Dominion Energy announced last week that its second-quarter revenue rose to $4.48 billion, up substantially from the $3.81 billion in revenue it earned in the same period last year. Those earnings far surpassed analysts’ estimates. Overall, Dominion posted adjusted earnings of 79 cents per share, again easily topping expectations. The profits are driven, in part, by the expansion of power-hungry data centers. Dominion said it has contracted an additional 5.3 gigawatts of data center capacity in Virginia so far this year, bringing its total demand from data centers to 53.8 gigawatts. At the same time, residential customers are being asked to pay more. Last year, Dominion “requested base rate increases of $8.51 per month in 2026 and $2.00 per month in 2027 for a typical residential customer.” After some back-and-forth, the Virginia State Corporation Commission eventually settled on monthly increases of $11.24 this year and $2.36 next year for the average customer. In addition, Dominion imposed an $8-per-month fuel surcharge that appeared on customer bills starting in July. The company also said the price tag for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project jumped 2% and is now estimated to cost $11.65 billion. The project is more than 80% complete, and Dominion blamed the latest cost overrun on tariffs and construction delays imposed by the federal government earlier this year. Across the Commonwealth, counties are pushing back against the further expansion of data centers. Henrico County hosts 37 data centers and has already agreed to add at least 17 more. After that, however, “county leaders have expressed a non-desire to have [new] data centers because we’ve heard the feedback from the public,” utilities director Bentley Chan told Axios. Henry County doesn’t have any data centers, and many residents want to keep it that way. “We have 700 data centers already in Virginia. The most in the whole world. That is more than China,” congressional candidate Adam Murphy said at a county board hearing last week. “If we really need a data center, which I do not think we do, it does not need to be in Southwestern Virginia.” On a statewide basis, state Sen. Glen Sturtevant said he “asked Gov. [Abigail] Spanberger to impose an immediate statewide moratorium on data centers. The projects should be paused now, and then we can decide whether Virginia should permit any more at all.” Spanberger is in the process of putting together a 10-year energy plan. “It’s really just designed to basically provide a 10-year roadmap looking at how we’re going to hit the 2045 net zero across all sectors,” Chief Energy Officer Josephus Allmond told Virginia Mercury. “I want to hear from Virginians across every corner of the commonwealth, and I encourage everyone who pays an energy bill in Virginia to make their voice heard,” Spanberger said. She encouraged Virginians to log on and provide feedback. The energy plan is due by Oct. 1. Meanwhile, Dominion Energy is moving forward with a planned merger with NextEra Energy of Florida. Both companies filed applications with federal and state regulators last month. If the merger goes through, the companies vowed that “Dominion Energy customers in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina would receive $2.25 billion in bill credits over the first two years after closing, funded by shareholders and not recoverable from customers.” The deal could be wrapped up by the second half of 2027.

There is no need to choose between winning the AI race and having affordable electricity. Data centers consume a lot of electricity and will therefore raise electricity demand across the country, but demand alone does not determine whether household rates rise. Texas’ data centers can strengthen the state’s economy without forcing households to pay higher electricity rates. Data centers have been around for years, making everyday online services possible: websites, cloud storage, email, streaming, online banking, artificial intelligence, government networks, and business software. A data center provides the essential, physical infrastructure that supports “the cloud.” Despite the useful services they supply, not everyone is convinced. In a recent poll, 14% of Texans “somewhat” opposed new data centers in their community, and a whopping 42% “strongly opposed” their construction. Often people assume that allowing a new data center nearby will ensure their electricity prices increase rapidly. This doesn’t have to be the case. Electricity prices aren’t driven by demand growth alone. Instead, they’re driven by how the grid and infrastructure respond to that growth. Take China, for example: It is experiencing a similar data center boom, but its electricity prices are significantly lower. China doesn’t unnecessarily restrict its supply chains, as we do in the U.S. Additionally, while gullible media and government officials point to China’s development of wind and solar, the Chinese government has fully committed to supplying abundant, cheap electricity for its industrial and commercial needs. That commitment means China now operates the most coal-fired electricity generation on the planet, and its government has approved the construction of more new coal generation than is currently operating in the U.S. In contrast, overregulation hinders American energy from reaching