The global conversation around artificial intelligence is framed as a technology race. Yes, America is in an AI race, but that race will be over before it even starts if we do not secure reliable fuel to power it. From a technical advancement standpoint, the AI race is a challenge of intellect: algorithms, chips, and computing architecture. From an energy standpoint, however, it is a question of wisdom: Do we have the wisdom to make the right decisions now, to prioritize and properly utilize the abundant, affordable, and reliable energy resources we already possess? AI runs on massive, continuous amounts of electricity. The nations that can deliver power at scale, at the lowest cost, and with the highest reliability will lead not only in AI, but in manufacturing, economic growth, and national security. China understands this reality. In fact, China now generates more than twice as much electricity as the United States and continues to expand power infrastructure at a pace the U.S. has not matched in years. If America intends to lead in AI, we must prioritize natural gas. It is the only fuel source today that is readily deployable, scalable, reliable, and affordable. For the first time in more than half a century, U.S. electricity demand is growing at a sustained rate. The Department of Energy estimates the U.S. will need 50 to 150 gigawatts of new electric capacity within the next decade, describing the challenge as the Manhattan Project of our time. A single large data center can consume as much power as a heavy industrial facility. Data centers are modern-day industrial factories, operating 24/7 and requiring uninterrupted baseload power. We must use wisdom when locating these facilities. Power generation can be built almost anywhere, but fuel cannot. Our grandfathers understood this. Steel mills and petrochemical plants were built near power plants, and power plants were built near fuel sources. When new power demand is located far from the fuel source, costs rise, timelines stretch, and risks multiply. Long-haul transmission adds expense, energy loss, permitting complexity, disruption, and public opposition. Electricity is expensive not only to generate, but to move. The most efficient solution is also the simplest: build new power demand on top of the fuel supply. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images There are two regions in the U.S. that are uniquely equipped. More than 80% of U.S. natural gas production is concentrated in two strategic regions: the Gulf Coast and the Shale Crescent USA (Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania). If these three states were a country, they would be the third-largest natural gas producer in the world, producing roughly one-third of all U.S. natural gas. Natural gas in the Shale Crescent is among the lowest-cost in the industrialized world, roughly three to four times cheaper than Europe and Asia, and among the lowest-priced in the United States. For high-load users like data centers, AI infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, proximity to reliable baseload power is a strategic advantage. Across the country, data centers are already struggling to secure power. Utilities are issuing moratoria, interconnection queues stretch into the next decade, and grid operators warn that demand is outpacing supply. America cannot out-AI China if China out-powers the United States. The path forward is not mysterious, but it does require political will and wisdom. Natural gas must be treated as a strategic national asset, and the lowest-cost, lowest-risk path forward is to locate new data centers and power-intensive infrastructure directly on top of the fuel supply. If we make that choice now, we can secure the energy foundation our AI future requires. * * * Nathan Lord is the President of Shale Crescent USA, a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage business growth and create high wage jobs in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Nathan is a graduate of Marietta College and earned his MBA from Liberty University. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Early Saturday morning, the United States launched a “large-scale” military strike on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. World leaders are weighing in and are divided on the United States’ actions. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the strike, saying, “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line.” He called for the international community to “respond vigorously to this episode.” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez echoed Silva’s call for an international response, saying, “Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on Venezuela.” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russia was “extremely alarmed” by the United States’ strike. “Such actions, if they actually occurred, constitute an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state, respect for which is a key principle of international law.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer neither condemned nor supported the strike, saying, “Well, I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies.” The prime minister did make clear that “the UK was not involved in any way in this operation.” Like Starmer, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani weighed in without offering either endorsement or condemnation, stating, “I continue to follow closely and in coordination with the Prime Minister the developments of the situation in Venezuela with particular regard to the safety of the Italian community.” Argentina’s President Javier Milei said: “Long live freedom, damn it,” “VIVA LA LIBERTAD CARAJO.” Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Milei’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno added, “Argentina trusts that these events represent a decisive advance against narcoterrorism that affects the region and, at the same time, open a stage that allows the Venezuelan people to fully recover democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights in accordance with the principles of international law, and put an end to the oppression exercised for years by the authoritarian regime.” Ecuador’s leader Daniel Noboa Azin has a warning for all “narco criminals,” saying, “To all the narco chavista criminals, your time is coming. Your structure will completely collapse across the entire continent.” He then offered support to Maduro’s opposition, Maria Corina Machado: “To Maria Corina, Edmondo Gonzalez, and the Venezuelan people: it’s time to reclaim your country. You have an ally in Ecuador.” Ukraine has emphasized the importance of democratic change in Venezuela. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Mexico “strongly condemns and rejects” the United States’ strike in Venezuela and that the United States must end “all acts of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people.” President Trump said earlier this morning that he has offered Sheinbaum his support to “take out cartels” and then said “something has to be done in Mexico.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei said, “What’s important is one realizes an enemy wants to force something on one’s government or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy. We won’t give in to them.” He added “We’ll bring the enemy to its knees.” Trump ally and leader of Reform U.K. Nigel Farage said, “The American actions in Venezuela overnight are unorthodox and contrary to international law, but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing. I hope the Venezuelan people can now turn a new leaf without Maduro.” China responded through its Foreign Ministry, condemning the strike as a “hegemonic act.” In a statement, the ministry said it was “deeply shocked” by what it described as the United States’ “blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.” This is a developing story, check back for updates.

