• Many Americans are resisting the construction of massive AI data centers in their communities.
• Some local and state governments are issuing moratoriums on data center development.
• Others have banned data center construction altogether.

Americans across the country are rallying against the AI-inspired data center boom.

Now, an increasing number of local lawmakers are backing them up, issuing restrictions, imposing moratoriums, or outright banning construction.

Data centers have become a major source of contention in the United States, where tech leaders, developers, and investors are pumping billions of dollars into the large-scale construction projects. The facilities house the servers powering the AI products sold by Big Tech companies and leading AI startups like Anthropic and OpenAI.

Although data centers in America aren't new, the AI revolution is fueling ever-increasing demand and requiring facilities that dwarf those of the past. A Business Insider investigation published last week found 1,416 data centers already built or approved for construction across 45 states and Washington, DC, in 2025.

The White House has supported this push for more data centers. In 2025, the Trump administration accelerated federal permitting for their construction and directed the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to provide financial support for certain projects. The administration also backed the Stargate project, a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank that seeks to build out AI infrastructure.

Supporters say the data centers will create new jobs and strengthen the economy, and are necessary if the United States wants to compete with China to lead the world in AI. Critics, however, are more worried about how they will affect the largely rural communities where they are being built.

They worry about the impact on the environment, wildlife, water resources, air quality, electricity costs, traffic, and noise levels. Some have also criticized local officials and developers for what they say has been a lack of transparency in the approval process. Protesters have swarmed community meetings, launched petitions, and even taken legal action to stop data center developments in recent months.

Some high-profile figures in the data center game, including Jeff Bezos and Kevin O'Leary, have tried to sway public opinion. That PR push, however, hasn't had much impact. A Pew Research Center survey earlier this year found that the more Americans learn about data centers, the worse they feel about them.

• A group of states is now investigating OpenAI.
• New York State Attorney General Letitia James sent a subpoena to the company on Friday.
• OpenAI said it's taking the concerns "seriously" and is "committed to learning."

OpenAI said it's "committed to learning" after a coalition of states launched an investigation into how the tech startup's products impact users.

An OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement that it's taking the states' concerns "seriously" and will "engage constructively with their offices."

"Today's ChatGPT includes a more protective experience for minors and people experiencing difficult situations, with safeguards that direct them to real-world resources and trusted human contacts," the spokesperson said.

"None of this changes what families have gone through, but we are committed to learning, improving, and getting this right," they added.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James served OpenAI a subpoena on Friday seeking a wide range of documents, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The documents pertained to user engagement and retention, the company's handling of health and consumer data, deep learning models, activities related to young and older users, and more, the Journal reported.

Friday's subpoena is the latest legal headache for OpenAI. The company has navigated copyright infringement claims, privacy lawsuits, and a high-profile trial pitting SpaceX CEO Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Perhaps most concerning, however, are a handful of lawsuits that say ChatGPT contributed to decisions by users to die by suicide. In response to a May report by The New York Times, the company said ChatGPT "is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts."

The family of a victim in a fatal campus shooting at Florida State University in April, meanwhile, has also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. The family says ChatGPT's guardrails failed to recognize the threat in the shooter's conversations with the chatbot. In June, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed yet another lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman over the shooting.

In that complaint, Ulthmeier says ChatGPT has "aided and abetted deadly rampages" and "encouraged vulnerable people into suicide." The state attorney general also says users have become addicted to ChatGPT, a tool that "feigns human compassion to collect their data with no parental oversight."

In response, OpenAI again said it has introduced further safety measures into its products. "Losing a child is the most devastating tragedy that can happen to a family and we know that no words can come close to addressing the pain of such a loss," the company said in a statement at the time.

The coordinated investigation launched by the state attorneys on Friday mirrors a similar investigation into TikTok, which resulted in a 14-state lawsuit now making its way through the courts.

Like the OpenAI investigation, the TikTok lawsuit is led by the attorneys general of California and New York. The states say TikTok knowingly uses addictive features to lure kids, which negatively impacts their mental health.

Lawyers told Business Insider that it's a common strategy for states to band together when they go after multibillion-dollar companies because they are more expensive for the companies to defend and, should a case falter in one state, the suit can continue in another.

It's also how the government went after Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, in 2017, and the tobacco industry in the 1990s.

