A Virginia county that has 37 operating data centers and plans to build at least 17 more has reportedly asked teachers and other county employees to switch off lights to help mitigate an estimated 25 percent increase in electricity costs. According to Newsweek, the Henrico County government said its power costs for government and school facilities would rise by nearly 25 percent starting July 1. It would add an extra $5 million in the next fiscal year. Henrico County, Virginia has 37 data centers, which use immense amounts of electricity. But at the end of June as a heat wave approach the county asked schools and government workers to cut back on electricity use. County employees were asked to do things like "Turn off lights"… — More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) July 1, 2026 Newsweek explained further: County Manager John Vithoulkas told employees in a June 26 email that the rate paid for electricity “will increase dramatically” and that the county anticipates additional increases “in the years ahead,” according to 404 Media and the Henrico Citizen. Henrico has become a data center hub in recent years. 404 Media reported that the county has 37 data centers and plans for 17 more, while the Henrico Citizen reported that Henrico’s eastern corridor is now home to at least 16 facilities, with more on the way. County officials have attributed at least part of the rate increase to rising fuel costs, but have not connected it to data centers, according to the Henrico Citizen. “To mitigate the impact of higher electric costs, I am asking that we, collectively, make slight adjustments to conserve electricity across our individual workspaces,” Vithoulkas wrote, according to copies of the email seen by the outlets. The email asked workers to turn off lights when leaving workspaces, shut down computers and laptops at the end of the day, adjust blinds to manage heat from sunlight, unplug unused appliances and chargers, and limit or avoid using space heaters. Vithoulkas wrote that a typical space heater can cost the county between $150 and $300 per year in electricity costs, and that “each dollar we can save by conserving electricity is another dollar the county can reinvest into staff and the services we provide our residents.” Virginia has become an artificial intelligence hub in the United States, hosting the most operational data centers in the country. The state has nearly 400 operational facilities. Northern Virginia is sometimes called the “Data Center Capital of the World.” However, some Virginia residents have their criticisms about data centers. “Data centers are needed, I won’t deny that. Again, I use them every day, as do you. I also use the bathroom every day, but I don’t want a waste treatment plant in my backyard,” one resident said, according to WJLA. Souring public sentiment led Virginia state lawmakers to grapple with how to regulate the industry and create a first-of-its-kind tax.https://t.co/TOwMUf8KcJ — NOTUS (@NOTUSreports) July 1, 2026 WJLA has more: Perhaps the biggest concern for local residents: the impact of increasing electrical demand. That’s already the case for Americans in 13 states from New Jersey to Kentucky. As more data centers plug in, there are worries that the system just won’t be able to meet demand, and potentially raise prices for millions of customers. “Taxpayers have sometimes said, ‘Well, the infrastructure just to get to a data center, we feel like the data center should be paying more. It shouldn’t all come out of our taxes to get this place in a place where you can do business,'” Thuman said. “It’s a fair question,” Lim said. “When we build campuses, we’ll often put substations on. We’re bearing the cost of that. Again, that concept of us showing up and plugging in. And so we are making significant investments in that. It does get challenging because there are certain parts of the infrastructure that we don’t control, particularly transmission lines themselves, where we try to partner with the power companies in every region we’re in.” What the data center industry has on its side is an enormous amount of money as companies rush to invest in AI, where the U.S. currently leads, but China is racing to overtake. “Research is exponentially growing the amount of information that’s out there, which is creating a healthy level of demand. But I think what we’ve seen in the last few years is AI. And a few years ago, this thing called ChatGPT came out, which opened everyone’s eyes to what was really happening for many years before that,” Bertí said. In addition to insatiable demand, the data center industry also has political support in Washington, where President Donald Trump has signed an order to streamline and speed up permitting for large-scale data centers. The administration argues the U.S. needs to stay ahead of China for economic and national security reasons. All of which is unlikely to stop public concern and demand for more studies into the health effects of data centers. The post Electricity Rates Increase Nearly 25% In Virginia County With 37 Data Centers, Allegedly Asks Employees To Shut Off Lights appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