'We call for restraint'

More Maduro Raid Info Pouring In, Trump Calls Into Fox News, Presser Upcoming

On New Year's Day, The Wall Street Journal published an exclusive interview with President Trump, focusing on his health. Trump's physician Dr. Sean Barbarella told the Journal that the President's health is "exceptional" and he is "perfectly suited" to perform his duties as Commander in Chief. The bombshells? Trump  is taking more aspirin than he is supposed to, and tried wearing compression socks but didn’t like them so he stopped. Basically nothing there, but that didn't stop some in the media from blowing it up. Trump was right on target when he also said, he regrets undergoing advanced imaging because it generated scrutiny of his health. “In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition.” And that scrutiny continued even after this interview. He was talking about  his decision to get a cardiovascular and abdominal scan in October, which he originally had called an "MRI", but has now been clarified to have been a CT-scan.  Thursday, on the first episode of CNN's The Arena for 2026, host Jim Sciutto began the segment by playing a clip of what the President had told the media aboard Air Force One, in October and November, when he misidentified the procedure as an MRI. Sciutto then welcomed in Dr. Jeremy Faust, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.   SCIUTTO: So I read the Journal piece, and actually, as I read it, I said, well, nothing here seems to be particularly alarming. Some signs of aging, but but generally a fairly healthy picture for a 79-year-old. DR. FAUST: I would agree with that. I think that most of what we saw was a fleshing out of much of what we already knew. With these corrections about the CAT- scan, as opposed to the MRI. But I agree that the interesting piece of information, especially as an emergency clinician, was that this gentleman is taking 325mg of aspirin per day in an effort to prevent a heart attack... The standard dose of 81mg, does confer all of the benefit.. So where is the story here? There is none, but it didn't deter Sciutto.  SCIUTTO: He's got these other issues with bruising (On his hands) etc. Does that add up to, from your perspective, and I know you're not his doctor, so you're reading from afar, but but does that add up to you a sign that perhaps his heart condition is more serious than he's letting on? DR. FAUST: That I could not say. What I can say is that the dose of aspirin that he acknowledges that he takes, does credibly explain the bruising. I would say the bleeding risk is real. And the CAT-scan results that we got from July seem to indicate that his heart function was okay. So, the Dr. explains the hand bruises, says the CAT-scan shows a good heart, and agrees with Sciutto, that Trump is "a fairly healthy picture for a 79 year old!"  Quick, Sciutto needs something, so he turns to his panel. But former Wall Street Journal political reporter Molly Ball wasn't any help. SCIUTTO: Has he (Trump) taken away or inadvertently added to questions about his state of health? BALL: I think it helps him politically to take this all on head on. I think.. it's impossible not to compare the situation to President Biden, ...and the [Biden] White House response was not only to deny it was an issue, but to basically accuse us of concocting a conspiracy theory and say anyone who even noticed that Biden was slowing down a tiny bit was a rabid partisan actor, and none of this was real. But this White House has taken the opposite tack of saying we're going to have the President be out there as much as possible to show people exactly how robust he is. Still no story, but Sciutto had one panelist up his sleeve that he could count on, Democrat strategist Meghan Hays, and she didn't disappoint. SCIUTTO: . ...Do you have questions and do you think the White House is being forthright and forthcoming about the President's health? HAYS: No, they're rolling around in circles in every day. It's like a different thing. Or every time it comes up, it's a different excuse. So being transparent is great. Telling lies in the course of transparency, that's not actual transparency. So they should take a lesson from the Biden administration and be more transparent. What on earth is she talking about? The Biden cover-up has been documented, yet when Sciutto interrupted Hays, all he said was "As many folks noted, while handshaking can explain bruising on your right hand, he's got it on both hands, and not a lot of folks shake hands with both hands." Sciutto couldn't accept that his guest expert Dr. Faust had explained that Trump taking a higher dose of aspirin, credibly explained the bruises. I guess that's all Sciutto had left after the failed attempt at casting doubt on Trump's health.