• Movie theaters are on a comeback tour.
• Gen Z and millennials are driving ticket sales, seeing an average of seven films a year.
• AMC's CEO said "The Odyssey" had the highest first-day ticket sales of any studio release since 2022.

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is already breaking records, and it hasn't hit theaters yet.

In an X post on Friday, AMC CEO Adam Aron said "The Odyssey" recorded the company's "highest first-day ticket sales for any studio-released movie title since 2022."

"My apologies if you encountered a long ticketing line on the AMC web site and app yesterday," Aron said.

"The Odyssey," based on Homer's Greek epic poem, has seen worldwide excitement since Universal Pictures announced the film adaptation in late 2024. The film's trailer raked in over 120 million views in its first 24 hours, in part due to the star-studded cast.

Matt Damon helms the film as Odysseus, while fans can also expect to see Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattison, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Lupita Nyong'o, and more.

"The Odyssey" comes three years after Nolan struck cinematic gold with "Oppenheimer," which won seven Academy Awards and became a pop culture phenomenon alongside Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."

"The Odyssey" debuts on July 17, but the build-up around ticket sales has been long in the making. In an unusual decision, IMAX announced that it would sell tickets for select screens and showtimes a year in advance. Fans who missed the first ticket drop had another opportunity on Thursday with advanced tickets for premium large-format showtimes.

On X, Aron said the only AMC releases to outpace "The Odyssey" were driven by two musical juggernauts: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

"Ironically, the only first-day AMC ticket sales results since 2022 that topped The Odyssey were for our very own music-oriented projects from our own AMC Theatres Distribution, namely first-day ticket sales for the Renaissance concert film from Beyonce in 2023 and our two Taylor Swift efforts in 2023 and again in 2025," Aron said.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the streaming revolution dealt a harsh blow to movie theater attendance, it's on the rebound. A Fandango report published in April said Gen Zers and millennials were driving momentum at movie theaters, spending more money and time compared to other generations.

The report said a good slate of films in 2025, the desire for out-of-the-home experiences, and social opportunities drove Gen Zers toward the movies. Both Gen Z and millennials saw an average of seven films in 2025.

"For Gen Z, it is a form of social gathering. For Millennials, it is an escape from daily routine," the report said.

AMC has seen the boost firsthand. On Monday, the company said more than 25 million people attended its theaters in May, marking the highest May attendance since 2019.

"These immensely satisfying results reflect the strength of a diverse film slate, one that was driven both by established blockbusters with their well-known characters along with entirely new IP," Aron said in a press release. "This current measure of success, combined with the many compelling movies coming to our screens in the weeks and months ahead, gives us great confidence as we look to the rest of 2026."

• Apollo's chief economist said there's "zero evidence of AI-related job losses."
• A parade of tech leaders celebrated that take over the weekend.
• At least a dozen major companies, meanwhile, have cited AI in their decision to lay off workers this year.

Anyone worried that AI will replace them should take a deep breath, at least according to Apollo Global Management's chief economist.

In a blog post on Friday, Torsten Sløk said there is "zero evidence of job losses because of AI," citing the ADP National Employment Report. Instead, he said, companies are hiring candidates who have AI skills.

"Many firms are hiring AI implementation experts, and the data center buildout is putting upward pressure on salaries for AI experts and on prices of semiconductors, equipment, and energy," Sløk said. "The bottom line is that the AI spending boom is stoking both employment and inflation."

Sløk echoed that sentiment in an April blog post, writing that "cheaper inputs don't shrink industries. Instead, AI is going to increase both productivity and employment."

The latest ADP report found that private companies added almost 110,000 more people to their payrolls in April.

Anxiety that AI will eradicate the average job is everywhere, stoked in part by those behind the technology. While Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have recently changed their tune as they gear up for their respective IPOs, they have both warned for years that AI could upend entire job categories. Amodei famously said last year that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.

Sløk's analysis resonated with some figures in the AI industry, including Box CEO Aaron Levie, Dell CEO Michael Dell, and White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, who all agreed with his view in X posts over the weekend. David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, also made a similar argument last week in a New York Times opinion piece.

An EY survey of 240 financial service CEOs, meanwhile, found that about 60% thought investing in AI would maintain or increase their staff head count in 2026.

