Data centers have quickly become a perpetual threat to our communities here in Michigan. It can feel far removed from everyday life until one is proposed in your backyard. And with Congress leaving Washington and tabling a debate over who should pay for the massive amounts of electricity these facilities use until after the general election, the issue is heading straight to some Michigan voters.

How, you might ask?

In the 7th Congressional District, the two candidates running for the seat have taken different positions on data centers. And who gets elected could have a major impact on their future in Michigan. The ’Gander’s Kyle Kaminski has the story.

Plus: Michigan’s Senate passed a bipartisan plan to protect kids from addictive feeds and AI chatbots. Now it’s stuck in the House. Its sponsor says November could decide its fate.

Michigan’s US Senate candidates to debate (WOOD-TV): Michigan’s US Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers will face off Thursday night in a statewide debate hosted by WOOD TV. The hourlong debate begins at 7 p.m.

New law targets gift card fraud (WCMU): Michigan has made gift card fraud a felony under the state’s organized retail crime laws. The new laws allow for up to five years in prison for scammers who steal redemption information and drain cards before buyers can use them.

AG Nessel affirms Michigan election security (WGVU): Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says state officials have spent months preparing for potential disruptions during the November election, including voter intimidation, federal agents at polling places, and even power outages. She reiterated that Michiganders can feel confident in the state’s elections.

(The ‘Gander TikTok)

Congress just went back home. They’re not coming back to vote until Nov. 8, five days after Michigan’s vote in this year’s election. And the biggest fight in this country right now over data centers and AI? Well, it’s still sitting unfinished on their desk.

This week, we’re zooming in on Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, and the two guys running for this seat could not be further apart on this topic. 

Here’s the deal: Before they left town, the US House passed a bill 417-3, nearly unanimous. It essentially tells state regulators to consider making data centers pay for the full cost of the electricity they use.

And it got mixed reviews. Some call it a good first step. Others say that a voluntary approach isn’t going to hold big tech accountable. And that’s where it stopped. The US Senate still hasn’t picked it up. Meanwhile, the president posted this month that people who think data centers are bad for your neighborhood are, in his words, “revolutionaries for a bad and evil cause.”

So when I tell you November will likely decide what happens next, I mean it literally. Congress punted it to you. Democrat Will Lawrence is running to represent Greater Lansing on what is arguably the most aggressive policy position in this year’s election cycle. Last week in Mason, standing near a proposed hyperscale site, he rolled out what he calls STOP, the Stop Tech Overreach Plan. It includes a federal moratorium on new data center construction, a pause on advanced AI development, and a tax on AI profits, which would fund union jobs for the workers it puts out of a job. He’s also the only candidate in Michigan who signed the AI pact.

And here’s the kicker: His Republican opponent is now campaigning on this, too. US Representative Tom Barrett now openly talks about stopping federal overreach and ending the secrecy pledges around these data center projects. But something worth noting: Barrett voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill—$83 billion in tax breaks for data centers, in a version that also tried to block your township from regulating AI for 10 years. And records show his campaign has now collected money from the corporate PACs for Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle.

So what? Well, a recent national poll found that only 11% of Americans would want a data center being built in their local community; 65% are against it. That’s not a red number or a blue number. That’s everybody. And Congress left town without resolving any of it, which makes this seat, in this district, about the closest thing Michiganders living here have to a straight-up vote on whether anyone in Washington slows this down. One guy wants a moratorium. The other one voted for the tax breaks and changed his pitch.

Get the full story in this edition of so what? Michigan.

(Yura Fresh/Unsplash)

By Kristine Gill

A four-bill package aimed at protecting Michigan kids from the harms of social media awaits a vote in the House, and Democratic proponents of the legislation say the November midterms could determine whether it passes.

The Kids Over Clicks package passed the Senate with bipartisan support in April. State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, who represents the 4th District, said it aims to protect kids in the absence of federal legislation, with four bills regulating addictive algorithms and protecting kids from manipulative AI chatbots.

Meta has agreed to pay the state at least $171 million to settle a multistate lawsuit over the addictive and dangerous nature of its Instagram and Facebook algorithms. As part of the settlement, Meta has also agreed to certain changes, including improved parental controls for age-appropriate content and screen time limits during school and nighttime hours. Meta has said those changes could take up to a year to implement.

Until the federal government steps in, bills like Kids Over Clicks are among the few protections standing between children and Big Tech giants who critics say aim to monetize their attention.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with stories from Kyle Kaminski and Kristine Gill. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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