After publicly announcing that he’s done with the Republican Party, Tucker Carlson said he’s going to “help build a third party” to compete against the GOP and Democrats. “I’m going to help build a third party,” Carlson told Columbia Journalism Review. “There should be a good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country. I mean, if you make sixty thousand dollars a year, you’re degraded. Your life expectancy has gone down, and the promise of your children’s lives is likely gone. No one seems to care. It’s not even a factor,” Carlson explained. JUST IN: Tucker Carlson reveals he is building a new political party to rival Republicans and Democrats. pic.twitter.com/z1ySV4QrCZ — Remarks (@remarks) July 1, 2026 Newsweek has more: The move comes just weeks after the former Fox News host declared there was “no chance” he would support the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections. “How could I or any American voter support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States. That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens,” Carlson said last month. “It’s not possible to vote for people like that, and I’m not going to.” The conservative commentator has spent recent months criticizing Trump’s foreign policy, particularly the administration’s military action against Iran, arguing that the president has abandoned the “America First” principles that helped propel him to office. Those disagreements have widened into a broader rejection of the GOP, with Carlson saying he no longer sees the party as representing his political values. In his third-party announcement, he spoke about the decline in Americans’ quality of life, saying the government should prioritize its own people. “‘What about Hamas?'” Carlson asked. “I officially don’t care about Hamas. The US government should have, as its first priority, the welfare of its own people,” he told the magazine. “I’ve been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party. I mean, very consistent defender. But there’s no defending this because it’s immoral,” Carlson said last month. “And it’s exactly the opposite of what a political party in a democracy is charged with doing, which is representing its own voters, its own citizens, its own nation. And they’re not doing that,” he continued. “So, no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out,” Carlson said. Tucker Carlson Says He Is Done With Republican Party After 35 Years – “It’s Immoral” Carlson was asked if he would be a candidate for this third party. "I don’t want to be a candidate," Carlson said. Forbes noted: Tesla chief Elon Musk informally launched his own political party last year amid a public and fiery feud with Trump. Similar to Carlson, Musk said U.S. residents live in a one-party system, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft.” The “America Party” was never officially established and Musk’s relationship with Trump has since smoothed over, with the president calling Musk “a friend of mine again” last month. If Carlson follows through on creating another party, he will need to register it with the Federal Election Commission. The post Tucker Carlson Says He Will “Help Build A Third Party” appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

July 1 put a major student-loan overhaul into motion. President Trump’s Education Department turned on a new system built around a simple idea. Borrow less, pay it back in plain terms, and get people trained for real jobs faster. Three big changes took effect at once: new repayment options, new caps on graduate and professional borrowing, and the launch of Workforce Pell for short-term training programs. For anyone who has watched college costs balloon while degrees got more expensive and less useful, this is the reset a lot of families have been waiting on. No drum roll needed. ​The two newest student loan repayment plans are now available. ​ Explore your options at https://t.co/3EK0vZOR1L pic.twitter.com/Tl3dY70WhE — Federal Student Aid (@FAFSA) July 1, 2026 Start with repayment, because that is what most current borrowers care about. The Education Department says two new options are now available, and both are designed to pull borrowers out of the maze. The Tiered Standard plan gives fixed payments over 10, 15, 20, or 25 years depending on total balance, so the repayment term is tied to what the borrower actually owes. The Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP, is income-based and runs from 1 percent to 10 percent of income, with a $50 monthly reduction for each dependent. The Department says the RAP minimum can go as low as $10, on-time payments waive unpaid monthly interest, and some borrowers can get up to a $50 matching principal payment every month. That is practical borrower protection, not a vague promise. That turns an income-based plan from a holding pattern into a real debt-reduction path. That last part matters for anyone tired of watching interest eat their balance while the principal barely moves. The borrower-facing details line up with what Federal Student Aid lays out for the Tiered Standard Plan, which it describes as a fixed monthly payment option for Direct Loans with a repayment term set by total outstanding balance. That matters because borrowers are being pointed to the actual StudentAid.gov repayment menu and calculator, a real borrower tool rather than a press release. The same borrower guidance makes clear that repayment-plan eligibility depends on loan type and borrower details, which keeps the promise practical instead of pretending every borrower has the same situation. No gimmicks: you know the payment, you know the timeline, and you can compare the options in the official borrower portal before choosing a plan. .