These optimistic takes, however, seem to clash with recent reality. At least a dozen major companies have cited AI as a factor in staff layoffs this year. In February, Block CEO Jack Dorsey said the company was slashing its workforce from over 10,000 to under 6,000.

"We're already seeing that the intelligence tools we're creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company," Dorsey said in a memo shared to X. "i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now."

Cisco, Atlassian, Cloudflare, Coinbase, IBM, and Snap are also among the companies that have cited AI as a reason for layoffs.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, one of the pillars of the AI industry, has criticized companies that blame AI for layoffs. "I think the narrative that connects AI to job loss for many of the CEOs that are doing it is just too lazy," Huang told a media outlet in Singapore last week.

Altman has called the practice of blaming AI to reduce staff "AI washing."

In his blog post on Friday, Sløk said that, in his view, the current employment climate is an example of the "Jevons paradox," an economic theory that says as new technology increases the efficiency of a resource, the more that resource is consumed.

In this case, that resource would be human workers.

"It is Jevons paradox playing out in real time: cheaper technology is creating more demand and more jobs," Sløk wrote.

• Steve Wozniak gave a commencement speech at Grand Valley State University earlier this month.
• He was cheered after telling students they had AI, or "actual intelligence."
• Students have booed some other execs who championed AI during their graduation speeches.

Steve Wozniak did what other college graduation commencement speakers couldn't this year: earn applause when talking about AI.

The Apple cofounder took the stage during Grand Valley State University's graduation ceremony earlier this month. During his speech, Wozniak offered reassurance to new graduates who are entering the workforce at the height of the AI revolution.

"You have AI — actual intelligence," Wozniak said.

The remark garnered laughs and applause from the audience.

"It would take too long to go deeply into what I think about AI, but we've been trying to create a brain," Wozniak said. "Is there a way we can duplicate a routine a trillion times and have it work like a brain? AI is one of those attempts."

While Wozniak delivered his speech without interruption, the same can't be said of some other AI-forward commencement speakers. In the weeks that followed, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and real estate executive Gloria Caulfield were both booed for their comments about AI at two separate graduate ceremonies.

AI is looming over new graduates as they enter the job market. The tech is changing the landscape, from the skills candidates need to how companies assess them. Its ability to automate many tasks has led some companies to conduct AI-related layoffs.

During his commencement address, Wozniak reflected on working at Apple and offered students some advice as they begin their careers.

"You should always try to think different," he said. "Don't follow the same steps as a million other people. Think, is there something I can do a little different?"

• Andrew Yang says AI could cause considerable inequality.
• He said a basic income policy will be "necessary" to address the issues.
• Yang floated a universal basic income during his 2020 presidential campaign.

AI-related layoffs are already hitting America's job market, and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang thinks the fallout could be substantial.

During an interview on The New York Times' "Hard Fork" podcast, Yang said the technology, when compounded with America's current economy, could lead to "inequality on an epic, unprecedented scale."

"We're going to have our first trillionaire. The folks at the top stratum of American life are going to get richer and richer. It's going to compound over itself," Yang said. "Then there are going to be a lot of families wondering what the heck happened. My kids studied hard, there's no job, they have these school loans, they're in my basement, they're getting depressed."

He said a basic income policy will be "necessary" to address these issues. A universal basic income — a program in which a government provides recurring, unconditional checks to all citizens — was a key part of Yang's 2020 presidential campaign. During that time, he introduced the Freedom Dividened, a universal basic income program that would have provided all American adults a $1,000-per-month payment, no strings attached.

Yang received pushback at the time from some lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, who instead suggested providing guaranteed federal jobs to address workforce automation.

Lawmakers are divided on basic income. While some believe it could boost economic stability, others worry it could discourage Americans from working and be expensive to fund. Many leading Big Tech personalities have, on their end, advocated for basic income programs in response to AI's impact on employment.

Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, a longtime advocate of basic income, recently said that a "universal high income" will be the "best way" to deal with AI-related unemployment.

"AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation," he wrote on X this month.

During the interview, Yang said there should "100%" be a tax on AI, which could help balance the income gap in the US economy.

"It should be going out to people and workers in various ways. We should try and find ways to get off of taxing human labor," Yang said.

He added, "So tax AI. Tax the bots. Don't tax humans."

