Could America go dark?

Plus Mark Robinson's 'absurd' candidacy and skyrocketing data breaches [View this email in your browser]( [The Week Evening Review]( A precarious power supply, a controversial gubernatorial candidate, and a rise in data breaches   Good evening, So far, primary elections haven't brought too many consequential surprises, but Super Tuesday highlighted one candidate Republicans and Democrats alike will be keeping a close eye on: Mark Robinson. The controversy over the ultra-conservative Republican nominee in North Carolina's gubernatorial race reflects the "dominant ideological conflict" nationwide, but his baggage could "create a toxic red tide for Republicans" outside his state. And a reminder: Your free trial of these newsletters will come to an end on Monday. If you like what you've seen so far, [please do sign up]( to keep receiving them. Summer Meza The Week Digital     Today's Big Question Is America running out of electrical power? New technologies appear to have given rise to a new problem across the United States: a crippling power shortage on the horizon. This concern also comes at a time when the United States' aging power grid is in desperate need of repair. Incidents such as the 2021 Texas power outage, which was partially blamed on crypto-farming, exposed how vulnerable the nation's power supply is, especially during emergencies. Is the U.S. really at risk of going dark? What did the commentators say?The emergence of new technologies means demand is soaring for power across the country. In Georgia, "demand for industrial power is surging to record highs, with the projection of electricity use for the next decade now 17 times what it was only recently," Evan Halper said for The Washington Post. Northern Virginia "needs the equivalent of several large nuclear power plants to serve all [its] new data centers," while Texas faces a similar problem. This demand is resulting in a "scramble to try to squeeze more juice out of an aging power grid." Much of this relates to the "rapid innovation in artificial intelligence, which is driving the construction of large warehouses of computing infrastructure," Halper said. This infrastructure requires significantly more power than traditional data centers. Electricity demands are rising faster now than at any time in the past five years. This is partially because the "push for the electrification of heating and transportation systems — including electric cars — is also creating new winter peaks in electricity demand," Jeremy Hsu said for New Scientist. What next?There have been some positive signs. In 2023, the American power grid "quietly survived its most brutal summer yet," Vox said. "Despite record power demand, the grid largely avoided blackouts." However, this doesn't mean that summer blackouts in subsequent years are not on the way. And the winter months are still telling a different story, as the problems with the power grid will likely continue as technology keeps advancing. Climate change will also continue to play a factor in crippling the power supply. Last month, at least 800,000 people in California were without power after severe flooding, winds and mudslides devastated the region, a climate trend that doesn't appear to be going away.     QUOTE OF THE DAY "If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word China, where is its confidence as a major country?" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaking about the U.S. in response to a question about trade amid mounting technological restrictions   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   Talking Points Mark Robinson raises alarm bells in North Carolina North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is no stranger to controversy. For years, the ultra-conservative Republican has dealt with the fallout from his offensive and outrageous statements, from labeling the Holocaust a "bunch of hogwash" to denouncing survivors of the Parkland shooting as "media prosti-tots." In office, Robinson launched a task force designed to investigate "indoctrination" and "politicizing" in schools. Robinson secured North Carolina's Republican gubernatorial nomination in the Super Tuesday primaries, earning 66% of the votes. He will now face state Attorney General Josh Stein in November. Could Robinson's candidacy tip North Carolina blue, or does the man who believes "God formed me" to fight against LGBTQ+ communities have a real shot? 'Crackpots can excel'Even some of his fellow Republicans have "recognized the fact that Robinson is simply too extreme," said MSNBC's Steve Benen. That means Robinson's "absurd candidacy" could hurt GOP chances in other races. His platform deserves to be a "genuine scandal for the contemporary GOP" even in an era where "crackpots can excel in electoral politics." Robinson is "unfit for office" in a way that supersedes the shifting "standards for decency," said Luther Ray Abel in National Review. But the dominant MAGA strain of conservatism is not "in this to make friends or build community," said Salon's Amanda Marcotte. Otherwise, they "wouldn't nominate someone like Robinson, who is bound to turn off swing voters." The Republican Governors Association supports Robinson as someone who will "put the people of North Carolina first." Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tenn.) said he looked forward to "supporting him in the general election." 'He is a fighter'The looming matchup between Robinson and Stein is, to many, a microcosm of the presidential election and the ideological conflict in national politics at large. Robinson "is a fighter" in the same vein as Donald Trump, GOP consultant and pro-Robinson super PAC leader Jonathan Felts said to USA Today. The race is "definitely going to resemble the national election" in that regard. With both Robinson and Stein "planning to portray each other in politically extreme terms," their contest could "boost turnout not only for their elections but also for the presidential race in the hotly contested state," The New York Times said. Or as GOP consultant Paul Shumaker predicted, Robinson could ultimately "become a liability" and "create a toxic red tide for Republicans" statewide.     Statistic of the day 834: The number of people hanged by Iran in 2023, according to human rights groups. This marks the second-highest number of executions in Iran in two decades. The increase was partially a response to nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022, though drug-related crimes also factored in heavily. Al Jazeera     The Explainer Data breaches skyrocketed in 2023 As the world goes ever more online, the fight against data breaches appears to be getting more difficult. Reports indicate that 2023 was the worst year yet for worldwide data breaches. A January report from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) concluded there was a 78% increase in data compromises year over year, from 1,801 in 2022 to 3,205 in 2023. Criminals are "constantly finding new ways to access and exploit readable personal data, in particular when stored in the cloud," said a data breach study from MIT Professor of Information Technology Stuart Madnick. This has led to devastating consequences for personal finance security and problems for web safety and marks a step back in the fight against identity theft. So what made 2023 such a bad year for data breaches? What were last year's figures? The numbers are staggering. The 3,205 compromising incidents in 2023 include 3,122 breaches of data, 25 data exposures, two data leaks and 56 compromises of an unknown nature, according to the ITRC's report. This translates to more than 353 million total victims, an "all-time high for data compromises reported in the United States," the ITRC said. The health care industry was the most compromised, with 809 incidents, followed by professional services, financial services, education and manufacturing. Many of the data breaches came in the form of ransomware, which are viruses that lock victims out of their files and hold their data hostage until a ransom is paid. Ransomware has become one of the most common attacks, with "more than twice the number of victims in 2023 compared to 2022," said online security outlet SecurityWeek. What made 2023 so bad for breaches?There are "three primary reasons behind this increased theft of personal data: cloud misconfiguration, new types of ransomware attacks, and increased exploitation of vendor systems," Madnick said in the Harvard Business Review. It is estimated that "more than 60% of the world's corporate data is stored in the cloud," Madnick said, making it a "very attractive target for hackers." More than 80% of breaches in 2023 involved cloud-based software. The spread of ransomware attacks is also a contributing factor, Madnick said. Many large organizations give third-party vendors "easy access" to company systems, a target for hackers given the vendors are "frequently small companies with limited cybersecurity resources."     Poll watch Over a third of voters say former President Donald Trump has not committed serious federal crimes, according to a New York Times / Siena College poll. The poll surveyed 823 registered voters and found that 36% believed Trump had not committed a federal crime, a percentage that has been continually rising since December.   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   INSTANT OPINION Today's best commentary 'The Great Resignation is now the Big Stay'Jonathan Levin at Bloomberg"The Great Resignation is in the rear-view mirror," says Jonathan Levin. The rate at which workers are quitting their jobs has fallen below pre-pandemic levels. This could be a good sign, indicating workers have "no reason to shop around" because wages have grown. Or it could be a troubling indication that the "labor market isn't all sunshine and roses." Either way, this could ease fears that "overly tight labor markets and too-hot wage growth" will supercharge inflation again. 