its full potential. A solution to meeting growing demand despite metastasizing regulatory restrictions on American electricity markets is a bring-your-own-energy style policy. These policies can work well in Texas’ energy environment, where, apart from market-distorting subsidies, the energy market is meant to determine what type of energy is cost-effective and reliable. Texas Senate Bill 6 requires data centers using a lot of energy to fund grid connection and infrastructure upgrades, including transmission and distribution studies. Although SB6 doesn’t guarantee that every dollar charged to a data center equates to a dollar of infrastructure for that specific facility, it embraces the right principle of taking meaningful steps to protect ratepayers. In states such as New York, Washington, or Oregon, where zero-emission requirements are abundant, a bring-your-own-energy style policy would serve as an additional cost on developers. But mandates in these states already force data center operators to fund wasteful climate initiatives that distort investment decisions, raise operation costs, and ultimately raise prices for consumers and businesses. It’s reasonable to expect data centers to cover the costs of the generation, transmission, substations, and reliability services they require. However, these businesses (and their investors) should not be viewed as piggy banks for green political agendas. Loading costs onto an industry based on climate initiatives backed by faulty science is a cardinal sin in a free market. Instead, these states would do well in the short-term to focus on expanding electricity supplies with grid-enhancing technologies that could help to provide data centers with the power they need. A Columbia University analysis found that these commercially available technologies can unlock meaningful capacity within months, making them especially useful as data-center electricity demand rises through 2028. Examples include advanced conductors that can nearly double line capacity, and power-flow controls that have already freed 2 gigawatts—approximately 4.4% of Britain’s national peak demand—of additional capacity on Britain’s grid. These technologies move electricity; they unfortunately do not generate it. Deregulation, paired with innovation, is the solution to meeting the data center electricity demand. Faster permitting and local responsiveness, especially around community concerns, are key to data centers being good neighbors and to America winning the AI race. States like Texas can welcome data centers without subsidizing them or eliminating competition. Let companies build, let energy suppliers compete, ensure that large electricity customers pay for the electricity and infrastructure they need to operate, and remove the stringent regulations preventing grid expansion. Doing this will ensure data centers are an asset to Texas and Texans.

Aaron Rodgers, NFL quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sat in a comfy, rotating chair next to Pat McAfee, head down as he listened to McAfee’s next question on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show”: “Can you tell us about the mindset of coming into your last season? How do you view this year versus maybe the years of the past?” Rodgers raised his head and responded, “I’m gonna plead the fifth.” "I'm pleading the Fifth You've gotta be kidding me" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/kg3y0uMxxR— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 3, 2026 Laughter broke out on stage and in the crowd of yellow-and-black-clad Steelers fans behind the stage at the joke, which was directed at Dr. Anthony Fauci, who just last week appeared before a Senate hearing to answer questions about the role he played during the pandemic, particularly questions regarding COVID-19 origins and his own decision-making. During the hearing, he “plead the fifth” 111 times on the advice of his lawyers. Rodgers’ joke launched the conversation into the topic of Fauci’s recent public scrutiny. During the exchange, Rodgers had some strong words for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. “Are you kidding me?” Rodgers continued. “You got a pardon and you plead [the fifth] over a hundred times? What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. ‘I am science,’ and he can’t get up there and answer a question?” The four-time NFL MVP related the situation to the scrutiny he received in the past for declining to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, a decision that, at the time, was highly controversial in the eyes of the public. McAfee summarized Rodgers’ situation at the time for the crowd: “In 2021, there was a 500-page report that Aaron looked into with many doctors about his body and said vaccination. Now that became a talking point of COVID, I believe, around the entire globe. And the only reason I know that is because I was called a murderer because I was platforming Aaron Rodgers who was making the decision that was best for himself. You were called a murderer; you were called a lot of things.” The report McAfee referenced is a report that Aaron Rodgers said he sent to the NFL Players Association before the 2021-22 season to appeal the NFL’s decision to place him on the “non-vaccinated” list going into the season. The document claimed he was allergic to an ingredient