Iowa Republicans Join Bipartisan Pushback Against Data Center Boom

An Iowa county supervisor is making waves by pushing back against the rapid proliferation of data centers, a stance that puts her at odds with President Donald Trump's national agenda but squarely in line with her rural constituents.

Dawn Vogel, a Republican county supervisor in rural Iowa, voted earlier this year for a moratorium that temporarily bans data centers from setting up shop in her heavily Republican county, which favored Trump 63%-35% in 2024. Her position reflects a growing bipartisan concern about the breakneck expansion of AI infrastructure across the American heartland.

“I don't think this is a Republican or Democratic issue,” Vogel said on the sidelines of the Iowa State Association of Counties' annual conference in late August, adding that she hasn't talked to a single voter at home who wants data centers.

What do Iowa voters think about data centers?

The pushback isn't just anecdotal. An NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey, conducted from Aug. 20 through Sept. 1, found that 69% of respondents oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local area, with 45% saying they “strongly oppose” the idea.

These findings put local voters squarely at odds with Trump, who has championed the AI industry and its massive energy demands as a cornerstone of American technological dominance.

For rural Iowa communities, the concerns are practical: water usage, strain on local power grids, and the question of whether these facilities actually create meaningful local jobs. Data centers are notoriously low-employment facilities once constructed, often requiring only a handful of technicians to maintain thousands of servers.

U.S. strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers, military says

In international news, the U.S. military said its forces struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday after Iran launched ballistic missiles toward two Navy ships.

A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyer evaded multiple attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and no American personnel were harmed, Central Command said.

CENTCOM said U.S. forces retaliated by permanently disabling one crude oil carrier off the coast of Kharg Island and one near Jask. Forces also destroyed a third vessel near the Gulf of Oman.

“If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost -- taking out three of yours,” CENTCOM's commander said. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet.”

Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the U.S. strikes, calling them “illegal and aggressive” and accusing Washington of waging a naval blockade and economic war.

Sen. Kennedy criticizes Trump administration's Ukraine approach

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., criticized Republican leadership on a number of issues including the Trump administration's handling of the Ukraine peace process.

Kennedy told NBC News' “Meet the Press” he believes the Trump administration should take a different approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Louisiana Republican also said his party should do something about inflation ahead of the midterm elections but that it's “not likely.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told “Meet the Press” in a separate interview that Trump has “undoubtedly” committed impeachable offenses but that Democrats would also focus on issues like healthcare if they win back the House.

“Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king,” Raskin said, responding to a question about whether Democrats would move to impeach Trump if they retake the House.

Politics in brief

• Lone Star spending: The Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. super PAC plans to spend $10 million in Texas' Senate race.
• Bring the house down: The Kennedy Center renewed its call for the president's shutdown of the building after part of a ceiling collapsed.
• Take three: The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court again to restrict mail-in voting, days after the first ballots went out.

Rescuers in Nepal pull out two more people alive after devastating floods

Rescuers in Nepal pulled a man and a woman alive in separate operations Saturday, 10 days after devastating floods hit the country, as teams continued searching for thousands of people still missing.

The man, a Chinese national, was rescued from a hydropower tunnel, according to a social media post from the prime minister's office, bringing to three the number of workers pulled alive from the Trishuli hydropower project.

A photo released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed two rescuers carrying the man out of the tunnel. He was undergoing a health assessment, the army said.

In flood-hit Nuwakot, a woman was rescued alive from a house, Nepal's army spokesperson said. She was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Images released by the army showed rescuers finding the woman covered in mud inside the damaged house.

Amazon-branded cargo plane crashes outside Miami airport

An Amazon-branded cargo plane crashed just outside Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft overran the runway while landing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Video showed plumes of smoke billowing from the site. It appears that the aircraft crashed onto a road outside the airport.

All runways and taxiways at the Miami airport were closed due to a ground stop following the incident, the airport spokesperson said in a statement.

U.S. envoys meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv after peace talks in Moscow

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, a day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Witkoff and Kushner were greeted by Zelenskyy in Kyiv after arriving in the Ukrainian capital by train from the Polish border, having flown there from Moscow.

“Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive. We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, adding that Ukraine's “proposals are ready.”

Putin, for his part, did not publicly signal any movement from his previous steep demands, which seek major concessions from Ukraine.

The renewed talks appear to be Washington's latest effort to end the nearly five-year war after months of stalled momentum amid the conflict with Iran.

Notable quote

Dolly Parton's sister condemned the “fake AI garbage” and deepfakes circulating in the wake of the beloved American icon's death, while also thanking fans of the larger-than-life country singer for their “genuine” support.

In case you missed it

• The far-right Alternative for Germany party was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election Sunday, but it wasn't immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill its ambition of forming the country's first far-right state government since World War II.
• Hurricane Lowell is expected to create life-threatening conditions even as it is forecast to pass just west of the major Hawaiian islands by Monday night.
• The United Nations General Assembly endorsed a new world map that represents Africa more accurately in its larger size.
• Israeli strikes killed four people in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said.