The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a key piece of legislation aimed at bolstering the country’s nuclear energy sector.
The bill passed by a vote of 88-2 with Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposing the measure. The nuclear package was combined with another bill that reauthorized the U.S. Fire Administration and grant programs for firefighters.
The measure aims to accelerate the process of approving the construction of new nuclear plants as many of the country’s existing plants reach the end of their serviceable lives. Additionally, it reduces the licensing fees that power companies must pay to initiate projects. It also mandates the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare a report examining ways to simplify and expedite the environmental review process.
The Trump administration has placed an extreme focus on “unleashing American energy.”
President Trump issued four executive orders directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce rules and expedite new licenses for nuclear power facilities, acting on applications within 18 months.
The United States was formerly the world leader in nuclear design and construction, but delays and exorbitant prices have given that position to China, which is building a record number of reactors.
The directives aim to expedite federal permitting for new nuclear projects and technology, as well as implement cost-cutting strategies to reduce the NRC’s footprint.
The sector will benefit from federal subsidies, since the House of Representatives’ draft budget legislation retains tax incentives for new and existing nuclear facilities, but requires them to begin construction before January 1, 2029.
The plan is to triple domestic nuclear power generation over the next 25 years, boosting capacity from around 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050.
On Tuesday, OpenAI and Oracle disclosed their intention to construct five additional data center sites as part of the “Stargate” initiative.
This initiative would substantially enhance the U.S. AI infrastructure and could potentially influence the grid composition in numerous states.
The companies, which are collaborating with SoftBank, stated that Stargate, which is supported by President Trump, has approximately 7 gigawatts of planned capacity and $400 billion in planned investment over the next three years.
This brings the initiative in close proximity to its initial objective of investing $500 billion in AI infrastructure and constructing 10 gigawatts of data center capacity by 2028.
The development of data centers is being closely monitored due to their potential to revolutionize the electric grid and its energy consumption.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that the AI build-out could utilize approximately 12 percent of the U.S. electricity by 2028.
In July, Oracle and OpenAI signed an agreement to invest over $300 billion in data centers over the next five years, which is the source of the majority of the new capacity. The corporations have announced that they are in the process of constructing data center sites in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; and an unspecified location in the Midwest.
The new complexes are anticipated to generate over 5.5 gigawatts of power capacity and create over 25,000 jobs in conjunction with an operational Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, according to the companies.
That is more than twice the amount of electricity necessary to supply electricity to San Francisco.
The other two new Stargate sites, which are currently under development by OpenAI and SoftBank, are located in Milam County, Texas, and Lordstown, Ohio.
The Texas location is being supported by SB Energy, a SoftBank subsidiary, while the Ohio complex has commenced construction and is anticipated to be operational next year. The companies indicated that they may shortly disclose additional locations associated with Stargate.
Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank officials stated that they evaluated more than 300 proposals for data centers throughout the nation in order to determine the most suitable locations.
Microsoft, OpenAI’s supporter, is collaborating with Constellation Energy to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania and is currently in the process of constructing a $4 billion data center complex in Wisconsin.
Meta is constructing an AI compound in Louisiana that will consume power equivalent to that of Manhattan. In Pennsylvania, Amazon is investing $20 billion to establish AI facilities.
Nvidia announced earlier this week that it would provide OpenAI with computer processors and invest $100 billion in the technology company.
The political battleground between President Donald Trump and Senator Adam Schiff of California erupted once again this week, with Trump leveling fresh allegations of mortgage fraud against one of his most vocal adversaries.
The claim, which Schiff rejects as baseless, has become the latest flashpoint in a years-long feud that has shaped partisan narratives in Washington.
Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning, accusing Schiff of lying about his primary residence in order to secure favorable mortgage terms on a Maryland home purchased in 2009.
According to the president, Schiff labeled the property his principal residence for more than a decade despite representing California in Congress.
“I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist. And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud,” Trump wrote.
He claimed that the fraud began when Schiff refinanced the property in February 2009 and continued through multiple transactions until October 2020, when Schiff finally designated the Maryland home as a second residence.
