AI likely to cause rolling blackouts across USA

With soaring summer temps ahead, AI data centers could strain electricity supplies in the Mid-Atlantic

Forecasts for scorching temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic this summer could result in a higher-than-usual demand for electricity — at a time when federal regulators are warning that the margins between supply and demand are shrinking.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2025 Summer Assessment of electricity reliability from June through September says while all areas of the country will have enough supply, regional electric grids could be stressed by rising temperatures and a demand that is expected to outpace the previous four summers.

While FERC’s annual assessment anticipates an adequate supply of electricity under normal conditions, Chairman Mark Christie said the loss of available electricity is happening “at a pace that is not sustainable and we are not adding sufficient equivalent generation capacity.”

The Mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the transmission of electricity for 67 million commercial and residential customers in all or parts of 13 states and Washington D.C., recently announced that while it expects to have enough supply to meet demand this summer, for the first time, its supply may fall short in an “extreme planning scenario.” The need for more than 166,000 megawatts of electricity would tip the balance, which is enough to power about 133 million homes.

The biggest increase in demand comes from the enormous amount of energy required to power artificial intelligence and data centers, said Dave Souder, PJM Interconnection’s executive director of systems operations.

“We’re seeing a lot of electrification and or data center loads, with all the AI and computer requirements,” Souder said. “We’re seeing less capacity. We’re seeing generators retire before we have enough replacement generation come online.”

Souder said many of those retirements are coal plants. And while new solar and wind sources are increasing, they haven’t kept pace.

Who could have seen this coming literally 20 years ago

Following the election that took place this Sunday, May 25 in Venezuela, the Venezuelan National Assembly will be composed of 82% of the Gran Polo Patriotico Simon Bolivar (Maduro’s coalition) and 18% of the opposition. Chavismo achieve historic victory in Legislative and Regional Elections 2025 winning the governorship of 23 states out of 24.

Today is Resistance and Liberation Day in Lebanon, marking the 25th anniversary of the liberation of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation by Hezbollah and allied forces, including the Amal Movement.

The US military spent $6 billion in the past 3 years to recruit and retain troops

I find a bit funny this idea right-wingers have that if you boycott an election enough, that will mean the election will be invalid or something. But most South American Countries’ Constitutions say that as long as someone voted, the election will be valid

translation from unsere zeit, the communist party newspaper in germany:

Five years since the murder of George Floyd - No turning point

So with China apparently experiencing the greatest surge in household consumption the world has ever seen over the last 1-2 decades and being the biggest consumer market in the world for most goods, already outperforming in per capita sales of goods any other remotely comperable in income level country, how much faster should consumption be growing for China to solve all those oh so terminal weak consumption problems? Should consumption have been growning at double the rate of gdp somehow? Should they, on a per capita basis, already be consuming near level of the average american somehow instead of idk 60% as much? Should they be eating more , buying more cars and smartphones? They are already the largest market by far of just about any product (cars, phones, appliances, furniture, luxury etc) so should they be that by multipliers of 2-3 or 5 already?

Or should they aspire to spend similar amount of money on rent and healthcare on average to catch up ?After all Chinese household consumption numbers usualy come in at levels similar to retail sales, while household consumption in the US is ~2-3x retail sales. Thats because not only ar services (largely rent, healthcare and education) a much larger burden for the american and western consumer but they are also (mis)calculated completely differenty in the chinese national accounting system which is still of leninist origin leading to these numbers above been undercounts funnily enough for china, as are ultimetaly the usualy circulated very low numbers of consumption as a % of GDP. For that and other factors uniqe to China, apples-to-apples, China’s household consumption share is probably 50-55% of GDP, only a bit lower than world average.

Even so ,Is the CPC neoliberaly holding down Chinese household consumption by having it grow only 2+ times as fast as any other country over the years instead of uhhh 4 times ? Where should and would those numbers in those graphs be if not for the missmanagement of Chinas consumer economy by the CPC? At 300% ? At what level should and chinese HH consumption be for it to become a “consumer country” or whatever ?

On an update to Russia’s large scale air attacks on Ukraine, yesterday’s attack was the largest of the entire war so far, 367 munitions used according to Ukraine, including 9 Iskander-M/Iskander-1000/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 55 Kh-101 and Kalibr subsonic cruise missiles (Kh-101 from Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers, Kalibr from ships in the Black Sea), 1 Kh-32/22 supersonic cruise missile from a Tu-22M3 bomber, 4 Kh-69 stealth cruise missiles from Su-57 stealth aircraft, and 298 Shahed/German type one way attack drones. The ballistic missile number appears to be an undercount in my view, there were at least 16 launches reported by Ukrainian air raid channels.

Russia is continuing the attack for the third night in a row, there were over 100 Geran/Shahed one way attack drones simultaneously in Ukrainian airspace tonight at one point (currently 70), and 6 Tu-95M strategic bombers have carried out launch maneuvers for Kh-101 subsonic cruise missiles (unkown if simulated or real launches at this time). A lot of the Geran drones are heading towards the air base in Starokostyantyniv, which was suspected to be hit by an Iskander-1000 ballistic missile last night.

The Kh-101 launches were real, multiple groups of them detected in Ukrainian airspace.

The Kh-101s all targeted Starokostyantyniv air base, along with the majority of Geran drones. Now we’ll see if any ballistic missiles are used to attack the same target. 5 impacts/explosions from the Kh-101s were reported. There were a total of 6 launched at the airbase, only one was shot down on it’s way there.

Ukrainian air raid monitoring telegram channel

AMK mapping telegram channel, provides English translation of Ukrainian and Russian sources

Venezuela Elections Update: Good News!

CNE press conference (finally!). The body’s vice president Carlos Quintero reports, w/ 93% of stations tallied, a 42.6% turnout and a sweeping victory for the PSUV and allies: 82% of the votes. The remainder is split among the various opposition groupings.

Quintero reported on the National Assembly seats that are already assigned, 34 for the PSUV+allies and 6 for opposition factions. The 24 governor races have been called, with the PSUV claiming 23 of them (Cojedes the lone exception)

• Venezuelanalysis

I guess the Venezuela Opposition boycotted it bc trump didn’t give them enough money this time. Also the Anti-Maduro part of the PCV also boycotted it

Chavismo sweeps the Governorships! GPP 23 governorships and Opposition 1!

• Telesur English

China and Russia sign memorandum agreement to build Lunar base by 2036

Are there hints of Muskitism here?

3D printing bricks from lunar dirt? Autonomous drone assembly of a nuclear power plant?

I would call this nonsense but it’s china saying they will do it, and they typically hit their timelines within a year or two.

booooooooo, weak kneed genocide don

Resistance and Liberation Day: May 25 – The Anniversary of the Zionist Defeat and the First Arab Victory

https://masarbadil.org/en/2025/05/5819/

Scientists have lost their jobs or grants in US cuts. Foreign universities want to hire them