Data Centers Unplugging at Once – WSJ

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Exclusive | A New Threat to Power Grids: Data Centers Unplugging at Once – WSJ

The roughly 40 data centers, which had been using enough electricity to supply more than one million homes, simultaneously switched to backup power sources in February 2025, when a high-voltage power line malfunctioned. The sudden plunge in electricity demand forced the grid operator to take quick action to avoid potentially serious damage.

The incident, details of which haven’t been reported, was the second such problem in Virginia within a span of months. In July 2024, about 70 data centers withdrew from the grid when another high-voltage line failed, requiring a similar scramble to keep power supply and demand in line.?

Balancing the two is critical in maintaining the health of the grid: Both undersupply and oversupply of electricity demand can cause power plants to fail, resulting in blackouts and repair challenges. The issue is especially pressing in Virginia, where data centers are projected to use as much as 57% of the state’s electricity by 2030.

Two-Story Outhouse in Gays | Atlas Obscura

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Two-Story Outhouse in Gays | Atlas Obscura

Standing like a strange white monolith on a small patch of grass in Gays, the two-story outhouse has become somewhat of a local celebrity. It was built in 1869 as part of a general store that once had apartments connected to it. The upper section of the old bathroom was attached to the residences while the lower section was for general store shoppers who just had to go. In order to avoid any disastrous doodie drops, the upper and lower commodes are positioned on opposite sides of the outhouse, and the waste from the upper level actually falls to the septic pit below behind a false wall that keeps the first level away from all sorts of crap.

When the general store was torn down in 1984, the owner of the property saw the uniqueness of the bathrooms and took care to leave them standing, albeit a bit strangely as they no longer have any true reason for being. Today the stacked outhouse is no longer open to the public, and in fact there is no direct way to access the higher level but the Two-Story Outhouse, known to locals as the "skyscrapper," is beloved nonetheless.

$100 Oil Is in Play

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$100 Oil Is in Play

The deteriorating security situation in the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran could send oil prices surging to $100 a barrel, according to Barclays analyst Amarpreet Singh.

“It’s an extremely fluid situation but as things stand right now, we believe we will probably test that level on Monday,” Singh wrote in a note to clients.

Fears that a regional war could choke off oil supplies from the Persian Gulf, and potentially Red Sea ports, have helped drive Brent crude futures up 19% so far this year. The international price gauge ended Friday at $72.48 a barrel.

Kash Patel’s Girlfriend Seeks Fame and Fortune, Escorted by an F.B.I. SWAT Team – The New York Times

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Kash Patel’s Girlfriend Seeks Fame and Fortune, Escorted by an F.B.I. SWAT Team – The New York Times

Ms. Wilkins, 27, is the girlfriend of Kash Patel, President Trump’s 46-year-old F.B.I. director, whose personal use of government jets and F.B.I. agents for himself and Ms. Wilkins has led to growing questions even inside the Trump administration.

“When Kash got confirmed, life changed for her,” said Dianna Muller, the founder of the group Women for Gun Rights, which briefly employed Ms. Wilkins as a spokeswoman.

To an extent not previously reported, Ms. Wilkins is escorted in her travels by Special Weapons and Tactics team members drawn from F.B.I. field offices around the country. SWAT teams are chiefly trained to arrest violent criminals, free hostages and thwart terrorists. But Mr. Patel’s demand that rotating SWAT teams provide his girlfriend with security for singing appearances, personal engagements and errands is unprecedented in the F.B.I., former agents said.