President Trump has embarked on a pro-AI data center kick, causing a world of hurt for his own party. The gigantic, energy-guzzling factories are literally and figuratively steamrolling small rural communities—the very same voters Republicans need to clinch the midterms.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle are doing an about face on the issue, but will it be too little, too late? Alex speaks to Suzanne Bellsnyder, author of the Texas Rural Reporter substack, about what it’s like when your home becomes ground zero for data center development.

Then, she puts it all into context with Galaxy Brain’s Charlie Warzel, who writes about AI and technology at The Atlantic.

Pre-order Alex's new book, The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and The Raid On America's Courts and subscribe to her Substack here.

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North Carolina is one of the most closely divided states in the country. But when it comes to political power, the story is much more complicated.

Jen, Mitch, and Errin explore the growing power of unaffiliated voters, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's devastation, the fight over who controls state government, and why elections here are so often decided on the margins.

Guests: Jason Isbell, Former Gov. and Sen. candidate Roy Cooper, former Gov. Pat McCrory, State Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch, Congressional candidate Jamie Ager

Democratic Socialists are racking up wins in primaries across the country, Tucker Carlson is conspiring with other exiled MAGA stars to form a third party, and polling shows that American voters are open to a system with more choices.

This week Alex speaks to four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader about the threat the current political mood poses to both establishment Democrats and Republicans, and hears from Seth Bodnar about how he’s running a competitive race for a Montana Senate seat as an Independent.

Then she’s joined by Matt Welch, editor-at-large of Reason and co-host of The Fifth Column podcast, about everything from Francesca Hong’s victory in Wisconsin to the reasons why Tucker Carlson won’t become President in 2028.

Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.

You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.