in mRNA vaccines, which Rodgers believed should make him exempt from getting the Moderna and Pfizer shots in order to be able to play during the season. He also said at the time that he was worried about the absence of long-term study data and, as a result, whether COVID-19 vaccines affected one’s fertility negatively. After Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, the NFL launched an investigation into the Green Bay Packers’ COVID-19 protocols, which eventually resulted in a $14,650 fine for Rodgers and a $300,000 fine for the Packers organization. Aaron Rodgers making sure to re-address his previous COVID stance during his time on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/1zUvDmQrRY— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 3, 2026 After dealing with plenty of public scrutiny throughout that entire season and beyond, Rodgers seems to be enjoying the spotlight being fixated on someone else. “It’s nice to be sitting on this side now, especially after that coward plead the fifth over a hundred times. I thought you had a pardon there, Tony. Why couldn’t you answer one question there the entire time?” “What are you gonna say about me now? You can’t talk about the COVID stuff because, obviously, it was made in a lab in China. That’s not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal. I’m on good terms with my family. What are you gonna say now?” Rodgers also pointed out the fact that certain outlets didn’t cover the Fauci hearing as much as they covered his situation in the winter of 2021. “How much time did the network spend on [Fauci’s hearing]? How much time did they spend on my responses every week, on my vaccination status, on Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce]’s wedding?” Seconds later, the Pittsburgh fans broke into cheers as chants of “MVP! MVP!” began. Pat McAfee wrapped up the Fauci conversation with a compliment to Rodgers. “Way to stand on your truth throughout the entirety of that thing. Congratulations.” Rodgers responded, “I told you I’d be on the right side of history.”

America’s Big Tech companies are turning Karl Marx’s 19th-Century nightmare into a 21st-Century dream come true for regular workers. Far-left Democrats—and far-far left Democratic Socialists—love to rail against the evils of the super wealthy. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., relentlessly grumbles his cranky incantation about “millionaires and billionaires.”  “You can’t earn a billion dollars,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., insists. “You can break rules,” she argued to podcaster Ilana Glazer. “You can abuse labor laws … You have to create a myth of earning it.” “I don’t think that we should have billionaires,” Democratic Socialist and Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani declared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” while a candidate in June 2025. U.S. tech companies are ignoring this rubbish. They are minting thousands of millionaires and billionaires. As Nitasha Tiku explained in the July 11 edition of The Washington Post, Anthropic is expected to go public in short order. Claude AI’s parent company was valued at $965 billion in May. Analysts at Hill.com calculate the incredible wealth-production effects envisaged when Anthropic launches its initial public offering. Early revenues from its stock sales are forecast to establish seven new billionaires among the company’s top brass.  From there, the riches will flow—widely and deeply. Hill.com estimates that Anthropic’s IPO will initiate 50 centimillionaires. Each will possess between $100 million and $999 million. Another 1,200 Anthropic employees will become decamillionaires, as their bank accounts range between $10 million and $99 million each. And a whopping 3,000 Anthropic staffers will see their stock values reach $1 million to $9 million per person. All told, Anthropic’s debut is projected to endow 4,257 personnel with at least $1 million. No public program could generate so much wealth so swiftly and so broadly.  This phenomenon is already underway at SpaceX. Its June 12 IPO temporarily made Elon Musk Earth’s first trillionaire. Predictably, this enraged leftists whose erotic fantasies involve leveling society so that everyone stares at equal servings of bread crusts and tap water.  But beyond the headlines, the IPO turned approximately 4,400 current and former SpaceX workers into millionaires. “About 400 of those employees are expected to make $100 million or more,” People magazine’s Charlotte Phillipp reported, citing Hill.com data.  Juan Hernandez once earned $28 an hour as a SpaceX welder. Ahead of the IPO, Hernandez told the Wall Street Journal that his shares would be worth about $880,000 at the IPO price; on their first day of trading, CBS  valued them at just over $1 million. “It’s put me in a comfortable position for life,” Hernandez told the  Journal. Launch engineer Gavin Petit earned $80,000 annually when he joined SpaceX in 2012. He received stock up front and scored additional equity, paid as bonuses. His 50,000 shares are worth $5.4 million at Friday’s $108.37 closing price.     