• Rudrojas Kunvar, 16, built Evion, an AI tool that helps farmers analyze crop health.
• The tool collects aerial crop data from drone-captured images.
• Kunvar created Evion to make that data more accessible to small and midsize farms.

While meeting with a venture capitalist last year, 16-year-old Rudrojas Kunvar received an offer that would excite even the most nonchalant teens: accept $300,000 to drop out of high school and run his AI startup full-time.

"It was definitely a rough couple of weeks of contemplating," Kunvar, who lives in Germantown, Maryland, told Business Insider. "That's a lot of money."

Kunvar had spent the summer before building Evion, a free AI crop-analysis tool that uses images taken by basic camera drones that farmers can purchase themselves.

The AI model analyzes images and generates a crop health map that farmers can integrate into their existing platforms or access via a dashboard. Green means healthy, while red means unhealthy.

"Farmers can use that to predict the future of their crops," Kunvar said. "You can see what areas need more water or fertilizer, rather than just spraying everywhere."

Like construction and defense, drones are reshaping America's agriculture industry. There were about 5,500 agricultural drones registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in 2025, up from about 1,000 in 2024, according to Michigan State University researchers.

Kunvar said Evion can help farmers save money because the targeted data can eliminate crop health uncertainty, meaning they'll be less likely to waste water or fertilizer.

Kunvar says Evion is positioned as an alternative to companies that market pricey agricultural drone products or services. Instead, farmers can buy cheap camera drones, take their own photos, and upload the information themselves.

"It's meant to be a more affordable plan for these low to mid-scale farms," Kunvar.

After building Evion, Kunvar partnered with Jacob Lee, who has experience creating tech tools, to expand its reach. Kunvar launched the initial pilot in the fall.

Ultimately, Kunvar declined the $300,000 drop-out offer, saying he wanted to ensure his product remained accessible and didn't get wrapped up in chasing profits.

It all started with a question

The idea behind Evion came during Kunvar's sophomore year at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County while attending a community festival. One-third of Montgomery County is designated as an Agricultural Reserve, or protected local land meant to preserve rural space.

"I asked a farmer about how they're able to tell when a disease is coming or what slight discoloration means," Kunvar said. "Essentially, he said he's guessing. I spoke to a few other farmers, and I realized there was a common thread among all of their responses."

Kunvar, who said he's had a lifelong love for technology, was surprised.

"We've had a lot of AI advancements in various verticals and various industries," he said. "Why isn't there much happening for agriculture?"

Initially, Kunvar wanted to make his own fleet of fully autonomous drones that could capture the data, but went a different direction after talking with mentors and crunching the numbers. Instead, he studied drones and pinpointed what's driving their cost: the multispectral camera.

"The camera was the leading cost. I wondered, 'What if there's a way to get similar data without needing this camera? What if I could use a simple camera?'" Kunvar said.

He pointed toward Tesla and its autonomous vehicles as proof it work. Unlike Waymo and other companies that use lidar, Tesla relies on cameras.

After setting up the logistics and AI model, the founders sought clients by sending cold emails and LinkedIn messages. They found better luck, however, partnering with agriculture-oriented nonprofits and organizations to reach farmers.

Now, the technology is helping farmers in North America, Southeast Asia, and India.

As for his future plans, Kunvar wants to continue growing Evion while exploring opportunities in different fields, including AI infrastructure.

"There's so much ambiguity in entrepreneurship, especially in startups, but I've learned there's beauty in ambiguity," Kunvar said. "There's been times where nothing's working out, and then you have the tiniest win, and it's like, 'wow, maybe I can do this.'"

• Delays persist at TSA checkpoints across US airports due to the partial government shutdown.
• As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport is advising travelers to show up 4 hours early.
• Here's the latest on TSA delays, and how to check wait times before you travel.

If you're flying in the US, get ready to stand in line.

Airports across the US are continuing to see lengthy waits at security checkpoints as scores of TSA workers call out due to missed paychecks.

A partial government shutdown has left the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration unfunded and their agents unpaid at the height of the spring break travel season.

As many as 10% of all TSA agents called out on several days last week, DHS updates showed, with absence rates averaging as much as 20% in some airports. A DHS spokesperson told Business Insider that some airports, such as William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, had seen absence rates as high at 40.8%.

Security lines in affected airports are spiking unpredictably from day to day, and sometimes even from hour to hour.