'The school issues we're battling over aren't the ones that matter'Nicholas Kristof in The New York TimesRepublicans argue American schools are plagued with "woke" teachers, says Nicholas Kristof. But the GOP is the "party of child poverty," an obstacle to learning. The left also got "in the way of education," by backing excessive pandemic school closures that "caused a huge educational setback." The real problem is too many students just aren't getting the "education they need." Instead of "screaming at one another" about banning books, adults should come together on reforms for kids' sake.  'Dear government: Stop trying to make TikTok bans happen'Elizabeth Nolan Brown at Reason"Politicians won't stop trying to make a TikTok ban happen," says Elizabeth Nolan Brown. Former President Donald Trump tried it due to the social media app's China ties. So did Montana's legislature. "Courts said no." House and Senate lawmakers proposed two bills that went nowhere, and now the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is introducing another. Choking off a "popular media platform based on vague allegations of wrongdoing" offends the "First Amendment and due process."     Picture of the day Empowering climb A group of women, known as the Cholita Climbers, use ice axes to climb Huayna Potosí mountain near El Alto, Bolivia, as they train to summit Mount Everest. The female climbers hope their trek will empower other indigenous women to defy gender stereotypes. If they succeed, they will be the first women from Bolivia to do so and the first to do so while wearing traditional skirts. Claudia Morales / Reuters     Good day 🦣 … for woolly mammoths. Dallas biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has derived stem cells from Asian elephants that could be used to reconstruct the extinct creature "or at least a mammoth-like elephant designed to thrive in the cold," The Washington Post said. This breakthrough is likely the "most significant thing so far in the project," said George Church, a Harvard geneticist and Colossal co-founder. "There are many steps in the future."     Bad day 📉 … for Lyft. Shareholders sued the ride-share company for securities fraud after an error in a recent earnings release about a "key profit metric" sent the company's stock price on a "wild ride up and then down," Reuters said. The mistake triggered a "buying frenzy" that caused Lyft's share price to spike 67% in 30 minutes. In the class action lawsuit, shareholders accused Lyft of being careless when it initially said one of its profit margins would expand by 500 basis points, or 5 percentage points, when it expected 50 basis points.     Puzzles [Daily crossword]( Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes [sudoku]( and [codewords](. [Play here](     The Week recommends [Fresh recipes to cook this spring]( Warmer weather and green things — spring is a season for levity and vegetable-heavy cooking. Hop into the season with these recipes. Stovetop asparagusIf you were not informed otherwise, you might think the only way to cook asparagus was roasted or grilled. Incorrect! Legendary chef and author Edna Lewis knew that stovetop asparagus is a special creature. Butter, salt, pepper and green stalks are the only ingredients needed for a mind-shifting way with asparagus. Spring potato salad with green garlic dressingAn adage worth repeating: Spring is all about young, green things. Here, a salad of new potatoes is napped with a zippy vinaigrette loaded with green garlic, parsley, vinegar and lemon juice. You could, of course, use small regular potatoes along with garlic cloves and scallions. The creamy endgame will remain the same. Chocolate-fennel-hazelnut spearsBiscotti are always a treat. In the hands of master baker Natasha Pickowicz, they become all the more delightful. She adds a wallop of butter as an unconventional addition to the traditional biscotti recipe. Fennel seeds, rough-chopped dark chocolate and whole hazelnuts provide complexity. Peas in mint cream Mint does double-duty in this breezy, comforting side dish. First, fresh mint leaves are infused in hot heavy cream. Then, a shallot is softened in olive oil, peas and that infused cream are added, and the mixture is simmered until it melds. More fresh mint to finish. [Read more](     WORD OF THE DAY sumercé A Spanish honorific meaning "your mercy" used by Colombians to address mother figures to signify respect and affection, highlighted in a recent New York Times article. The term is an enduring relic of the country's time as a subject of the Spanish empire.     In the morning Tomorrow morning, Rafi Schwartz explains the rise in CDs, DVDs and other forms of tangible media. Physical media is having an "unexpected moment" — good news for anyone who has held on to their Blu-ray or video game collections. Thanks for reading, Summer     Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Harold Maass, Scott Hocker, Justin Klawans, Kelsee Majette, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Tristan Wheelock / Bloomberg via Getty Images; Stock Photo via Getty Images; Shironosov / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.