A heated exchange between U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico and a Black voter at a Houston town hall has gone viral, sparking intense debate across social media. The tense moment has drawn renewed attention to Talarico's outreach efforts toward a key Democratic voting bloc, with supporters and critics weighing in on the confrontation. As the clip spreads online, questions are mounting over how the incident could impact his political campaign and relationship with Black voters.
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NewsTranscript
00:01Okay, well thank you all for being here. Data centers are jacking up utility bills across the
00:08state of Texas. They are using up our water, oftentimes before we even realize they're being
00:13built in our backyards. Billionaire-backed politicians are giving sweetheart tax deals
00:20to giant AI companies and then sticking us with the bill. Ken Paxton has taken hundreds of
00:26thousands of dollars linked to big data center companies. Texas should be a leader when it comes
00:33to innovation and technology, but that only works if Texans get a say and get a share of that economic
00:41growth, and that's not what's happening right now. Right now there is no transparency, there's no
00:46accountability, there's no community input. AI should be working for us, not against us. It's why
00:53we've got to stop these data centers from jacking up our utility bills. We've got to stop them from
00:57using up our water, and we have to stop corrupt politicians from giving these sweetheart tax
01:02deals to giant AI companies. If these corporations can't meet our demands, the demands of the people,
01:09then they shouldn't build data centers in our communities. Texas put a man on the moon. We
01:20have always been a leader on innovation, and that should be true in the AI era as well, but there
01:26is a
01:26right way to do this. We're often told in our politics that we have to choose between policies that are
01:32pro-growth and pro-people. I reject that choice, and the plan that we're outlining today to hold data centers
01:38accountable I think strikes a balance between welcoming those investments while also protecting working people in our state,
01:46ensuring that AI data centers are paying for the energy they use, paying for the infrastructure needed to keep up
01:54with that growth,
01:54creating good-paying union jobs, and paying their fair share in taxes. That, to me, is how you build a
02:03policy framework that welcomes growth and investment,
02:06but also protects people. And so I look forward to, uh, answering any questions you have about our plan today.
02:14Adam?
02:16Just to start off, yesterday in the Cold War, there was a viral film everywhere, and in fact, you're
02:21completely against your question, and you're now on the topic of law enforcement.
02:25Well, I'm sorry, I'm only answering questions on law enforcement today. So, in all, in all seriousness,
02:33we need a senator who's willing to, to answer tough questions. Um, as you all have seen over the last
02:40few days,
02:40when I get a tough question, I answer it. When Ken Paxton gets a tough question, he runs away. And
02:46that's
02:47because he doesn't answer to the people of this state, he answers to his billionaire megadonors. Say it again.
02:55So, our plan includes a few pillars. One is making sure that these data centers are paying for their own
03:01energy,
03:01because right now what we're seeing is, is these data centers are jacking up the utility bills across
03:06the state when we're already in an affordability crisis. And then we've got to make sure that these
03:11data centers are funding the infrastructure needed to keep up with their growth, including water
03:16infrastructure. We have a water crisis in this state, and a lot of these data centers are exacerbating
03:21that water crisis. And then we have to ensure that these giant corporations are creating good paying
03:28union jobs, so that we're all benefiting from this growth. What we've seen over the last 50 years is
03:35economic growth that is not broadly shared, right? It's concentrated in the hands of, of the people at
03:40the very top. And all of us who build this wealth, who, who lead to this economic productivity, we don't
03:47benefit
03:48from the fruits of that growth. And so that's what we, we cannot make that same mistake in the AI
03:54era. We have to start
03:55correcting those mistakes now, so that this is broadly shared, uh, as these data centers come to our state.
04:01Daniel?
04:04I'm sorry.
04:08I actually don't know what Greg Abbott's plan is, but I'm willing to work with anybody, including the
04:12governor, to pass these common sense regulations. Again, we have to strike a balance between welcoming growth,
04:19welcoming investment, and protecting people and communities. Right now, that balance is out of
04:24whack. And it, it, it should be plain for anybody to see, whether it's the governor, uh, or whether
04:29it's our campaign. All of us are hearing the same thing from Texans all over the state, and that is
04:34that we don't have a balance between welcoming growth and protecting people.
04:38Daniel?
04:51Well, I don't think anyone with a mugshot can claim to be tough on crime. I've served for
04:56four terms in the Texas legislature where I have voted to, to give billions of dollars
05:01in funding to our law enforcement agencies, the exact opposite of defunding the police. I voted
05:07to deny bail to violent criminals. I voted to hunt down human traffickers. I have a legislative
05:12record. Ken Paxton has a criminal record. And so when it comes to public safety, I welcome
05:16that contrast.
05:18Aaron?
05:19Yes.
05:19You're ready for USN. Do you think that there's a federal outside from Canada, you
05:23have it online, or do you think it's a right to get people to let it stay up?