Former SpaceX engineer J. Andre Lavoie’s shares equal $28 million. He has used some of this wealth to acquire a northern Italian hotel, which he is refurbishing. Lavoie personifies these new millionaires’ societal value: They do not stuff their mattresses with cash. Lavoie will hire carpenters, painters, and plumbers. Chefs will feed his guests, and maids will fluff their pillows. Tourists will sleep soundly before rising afresh for new adventures. “The lesson of SpaceX is not that Elon Musk became ultra-wealthy,” Navy veteran and U.S. House candidate Bob Smith wrote in the California Current. “SpaceX created extraordinary wealth for a much broader manufacturing workforce, including skilled trades.” Many of these new millionaires and billionaires will become philanthropists. Anthropic’s seven co-founders, each plans to keep 20% ($3.4 billion) of his $17 billion in stock and donate the other 80% ($13.6 billion). Combined, this totals $95.2 billion in voluntary charity. For its part, OpenAI Foundation holds 26% of the $692 billion enterprise behind ChatGPT. This $180 billion treasure chest will serve man. Rather than hammer millionaires and billionaires, Americans should celebrate the fact that thousands more of them walk among us. They purchase goods and services, provide jobs, invest for today, save for tomorrow, and donate money, pro bono publico. This is the warmth of capitalism. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch will announce her candidacy for governor of the state, the Daily Signal can first report.  “It is just such a proud moment to be able to even announce my candidacy for governor, and it’s always about making the tough choices and putting innovative ideas into action,” Fitch told the Daily Signal in an interview.  Fitch served two terms as state treasurer before becoming Mississippi’s first female attorney general in 2020. If elected, she would become the state’s first female governor, as well.  “I’m excited having that knowledge base to be able to bring to the governor’s office again, understanding the complexity of state government,” she said, “understanding how we, as we work together, can make a lot of great positive things happen in our state.” She has been a strong ally of the Trump administration, partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to stop human trafficking and help locate missing foster children.  Under Fitch’s leadership, Mississippi was the first state to pilot Operation Hope, which aims to rescue foster children before they are trafficked.  “We’re leading the nation in that call, so now we’re able to go out and train other states, give them our best practices on how to stand up human trafficking task force,” she said, “and certainly when the president was looking for a state to lead that cause, we have done that in the state of Mississippi with the fentanyl as well, the opioid epidemic.”  In a campaign video obtained by the Daily Signal, Fitch describes herself as a “Trump conservative who shares your Mississippi values.” “As governor, I’ll focus on making life more affordable, our communities safer, our economies stronger, while protecting our core values of faith, family, and freedom,” she says. Fitch has also opposed the expansion of the abortion pill regimen. She joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in signing an amicus brief supporting Louisiana’s lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration for allowing the abortion pill to be available by mail.  After assuming office in 2020, Fitch became the public face of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the landmark case that overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal right to abortion. In July 2021, Fitch filed the merits brief in Dobbs, explicitly arguing that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey should be overruled. “What an amazing experience to have been a part and led the team for the Dobbs case to overturn Roe v. Wade and protect life,” she said. “It was a very bold and strategic move by the state of Mississippi, and very successful. But we immediately launched into exactly what we said we do: empower women and promote life.” Fitch’s Empowerment Project helps pregnant women and mothers find the support they need. She also participates in Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance, a website to help connect needy families with resources.  She was also the first attorney general in America to sue to keep biological males from competing in girls and women’s sports.  Fitch is the fourth Republican to announce her candidacy in the gubernatorial election. She already has the endorsement of the leading pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.  She joins Andy Gipson, the Mississippi commissioner of agriculture and commerce; former state Rep. Philip Gunn; and Shad White, the state auditor of Mississippi, in the race. No Democrat has thus far announced a campaign. Fitch says she will “never back down from a fight.” She said she will prioritize “making life more affordable for Mississippians, safer communities, and economic development.”  Fitch described Mississippi as a “hidden jewel.” She said she hopes to follow in the footsteps of recent Republican governors, including the current Gov. Tate Reeves, who is term-limited.  “I feel like my service is not done, and I want to continue to bring really bold strategic planning to our state because we’ve been, in the past, a hidden jewel,” she said. “I mean, what an amazing state we have! But I’m ready to take it to the next level.”