X just exposed a 200,000-account Chinese bot farm pushing anti-AI-data-center propaganda across America — and Senator Ted Cruz says it could reshape the future of U.S. artificial intelligence, energy policy, and national security. On this episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, Senator Cruz and Ben Ferguson break down how China trying to convince Americans — conservatives and liberals alike — to turn against the data centers that power AI, and why the political backlash has become a "train wreck" in just six months.
Ted Cruz, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, walks through what X's global Governance Team uncovered, including sample bot accounts like "Thomas Jackson" and "Patricia Robinson" pushing AI-generated cartoons and misinformation about electricity prices and data center water use. Cruz explains the difference between bots and paid "sock puppets," why polling on data centers has flipped to roughly 70/30 underwater, and how governors like Kathy Hochul in New York have already moved to ban new data centers — exactly what Beijing wants. He debunks the top misinformation on water (most new data centers use closed-loop cooling and use less water than a golf course or almond orchard) and addresses the legitimate concern on power, pointing to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's new order requiring minimal water use and net-positive power generation.
Cruz warns this is a "Three Mile Island moment" for AI: if the U.S. handcuffs data center construction, China will dominate AI, the underlying data, and the propaganda pipeline for a generation. He urges tech, energy, and industrial companies — Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, Chevron, GM, Ford, Tesla, Caterpillar, and major airlines — to apply public choice theory by delivering concentrated, unmistakable benefits to host communities, including direct monthly checks or even free electricity for life.
Then Cruz and Ferguson turn to President Trump's newly announced deal for 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, structured through the Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of War, with the U.S. government taking an equity position alongside a private operator. Cruz explains the upside for American jobs, energy, and long-term gasoline prices, but raises concerns: the deal was cut with interim Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez — Nicolás Maduro's former vice president and a self-described Marxist.
Plus: Cruz reflects on the debut of his new book, "Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas," which hit on Amazon.
Source: Verdict with Ted Cruz
