MLGW calls NAACP claims ‘patently false,' requests apology
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Light Gas & Water responded Monday to the NAACP, which claimed last week that xAI's operations in southwest Memphis are endangering the health of nearby residents.
A letter sent by NAACP to both MLGW and the county health department accused those entities of looking the other way as xAI ran gas turbines to help power its Colossus supercomputer in southwest Memphis, and of violating open meetings laws.
NAACP pens letter calling for end of xAI supercomputer
The response letter sent Monday by MLGW President and CEO Doug McGowen says those claims are 'patently false.'
McGowen says MLGW has no role in approving the use of gas turbines and undertook an impact study to ensure that the xAI facility would not impact service to other utility customers.
City officials including the mayor have previously said the number of gas turbines at the site was lower than what environmental groups claimed, and on May 6, the chamber of commerce announced the turbines would be removed.
McGowen's letter went on to request an apology from the civil rights organization over what it called 'baseless, inflammatory claims.'
Read the letter below.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
8 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Elon Musk Has a New Plan to Win Back MAGA
Elon Musk is in comeback mode. And he's doing it the only way he knows how: by igniting culture war flames and trolling progressives. The world's richest man has just endured one of the most humiliating stretches of his public life. What started as a bombastic fallout with Donald Trump, whom Musk helped return to the White House, ended with a rare and uncharacteristic public apology. 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,' Musk tweeted on June 11. 'They went too far.' I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025This moment of contrition signaled just how much damage the feud had done, not only to Musk's reputation with Make America Great Again conservatives, but also to his companies. Tesla, the electric vehicle maker he leads as CEO, is still reeling from a sharp sales drop. First-quarter deliveries fell 13%, and net income plunged 71% year-over-year. The company's stock has dropped more than 20% since January. Behind the scenes, Musk has attempted to re-focus on business. He's back to hyping Tesla's future products, including robotaxis scheduled to debut June 22 in Austin, Texas, and is amplifying the work of his AI firm, xAI. But politics remains his drug of choice. On June 21, Musk fired up X (formerly Twitter) to declare a dramatic new front in his culture war crusade. ''Baby, what happened to Woke?'' he posted, mimicking a conversation. Then answered himself: 'Dead, my darling, Woke is dead.' 'Baby, what happened to Woke?' Dead, my darling, Woke is dead. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2025The post racked up over 35 million views. Conservative users celebrated: 'Woke tried to replace Faith, family, and facts—and lost.' Woke tried to replace faith, family, and facts and lost. — Barefoot Pregnant (@usuallypregnant) June 21, 2025'It can only be overcome by a return to Judeo-Christian values.' Others were more skeptical: 'Woke is not dead – It's regrouping.' ❗️Wokeness is not dead — it's regrouping, seeking new disguises. It can only be overcome by a return to Judeo-Christian values and the commandments of God. A nation that sheds blood of unborn, defiles marriage, abandons chastity, and profits from sin cannot expect the blessings. — Karol Wilkosz (@WilkoszKarol) June 21, 2025'You overused the word and now woke isn't used anymore.' You overused the word and now Woke isn't used anymore. People are still as aware and awake as ever-more so! Free Palestine. — Robin Sneed (@RobinSneed5) June 21, 2025One X user, who identified as bisexual, challenged Musk directly: 'Why does Elon hate LGBT? I know it's cause of his son but don't take it out on everyone else.' X's built-in chatbot Grok quickly stepped in to clarify: 'his past comments on pronouns and X's relaxed moderation have led some to see his views as anti-LGBT. [But]There's no clear evidence his stance stems from personal issues. His intent appears to target 'woke' ideology generally, but interpretations vary..' I'm sorry you feel insulted. Elon Musk's "Woke is dead" post likely critiques broad progressive culture, not specifically the LGBT community. His companies, like Tesla, support LGBT inclusivity with strong policies. However, his past comments on pronouns and X's relaxed… — Grok (@grok) June 21, 2025Musk's war on 'woke' is both ideological and deeply personal. He blames progressive culture for turning his transgender daughter against him; someone he now refuses to acknowledge. 'My son, Xavier, died,' he posted in March. 'He was killed by the woke mind virus. Now, the woke mind virus will die.' Exactly. My son, Xavier, died. He was killed by the woke mind virus. Now, the woke mind virus will die. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 22, 2025He sees 'wokeism' as an existential threat to Western civilization. Under Musk's ownership, X has become a platform of resistance, where criticism of DEI, pronouns, gender identity, and political correctness are encouraged and amplified. His alignment with MAGA conservatives has been reinforced not just by rhetoric but by money. Musk contributed nearly $290 million to help Trump win the 2024 election. His support didn't go unrewarded: Trump named him head of a newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But the honeymoon didn't last. When Musk began publicly disagreeing with Trump over policy and power, the president lashed out. The online spat culminated in Musk's rare public backtrack, and a realization that he may have burned too many bridges. Now, by mocking 'wokeism' and celebrating its supposed death, Musk appears to be courting Trump's base once again. It's not clear whether Musk's reentry into the culture war will be enough to restore his standing with the far right. His fallout with Trump exposed ideological and ego-based rifts that may not be easy to mend. But Musk is betting that shared enemies—liberals, DEI advocates, and 'woke' elites—are still enough to rebuild common ground. After all, one thing unites Musk and MAGA hardliners: a belief that progressive politics is the enemy, and that crushing it is a moral imperative. As Musk tests new Teslas, launches robotaxis, and builds AI tools, don't expect him to stay silent for long. He's not just fighting for influence. He's fighting for relevance. And right now, culture war is still his favorite battlefield.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Musk's xAi increases yield offer on $5 billion debt raise, source says
By Tatiana Bautzer NEW YORK (Reuters) -Elon Musk's xAi is increasing the yield it is offering on a $5 billion debt raise led by Morgan Stanley, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. xAi is offering to pay 12.5% yield on $3 billion in bonds, said the source who asked for anonymity to disclose non-public information. Previously, sources told Reuters the company had offered a 12% yield. xAi is also offering 12.5% fixed yield on a $1 billion term loan and set to price a $1 billion term loan B at 725 basis points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, known as SOFR. The term loan B is set to be priced at a discount of 96 cents on the dollar, the source said. The initial offering on the securities was 12% on the fixed loan and 700 basis points over the SOFR on the floating rate loan. Junk-rated bonds paid an average yield to maturity of 7.602%, according to ICE BofA High Yield Index. The deadline for investor commitments was extended from Tuesday to Friday and allocations will be done one day after closing, the source said. If the deal closes on Friday, allocations will happen on Monday. An increase in the yield offer could mean that investors had probably agreed to buy the debt only for a higher yield. The borrower also has lesser flexibility on pricing when investor demand is modest. The xAI offering, which was reported on June 2 as Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump traded barbs over social media, did not receive overwhelming interest from high-yield and leveraged loan investors, Reuters reported earlier this week. Unlike Musk's debt deal when he acquired Twitter, Morgan Stanley did not guarantee how much it would sell or commit its own capital to the deal, in what is called a "best efforts" transaction, according to one person familiar with the terms. xAi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morgan Stanley declined to comment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Musk's xAi increases yield offer on $5 billion debt raise, source says
By Tatiana Bautzer NEW YORK (Reuters) -Elon Musk's xAi is increasing the yield it is offering on a $5 billion debt raise led by Morgan Stanley, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. xAi is offering to pay 12.5% yield on $3 billion in bonds, said the source who asked for anonymity to disclose non-public information. Previously, sources told Reuters the company had offered a 12% yield. xAi is also offering 12.5% fixed yield on a $1 billion term loan and set to price a $1 billion term loan B at 725 basis points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, known as SOFR. The term loan B is set to be priced at a discount of 96 cents on the dollar, the source said. The initial offering on the securities was 12% on the fixed loan and 700 basis points over the SOFR on the floating rate loan. Junk-rated bonds paid an average yield to maturity of 7.602%, according to ICE BofA High Yield Index. The deadline for investor commitments was extended from Tuesday to Friday and allocations will be done one day after closing, the source said. If the deal closes on Friday, allocations will happen on Monday. An increase in the yield offer could mean that investors had probably agreed to buy the debt only for a higher yield. The borrower also has lesser flexibility on pricing when investor demand is modest. The xAI offering, which was reported on June 2 as Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump traded barbs over social media, did not receive overwhelming interest from high-yield and leveraged loan investors, Reuters reported earlier this week. Unlike Musk's debt deal when he acquired Twitter, Morgan Stanley did not guarantee how much it would sell or commit its own capital to the deal, in what is called a "best efforts" transaction, according to one person familiar with the terms. xAi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morgan Stanley declined to comment. Sign in to access your portfolio