@usedgov launched the new income-driven Repayment Assistance Plan today, and nearly 46,000 borrowers have already submitted an application to enroll! Visit https://t.co/H2AcBKL7Gq to switch plans today! https://t.co/jJcClX5ib4 — ED Under Secretary (@EDUnderSecKent) July 1, 2026 Now the part that hits tuition inflation where it lives: new caps on graduate and professional borrowing, also effective July 1. For years, schools raised prices because the federal spigot was wide open and students could borrow whatever it took. Cap the borrowing and the schools have to compete on cost. The Department says it is already working. It points to UC Irvine cutting MBA tuition by more than 20 percent, Kansas law schools rolling out scholarships and endowment loans, and Santa Clara University announcing a $16,000 law-school scholarship. Those are not abstract wins. That is a college looking at the new rules and deciding it needs to charge less to keep students. Taxpayers have been backstopping runaway graduate debt for a long time. This finally puts pressure back on the institutions instead of the borrowers. Then there is Workforce Pell, which may be the most pro-worker piece of the whole rollout. Starting July 1, institutions can submit short-term workforce programs for approval so that Pell dollars can support them. The Department says these programs are meant to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand jobs, and some can run as short as eight weeks. The Education Department finalized the rule creating the Workforce Pell Grant program in late June, clearing the way for the July 1 launch. The Department says Workforce Pell is built for short-term programs tied to high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand jobs, and some eligible programs can run as short as eight weeks, with institutions submitting programs for federal approval. That is the difference between helping a student get job-ready quickly and trapping the same student in a long, expensive credential path that may not match the local labor market. The point is straightforward: a lot of the country’s best opportunities are in the trades, and those jobs are going unfilled while families look for faster, cheaper ways into stable careers. It also gives schools and workforce programs a clear federal approval lane starting now, instead of leaving short-term training outside the main aid system. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has tied Workforce Pell directly to that shortage, and the math is brutal. For every five skilled-trades workers who retire, only two replace them, which puts the country on track for a 2.1 million shortfall by 2030. Workforce Pell is the answer: let Americans gain a real skill in months, not years, and start earning a wage that supports a family. Add it all up and July 1 marks the start of a loan and training system that rewards work, punishes tuition inflation, and treats taxpayers like they matter. That is the whole point, and it took the Trump administration to make it happen. The post President Trump’s Student Loan Overhaul Just Went Live, And It Rewards Real Work appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

One of the world’s biggest China-linked e-commerce operations just agreed to pay a fortune after the Justice Department said dangerous products reached America through its platforms. The DOJ announced on July 1, 2026 that Alibaba Group Holding Limited and AUS Merchant Services agreed to pay a combined $600 million to resolve allegations tied to illegal pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, listed chemicals, and pill presses flowing into the United States. Prosecutors say those items moved through Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com and related payment services. That is a serious federal enforcement case. It is a nine-figure reckoning over how dangerous products found their way onto American doorsteps. The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that Alibaba and AUS Merchant Services have agreed to pay $600 million to resolve allegations that they failed to prevent illegal sales of pharmaceuticals. https://t.co/pUU3aeTZSt — Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) July 1, 2026 Here is how the money breaks down. The Justice Department says both companies entered non-prosecution agreements to resolve the matter after a multi-year federal investigation, with penalties, forfeiture, cooperation duties, and compliance upgrades attached. Under the deals, Alibaba Group will pay a $125 million criminal monetary penalty and forfeit another $200 million. AUS Merchant Services will pay an $85 million penalty and forfeit $190 million. The DOJ says Alibaba admitted that between January 2016 and December 2024 it failed to prevent roughly 80,000 product sales involving imports into the United States, with gross merchandise value topping $200 million. Those products, according to prosecutors, included listed chemicals, pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, and pharmaceutical counterfeiting equipment tied to U.S.-bound imports over a multi-year period in which investigators later made undercover buys. Federal law enforcement did not take the company’s word for it. The DOJ says agents conducted more than 40 undercover purchases of illegal items straight through the platforms. Prosecutors also say Alibaba employees raised concerns that the company’s compliance controls were not sufficient. In other words, the warning signs came from inside the company, too. The DOJ says some merchants used private messaging features or pushed buyers onto third-party encrypted messaging apps to carry out the unlawful transactions. That is how bad actors try to keep a paper trail from following them. The payment side of the case is just as pointed. Prosecutors say AUS Merchant Services accepted U.S.