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Nicolás Maduro was "captured and flown out" of Venezuela after the United States carried out another strike, President Donald Trump announced. After months of anticipation and several strikes against alleged drug cartel boats, Trump greenlit the most aggressive military action of his second term in office. 'Maduro was arrested by American officials and will stand trial in the United States.'"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump announced Saturday. "This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow." Trump is expected to speak at a Mar-A-Lago press conference at 11 a.m. on Saturday.RELATED: Trump says US struck drug-linked site in Venezuela: ‘We hit them very hard’ Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesSecretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with several Republican senators about the capture, noting that Maduro was arrested by American officials and will stand trial in the United States. "[Rubio] informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant," Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said in a post on X. "This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack." "The interim government in Venezuela must now decide whether to continue the drug trafficking and colluding with adversaries like Iran and Cuba or whether to act like a normal nation and return to the civilized world," Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said in a post on X. "I urge them to choose wisely."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A North Carolina man who allegedly planned to use knives and hammers for a New Year's Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of ISIS was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, federal officials said Friday.The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina said a criminal complaint was filed Wednesday and unsealed Friday after Christian Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte. Sturdivant turned 18 just two weeks ago, according to jail records.'May Allah curse the cross worshipers.'"This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year's Eve," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. "The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law."FBI Director Kash Patel added that "the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year's Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that."The FBI in Charlotte on Dec. 18 received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to allegations in the arrest affidavit.Sturdivant in early December posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with on-screen text that read, "May Allah curse the cross worshipers," officials said. The post allegedly is consistent with ISIS rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS' extreme ideology.RELATED: 'Terrorist scum': Trump announces Christmas Day strikes in Nigeria in response to persecution of Christians Image source: Department of JusticeThe criminal complaint alleges that Sturdivant on or about Dec. 12 began communicating with an online covert employee, or "OC," whom Sturdivant believed was an ISIS member, officials said.Sturdivant told the OC, "I will do jihad soon" and proclaimed he was "a soldier of the state," meaning ISIS, officials said, adding that on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS' propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in Western countries, officials said, adding that the article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina, officials said. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.What's more, officials said Sturdivant on Dec. 19 allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging "Bayat," which is a loyalty oath to ISIS.On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant's residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled "New Years Attack 2026," officials said.RELATED: FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report Image source: Department of JusticeThe document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack, officials said, adding that it also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21.The note also included a section labeled as "martyrdom op," which described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr, officials said.RELATED: Trans-identifying radicals among those arrested in alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative who secured knives and hammers so Sturdivant could not use them for harm, officials said. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant's bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant's bed, officials said. These items appear to be the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC, officials said.Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant's bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant's planned attack, officials said.Sturdivant remains in federal custody, officials said, adding that he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. He was behind bars Friday night at the Gaston County Jail with no bond.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

As with its 2023 predecessor, i/o, the classic rock legend will share a new track on each full moon. The post Peter Gabriel Surprises With 2026 Album, o\i appeared first on Best Classic Bands.