Trump insisted the alleged scheme constituted serious fraud, declaring that Schiff “needs to be brought to justice.”
The allegations center on how Schiff described his properties in financing documents. Reports indicate that Schiff identified both his Maryland residence and his California apartment as his “principal residence” at various points between 2003 and 2020.
Refinancing records from 2009, 2011, and 2013 listed the Maryland home as a primary residence, even while other documents described his California address in the same terms.
Critics argue that misrepresenting a property’s status could allow borrowers to access lower interest rates and more favorable terms. But constitutional experts note that Schiff was not required to maintain California as his sole residence while serving in Congress.
The Constitution only requires members of Congress to be “inhabitants” of their states at the time of election, not throughout their tenure.
Schiff wasted little time responding to Trump’s remarks. He dismissed the accusations as political retribution tied to his leading role in Trump’s first impeachment.“
Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason,” Schiff wrote on X. “So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable.”
His office also issued a statement calling the claims “debunked,” emphasizing that the lenders involved were fully aware of his dual residences and his year-round use of both homes. “He has always been completely transparent about this,” a spokesperson said.
The trend was first flagged by Christine Bish, a Sacramento-based real estate investigator and Republican congressional candidate. Bish filed an ethics complaint against Schiff, arguing that the overlapping designations amounted to mortgage fraud.
Her findings were later amplified by conservative outlets, fueling calls for an official investigation.
The issue gained new traction after Fannie Mae reportedly reviewed the case. Though the mortgage giant has not confirmed or commented on Trump’s claims, the president alleged that its Financial Crimes Division had identified evidence of fraud.
While Trump did not provide direct evidence to substantiate the accusations, his remarks fit a familiar pattern. He has often branded Schiff as dishonest, referring to him as “Shifty Schiff” and calling for his prosecution.
In follow-up comments to reporters, Trump softened the specific charge but maintained his broader critique: “I don’t know about the individual charge, if that even happened, but Adam Schiff is a serious lowlife.”
For Trump, the allegations against Schiff are politically advantageous. They allow him to shift focus onto one of his fiercest critics while energizing supporters who view Schiff as emblematic of what they see as Democratic corruption.
Schiff, now a senator, has used the moment to redirect attention back onto Trump. In his response, he alluded to what he called Trump’s “Epstein files problem,” a reference to calls for greater transparency surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s records.
Schiff’s strategy underscores the deeply personal nature of his feud with Trump, each man using the other as a political foil.
The dispute raises broader questions about congressional ethics and financial transparency. Members of Congress are required to disclose their assets, income, and liabilities, but enforcement of residency designations in mortgage documents falls into a gray area.
Legal experts point out that determining fraud requires proof of intent to deceive lenders. If Schiff’s lenders were aware of his situation and approved the loans with that knowledge, the case for criminal wrongdoing may be weak. Still, even the appearance of impropriety can damage public trust in elected officials.
For Democrats, the episode is yet another example of Trump using personal attacks to distract from his own controversies. They argue that the accusations are a continuation of Trump’s pattern of targeting opponents with unsubstantiated claims.
Republicans, however, see the case as evidence that powerful Democrats are not held to the same standards as ordinary Americans. They argue that if Schiff did indeed benefit from misrepresenting his residency status, it constitutes fraud that should be investigated.
The issue also highlights the broader climate of partisan warfare, where ethics complaints and allegations of corruption are wielded as political weapons.
The battle between Donald Trump and Adam Schiff shows no signs of easing. With Trump demanding justice and Schiff dismissing the accusations as political payback, the clash encapsulates the bitterness of today’s politics.
Whether the mortgage fraud allegations hold up under scrutiny remains uncertain. What is clear is that the controversy has become another front in the long-running war between Trump and his Democratic rivals — a war where personal attacks, ethics complaints, and accusations of corruption have become standard weapons.
As the story unfolds, the American public is left to grapple with competing narratives: one casting Schiff as a corrupt politician exploiting loopholes for personal gain, the other portraying Trump as a vengeful president weaponizing allegations against his critics. In either case, the feud has once again spotlighted the deep divisions defining American politics today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvttS7yjnug&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Frednews.cafex.biz%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
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