-dollar payments through credit cards and wires using U.S. bank accounts, then settled the funds offshore between January 2020 and December 2023. The DOJ says AUS failed to fully incorporate wire-transfer data into its transaction monitoring and had anti-money-laundering program failures. Both companies agreed to enhance their compliance programs and keep cooperating with the government. Now to why the pill-press piece hits so hard. The Drug Enforcement Administration says traffickers use pill presses, punches, and dies to churn out counterfeit pills that look exactly like legitimate medications. Those fake pills can be laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, or other deadly drugs. A person swallowing what they think is a normal prescription can be swallowing poison. The scale is staggering. The DEA says it seized more than 47 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2025 alone. The equipment that stamps out those counterfeits is not exotic. It can be ordered online, which is precisely why the DEA has warned e-commerce companies directly about selling it and why marketplace controls matter before another pill hits the street. This settlement puts a hard number on a simple principle. Platforms that let dangerous items move into America are going to answer for it. The companies did not admit to every allegation in a courtroom, and the non-prosecution agreements spell out specific conduct and failures rather than a blanket confession. But the admissions, the penalties, the forfeiture, and the mandatory compliance overhaul are real and on the record. For years the excuse was that a marketplace cannot police everything sold on it. Federal prosecutors just answered that with $600 million and a demand for cooperation, and that answer should get the attention of every platform still looking the other way. The post Alibaba Agrees To Pay $600 Million After DOJ Says Illegal Pills And Pill Presses Moved Through Its Platforms appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The city of Columbus, Ohio, the state’s capital and largest city, said it would raise the Somali flag ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. “Happy Somali Independence Day!” the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department said in a now-deleted post. “As we celebrate the unification of the Trust Territory of Somaliland and the State of Somaliland into the Somali Republic in 1960, City Hall will be raising the flag of Somalia,” it added. Columbus, Ohio Parks & Rec DELETES post celebrating “Somali Independence Day” after intense backlash: pic.twitter.com/0f6ZKvg0WL — TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 1, 2026 Here’s the post before it was deleted: Fox News shared further: The post was quickly picked up by conservatives on social media, with many wondering why the city of Columbus would celebrate Somali independence so strongly, particularly given the proximity to the 250th anniversary of American independence. “Columbus, Ohio raising the flag of Somalia for America 250,” White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller posted on X. “No American government building should ever be raising another country’s flag,” journalist Mark Hemingway posted on X. “Ugh.” “City Hall is not a foreign embassy,” attorney and political commentator Mehek Cooke posted on X. “As an Ohioan, I am repulsed by the anti-Americanism here. Our leaders treat foreign nationalism as sacred while treating American patriotism as controversial. America’s public buildings should honor America.” “There is only one nation’s flag that should ever be flown on American government buildings or property,” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said. “This action by Columbus is a total disgrace and takes away from the epic celebration on Saturday of this country’s 250 year celebration,” he added. There is only one nation’s flag that should ever be flown on American government buildings or property. This action by Columbus is a total disgrace and takes away from the epic celebration on Saturday of this country’s 250 year celebration. https://t.co/rzIdxmYN8t — Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 1, 2026 More from The Daily Wire: The department deleted the post moments after The Daily Wire asked Parks and Rec and City Hall about it. Neither department immediately replied to questions. Columbus City Hall’s X account has celebrated Juneteenth and Pride Month, but said nothing about America’s 250th. In June 2023, the council passed a resolution to fly Somalia’s flag. In June 2025, it passed a resolution “To Recognize and Celebrate July 1st as Somali Independence Day in the City of Columbus.” Columbus is home to the second-largest concentration of Somalis in the United States after Minnesota. The Daily Wire spent time in Columbus after Medicaid records showed some of the most flagrant red flags in the country. Those home-health firms turned out to be run largely by Somalis, to the point where one man said it was racist to ask about Medicaid spending because it was so closely intertwined with Somali identity. Ohio’s Medicaid spending has doubled over the last decade, leading to a financial crisis. Other recipients of government grants in Columbus painted a grim picture of Somalis, saying many claimed to be disabled and were illiterate or drug addicts, to the point where some foreigners were being paid by the government to help other foreigners fill out disability and welfare forms. After the post was deleted, a city spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it was “inaccurate.” JUST IN: Columbus, Ohio has BACKTRACKED and will NOT raise the Somali flag to "celebrate Somali independence" today — Columbus mayor spokesman This comes after they DELETED a post that sparked mass outrage "A social media post created by a city department falsely stated that… pic.twitter.com/HtAmfRttSG — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 1, 2026 “A social media post created by a city department falsely stated that City Hall would raise the Somalian flag in recognition of Somali Independence Day. While the City recognizes and respects the aspirations of people around the world to live in freedom, this post was inaccurate and has been deleted,” the city spokesperson told the outlet. The post Red State’s Largest City Sparks Intense Backlash After Post Says It Will Raise Somali Flag Ahead Of America’s 250th Birthday appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.