celebrities, designers, and political figures.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Jack Schlossberg issues wild challenge to cousin RFK Jr in ongoing feud
The grandchild of late President John F. Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg, issued a bizarre challenge to his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services. 'RFK Jr ... I have got a challenge for you,' Schlossberg said in an Instagram video Wednesday. 'Me and you, one-on-one, locked in a room, we hash this out. Nobody comes out until one of us has autism. What do you say?' The video appears to be mocking Kennedy's recent statements in which he said 'toxins' or ultrasound scans could be behind a 'tsunami' of autism diagnoses in the U.S. Kennedy held a press conference last week during which he suggested that industries were profiting from autism-causing environmental toxins, seemingly a reference to his decades of anti-vaccine activism and work against artificial food ingredients. The health secretary called the press conference after a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the number of children with autism in the U.S. rose from one in 56 in 2016 to one in 36 in 2020 and one in 31 in 2022. However, Kennedy has faced criticism from scientists and advocates who have slammed his views as misleading and downright harmful. The secretary went against mainstream research during his press conference, which states that autism is a complicated condition, formed mainly by genetics. 'We need to move away from the ideology that the relentless autism prevalence increase is simply an artifact of better recognition and better diagnostic criteria,' he argued. 'Doctors and therapists in the past weren't stupid. They weren't missing all these cases.' He went on to say that 'only a small percentage' of autism cases can be attributed 'to better recognition or better diagnostic criteria.' 'The answer is very clear, and this is catastrophic for our country,' said Kennedy, adding that he would push for a number of studies to find 'precisely what the environmental toxins are,' which may be a part of the rise in cases. 'External factors, environmental exposures, that's where we're going to find the answer,' he claimed. 'We will have some answers by September ... there will be an answer for the American people very, very quickly,' said Kennedy. However, Kennedy's claim that the rising number isn't because of better screening efforts goes against the researchers who put together the CDC report, who said that the rise in cases 'might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.' They also noted insurance coverage as a possible factor. Schlossberg has slammed Kennedy on repeated occasions following the start of his presidential campaign in 2023. 'He's trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame,' Schlossberg said at the time. 'I've listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is his candidacy is an embarrassment,' he added. Schlossberg also pushed senators to reject his nomination to be health secretary during his Senate confirmation hearing.