"The current unpredictability is being driven by unpredictable staffing levels, basically, how many TSA officers are showing up for work on any given day," Sheldon H. Jacobson, the founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert on aviation security and airport security screening, told Business Insider.

"TSA officers have historically been cross-trained to do many different tasks, so the number that show up is the key factor," Jacobson said.

How long are the TSA delays?

Delays at TSA checkpoints across the US have been unpredictable, and some airports are changing how they're communicating with travelers.

As of Monday morning, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest by passenger numbers, now displays the following message on its website: "Due to current federal conditions, passengers are advised to allow at least 4 hours or more for domestic and international screenings."

Atlanta has been among the worst-affected airports since the shutdown began, with over a third of TSA staff not showing up on some days.

The airport said there had been congestion at the international checkpoint as domestic travelers try to bypass long lines in the domestic terminal. The airport said domestic travelers should use the domestic checkpoints.

At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, lines stretched over three hours on Sunday evening. As of Monday morning, the average wait time is 28 minutes.

Lines at checkpoints at JFK, the New York area's biggest airport, are running at 45 minutes on Monday.

JFK said it has "deployed additional customer care staff into terminals to help manage queues, assist passengers, and keep people moving as efficiently as possible."

As of Monday, Newark Liberty International Airport displays a message on its website that says security wait times may be "significantly longer than normal."

"Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight," the message says.

Separate from TSA issues, LaGuardia Airport was closed early Monday after a plane collided with a vehicle. It will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. ET.

Denver, home of the fourth-busiest airport in the US, is experiencing wait times of 45 minutes on Monday. Dallas-Fort Worth lines are at 46 minutes.

At Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's fifth-busiest travel hub, waits were listed as "0" minutes.

Some airports have so far avoided the hourslong lines. Business Insider's Taylor Rains flew out of Las Vegas last week and saw minimal TSA lines.

The maximum wait time at Philadelphia International Airport was listed as 30 minutes on Monday, although some terminals were quicker.

How to check TSA wait times

The unpredictable delays mean travelers should plan for long waits even if their airport hasn't yet experienced problems.

The easiest way to avoid the stress of missing your flight is to give yourself extra time in the airport. Many airports are advising travelers this week to arrive up to three hours before their flight, even for domestic flights.

Many airports, including major hubs like Atlanta, Houston, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Denver, have been posting TSA wait times live on their websites.

These can also provide more specific insights. For example, DFW's website shows the wait times at each checkpoint.

You can also use the MyTSA mobile app. It provides estimated wait times in 15-minute intervals based on average checkpoint data. The app, however, will use historical data if the live data cannot be retrieved. The TSA also says it is not "actively" managing its sites during the partial shutdown, and so the app may not always be updated.

How long will the TSA delays persist?

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said airport delays could get worse.

"As we get into next week and they're about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child's play, what's happening right now," Duffy said on CNBC.

Some airports could be forced to close, both Duffy and Adam Stahl, the TSA's acting deputy administrator, said.

Airports like Denver and Seattle have asked the public for food, gift cards, and basic supplies to support TSA staff working without pay.

• Oil climbed on Sunday as the US and Israel's war with Iran entered its third week.
• The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt the global oil supply chain.
• Higher oil prices mean higher prices for Americans at the pump and in other goods.

Oil futures climbed in early trading on Sunday as the US and Israel's war with Iran entered its third week, disrupting the global supply chain.

Brent oil reached $106.33, up nearly $3 from when the market closed on Friday. West Texas Intermediate hit $101.19 on Sunday.

For Americans, surging oil prices mean spending more at the pump. The national average price for gasoline hit $3.69 on Sunday. Gas prices have surpassed $3 in all 50 US states for the first time since 2023.

The International Energy Agency said last week the war has caused the largest oil market disruption in history, and that global oil supply will drop by 8 million barrels per day in March.

Kevin Hassett, the US director of the National Economic Council and a top aide to President Donald Trump, said Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the US is working to minimize the fallout for American consumers.

"The big problem right now would be energy prices, and we're watching and monitoring closely," Hassett said.

Much of the instability in the oil market stems from the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran controls and through which about 20% of the world's petroleum passes. Trump has called on other nations to help secure the strait, but has so far received either lukewarm replies or none at all.

Attacks on major oil hubs are also likely driving up prices. Trump said late Friday that the US had "totally obliterated" military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, where refineries process almost all of the nation's oil exports.

The president threatened to target oil infrastructure on the island if Iran continued to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. An attack on the key Iranian oil center would further destabilize the global oil market.

In response, Iran said that ports, docks, and "American hideouts" in the United Arab Emirates could be targeted. Fire later broke out near the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the only multipurpose maritime facility on the UAE's east coast and a major oil depot, on Saturday. The local government said an intercepted drone caused the fire.

Any end to the conflict, meanwhile, appears to be a long way off. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Sunday that there has been no discussion of a ceasefire.

"We are only defending our people from this act of aggression," Araghchi said on "Face the Nation."We don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us, and that was for the second time."

• Monica Nassif, founder of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, retired at 53.
• Nassif said scaling struggles pushed her to sell her brands to SC Johnson in 2008.
• "It deserves to be in the hands of people who can scale this much better than we can," Nassif said.

For some founders, selling their company to an internationally recognized corporation like SC Johnson is a cause for unbridled celebration. For Monica Nassif, it was more complicated.

"It's really bittersweet," Nassif, founder of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, told Business Insider. "I had to sell my mother."

Nassif's 93-year-old mother is the inspiration behind the household cleaning products. Thelma Meyers, an avid gardener, raised Nassif and her eight siblings as a homemaker in Iowa. The items she grew in the family's backyard — basil, lavender, lemon — were the basis for the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day product scents.

"At one time, we had this trailer that was designed like her kitchen," Nassif said, referring to Thelma. "We used to take it to music events or places like the Embarcadero in San Francisco. People stood in line for that. They'd get samples, and she'd sign their bottles."

Nassif launched Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and an upscale version, Caldrea, in 1999. By the mid-2000s, Nassif's brands were becoming part of people's daily lives. Caldrea, a premium essential oil-infused household cleaning brand, was sold at upscale grocery and specialty gift stores. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day gained a foothold in mass-market retailers like Whole Foods, pushing the company to new heights.

So, when SC Johnson acquired the brands for an undisclosed amount in 2008, Nassif said the decision didn't come lightly. However, a phone call she had avoided for weeks changed everything.

Going international

In the early days, Nassif would often market her products at trade shows, where investors could be found searching for their next moneymaker. Among the curious crowd was SC Johnson, which owns popular brands like Windex, Drano, Ziploc, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Fantastik.

"A whole team from SC Johnson shows up during one of our first trade shows with Caldrea. We're probably maybe a year old, and our booth is so tiny," Nassif said. "I was trying to sell my product and needed to open wholesale accounts, so I asked them politely to leave, but I knew why they were interested. I'm sure we were very fascinating to them."

Nassif said she ignored "countless private equity and venture capital guys" for years as her brands grew.

"I always asked all these potential investors one question: "What can you do for us that we can't do for ourselves?" Nassif said. "We were great at marketing, and pretty good at sales."

Other areas, though, were less successful.

"Distribution and scaling rapidly, not so great," Nassif said. Still, Nassif kept her head down and pushed forward until she got a call from SC Johnson.

"I refused that call for weeks. I didn't even know who it was," Nassif said. "But it gets to a point where you go, 'I want this to be bigger. This is a great brand. It deserves to be in the hands of people who can scale this much better than we can.'"

She added: "We neither had that skillset nor the capital to figure it out."

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day is now sold in major retailers across the United States, Canada, and Singapore. Both brands have products available through online retailers like Amazon.

Failed retirement

Nassif retired from the company in 2010. She was 53. Her days out of the office didn't stick, though.

"I failed retirement," Nassif said. "I liked working. I liked creative projects. I liked being involved in startups. They have incredible energy, and it really keeps you alert and aware of what's happening."

Most recently, Nassif wrote a part-memoir, part-business guide titled "I Bottled My Mother," which hits shelves on March 24.

"I speak to entrepreneurs and the questions are always the same," Nassif said. "'How do you do it? Where do you get your ideas? What should I do first?' I thought it'd be fun to do a startup manual. Hey, if you're thinking about starting a business, here's how to go about it."

She also wanted to honor her mother.

"It's really a childhood memoir about how the Mrs. Meyer's brand came into being," she said.

• Data centers power the AI revolution, and are sprouting all over the US.
• They can also be a drain on water and energy, and face opposition in many towns.
• A new Pew Research Center survey found that Americans who know about data centers don't like them.

There are over 1,200 data centers scattered across the United States, and thanks to the AI boom, many more are on the way.

Those data centers also, it seems, confirm the adage "familiarity breeds contempt."

A new survey from the Pew Research Council, conducted in January and published Thursday, found that the more Americans learn about data centers — and their effects on home energy costs, quality of life, the environment, local jobs, and tax revenue — the more cynical they feel about them.

"Two-thirds of adults who have heard a lot about data centers say they're mostly bad for home energy costs, compared with 42% of those who have heard a little," the center reported. "And 63% of those who have heard a lot about the facilities say they're mostly bad for the environment, compared with 48% of those who have heard a little."

Pew found that 25% of adults know "a lot" about data centers, while 50% said "a little" and 25% said "nothing at all." It surveyed 8,500 Americans for the report.

While data centers have been around for decades, their numbers are skyrocketing as companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and others race to develop ever more intelligent AI models.

Companies like Oracle, for example, will invest $500 billion over four years in AI infrastructure for OpenAI in a venture called Stargate, which is backed by the Trump administration. The president has made data center construction a key pillar of his administration's strategy to defeat China in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence.

Many Americans outside Silicon Valley, however, feel as excited about another new data center as they do about AI overall. Some communities are now pushing back, citing concerns about energy costs and the environment. Tensions have flared at protests, city hall meetings, and on Capitol Hill.

In response to these growing concerns, tech leaders said this month they would cover a greater share of data center energy costs during a visit to the White House.

"They're going to be making their own electricity," Trump said of the tech companies. "They're not going to be taking from the grid."

Those companies signed a "pledge" to provide their own power, which, in the end, is voluntary and includes no repercussions if they don't comply.

• One of the tightest Oscar races in recent memories are on Sunday.
• Bettors are already wagering tens of millions on who will win in each of the 24 categories.
• Here's who's most likely to win, according to the odds on Kalshi and Polymarket.

At the Oscars on Sunday, it's not just Hollywood careers that are on the line. It's tens of millions of dollars.

Since the nominees were announced in January, traders on Polymarket and Kalshi have been wagering on which films, actors, directors, and more will win an Oscar in each of the Academy's 24 categories.

Prediction markets have seen dramatic growth over the last year, drawing the attention of media companies, the ire of some state regulators, and the scrutiny of Washington lawmakers.

Polymarket partnered with the Golden Globes earlier this year, and bettors on the site correctly predicted the winner in 26 out of 28 categories.

The Oscars, hosted this year by Conan O'Brien, will air on Sunday on ABC and Hulu.

And if bettors on Kalshi and Polymarket have it right, "One Battle After Another" will take home six Oscars, while "Sinners" will win four awards, and "Frankenstein" will walk away with three.

Where the odds stand for each category

Best Picture — "One Battle After Another"

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is the odds-on favorite to win best picture, standing at around 80% among Polymarket and 78% on Kalshi.

The next most likely winner is Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," which each platform gives a less than 20% chance.

Bettors have wagered more than $44 million on the Best Picture winner across the two platforms, the most of any category.

Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson

The director of "One Battle After Another" is seen as the overwhelming favorite to win best director, with Kalshi and Polymarket pegging his chances of winning in the low 90s.

Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan, the lead actor on "Sinners," has an almost 60% chance of winning, according to both Kalshi and Polymarket.

That's a significant change from January, when Timothée Chalamet — the lead actor in "Marty Supreme" — was seen as the leading contender, with odds in the mid-70s at the time.

The change came after Jordan won "Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role" at the Actor Awards on March 1.

Chalamet's chances now sit in the low-to-high 30s on both platforms.

Best Actress — Jessie Buckley

According to bettors, Buckley — the lead actress in "Hamnet" — is likely to win best actress, garnering about 97% on both prediction market platforms.

Best Cinematography — "One Battle After Another"

"One Battle After Another" is seen as the overwhelming favorite to win best cinematography, with bettors on both Kalshi and Polymarket giving the movie roughly 76% chance of winning.

That's a change from January, when both platforms had "Sinners" with a 66% chance of winning at one point.

Best Production Design — "Frankenstein"

At over 90%, bettors on both prediction market platforms give "Frankenstein" an overwhelming chance of winning the award for best production design.

Best Adapted Screenplay — "One Battle After Another"

In addition to best picture and best cinematography, "One Battle After Another" is seen as overwhelmingly likely to win best adapted screenplay.

The movie now has a 96% chance of winning on both platforms.

Best Sound — "F1"

Apple's sports drama film F1 is the overwhelming favorite to win best sound, according to bettors.

Both platforms give the movie a roughly 80% chance of winning.

Best Animated Short Film — "Butterfly"

Bettors are less certain who will win the award for best animated short film.

"Butterfly," a 15-minute film by director Florence Miailhe, has a 61% chance on both platforms.

But not far behind is "The Girl Who Cried Pearls," a 17-minute short film, which bettors give between a 21% and 22% chance of winning.

Best Live Action Short Film — "Two People Exchanging Saliva"

The French-language short film "Two People Exchanging Saliva" leads among bettors with about a 46% chance of winning on both Kalshi and Polymarket.

Another major contender is "The Singers," a musical short comedy film that has 29% chance on Kalshi and a 30% chance on Polymarket.

Additionally, "A Friend of Dorothy," a British short comedy drama film, has a 22% chance on Kalshi and a 21% on Polymarket.

Best Film Editing — "One Battle After Another"

The film leads the odds for best film editing winner, with an 84% chance on both platforms.

Best Original Score — "Sinners"

"Sinners" is the overwhelming favorite to win best original score, with bettors on both Kalshi and Polymarket giving the film a 94% chance of winning.

Best Original Song — "Golden"

"Golden," the viral hit from the film "KPop Demon Hunters," is the odds-on favorite to win best original song, with bettors on both platforms giving the song a 85% chance.

Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn

Sean Penn, who plays Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in "One Battle After Another," is the favorite to win best supporting actor, with an over 70% chance on both Kalshi and Polymarket.

That's a dramatic change from January, when Stellan Skarsgård — who plays an estranged father in the Norwegian drama film "Sentimental Value" — had the highest odds, at roughly 64% chance on both platforms.

Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan

Amy Madigan, who portrays Aunt Gladys in the horror film "Weapons," is now the favorite to win best supporting actress on both platforms, hovering around 55%.

That's a change from January, when Teyana Taylor — who portrays Perfidia Beverly Hills in "One Battle After Another" — was the overwhelming favorite to win best supporting actress, sporting 75% on both platforms.

Best Visual Effects — "Avatar: Fire and Ash"

Bettors believe that James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment in the "Avatar" series, is almost certain to win the award for best visual effects.

The movie's chances of winning stand at 94% on both Kalshi and Polymarket.

Best Original Screenplay — "Sinners"

"Sinners" is the overwhelming favorite to win best original screenplay, with roughly 95% odds on both Kalshi and Polymarket.

Best Documentary Short Film — "All the Empty Rooms"

Bettors on both Kalshi and Polymarket give "All the Empty Rooms" a roughly 70% chance of winning the award for best documentary short film.

The movie follows a journalist and photographer as they memorialize the empty bedrooms of school shooting victims.

Best Documentary Feature Film — "The Perfect Neighbor"

"The Perfect Neighbor," a documentary about Florida's "Stand Your Ground" laws, is the odds-on favorite to win best documentary feature film, with bettors on both platforms giving the film a roughly 66% chance.

Best International Feature Film — "Sentimental Value"

"Sentimental Value" is the favorite to win best international feature film, with bettors on Kalshi and Polymarket giving the film 67%-68% odds of winning.

Best Costume Design — "Frankenstein"

"Frankenstein" is the overwhelming favorite to win best custom design, sporting roughly 90% on both platforms.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — "Frankenstein"

Similarly, "Frankenstein" is seen as a lock for best makeup and hairstyling, sporting probabilities in the low 90s on Kalshi and Polymarket.

Best Animated Feature Film — "KPop Demon Hunters"

"KPop Demon Hunters" is the prohibitive favorite to win best animated feature film, with a roughly 94% chance on both prediction markets.

Best Casting — "Sinners"

"Sinners" is seen as most likely to win best casting, with Kalshi and Polymarket bettors giving the film a 77%-78% chance of winning.