05:28No, I think there is a bipartisan backlash that's growing across the state of Texas to the
05:34state. I think there is an explosion of data center construction all over the state. And
05:38I hear about it everywhere I go. Big cities, small towns, red areas, blue areas alike. So
05:44many Texans are concerned about these data centers that my hope, my prayer is that that will build
05:50the political will necessary to push elected officials in both parties and at all levels of
05:54government, whether it's the federal level, which is the office I'm running for, the state
05:59level, like the governor or our local elected officials, county government, city government.
06:04There needs to be pressure on all politicians to reject these sweetheart tax deals, to force
06:11these companies to pay for their own energy, and make sure that we have the infrastructure
06:15needed to keep up with this growth, particularly our water infrastructure.
06:18Ben. Say it one more time, Ben.
06:29Yeah, so again, I think we have to strike a balance between being a leader in technology
06:35and innovation, as our state has always been, and protecting working people from the harms
06:39of these data centers. And that's what our plan is seeking to achieve. Right now we're seeing these
06:45centers jack up utility bills, soak up a lot of water, and it's being done without any community
06:51input. The biggest concern I hear from communities across the state is that this is being done
06:55without their consent. Right? Folks want, they may be open to some of these projects depending
07:01on the guardrails, depending on on if demands are met. But right now, folks in the community,
07:07taxpayers aren't getting that input. And that's what we have to change. And I think our plan accomplishes
07:12that. Oh, hi. Yeah. Yeah. So as I said, both in Houston and DeSoto, there is no way to win
07:33Texas
07:33without black Texans. When we're successful on November 3rd, as the next US senator from the state, I
07:40will represent the most African Americans of any senator in the country besides Ted Cruz. And so
07:46that that work starts now. Right? I don't want to win this race and then the next day figure out
07:53what
07:54do black Texans need. The purpose of a campaign is to is to listen and learn so that then on
08:01day one,
08:02you're ready to represent the people of this state. And so we're doing that with black communities all over
08:07the state. We're doing it with with with every community across Texas. We are showing up. We're
08:12listening. We're taking tough questions. Right? I know it's uncomfortable. And Ken Paxton is is new at
08:19this having to answer people's questions. But it is the job of a candidate. And that is particularly
08:25true when you were showing up in communities that have been left behind and forgotten for too long.
08:29And so at that town hall, I mentioned this $25 million investment. And it's going to go to a
08:35few things. One is, is on the ground organizing person to person, neighbor to neighbor, on the
08:42doors, via text, right, to make sure that that every black Texan has the knowledge and the skills and the
08:51resources to overcome the voter suppression that we already have in this state and that we anticipate
08:56will see in the fall. We've we've seen an unprecedented attack on voting rights from the Supreme Court all
09:02the way down to the state legislature. And so it's going to take a real organizing program to give all
09:09Texans the the knowledge to overcome those barriers. And so a lot of this money is going to go into
09:15a
09:15grassroots on the ground organizing program. But then you're also going to see partnerships with community
09:22organizations with with local elected officials, with those who have been building networks in black
09:29communities all over the state for years and decades. So that the goal here is not to reinvent the
09:33wheel. The goal is for us to ensure every black Texan is able to realize their God given rights at
09:40the
09:40ballot box and make their voice heard in this democratic process.
10:02I think if a data center project does not meet our demands, does not meet the demands of the people,
10:09then
10:09they shouldn't be built. And and I think what's frustrating Texans across the state is the fact
10:15that these giant data centers that are jacking up utility bills that are using up all the water.
10:20They're being done without community input without the consent of the taxpayers in those communities.
10:26And that's what has to end. And so if those those basic guardrails are not are not met, then these
10:34data
10:34centers shouldn't be built.
10:38Hey.
10:57Yeah, I mean, the reason I do these town halls is because I learned so much every time I do
11:02them in communities across the state.
11:04And that was true in Houston. It was true in DeSoto the next night.
11:08There are issues that are brought forward.
11:10There are ideas that are brought forward that that are going to help shape this movement that we're building.
11:15I I really believe and I believe this inside, you know, first ran for office in twenty eighteen in a
11:21Trump district
11:22that campaigns should be a collaboration between the candidate and the people that that candidate seeks to represent.
11:29And that means it means it has to be a two way conversation.
11:33And those can be uncomfortable sometimes. Right.
11:35But if you can't take the heat and get out of the kitchen, I signed up for this for this
11:40job of being the nominee for the Democratic Party.
11:42I'm asking for the job of U.S. Senator. And that means I need to I need to face the
11:47people who I seek to represent.
11:49I need to listen to them. I need to hear from them.
11:51And if they have concerns, if they have feedback, even if it's harsh feedback, I need to hear that directly.
11:57And so I'm not afraid of these sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
12:01We're going to have more of them in communities across the state.
12:04And that's going to be a those are the growing pains of a healthy campaign.
12:08And those are the growing pains of a of an effective leader who is actually trying to listen and serve
12:13the people across the state.
12:15I mean, this you all know. I mean, this is a giant state. It is incredibly diverse.
12:21And so if one person is going to seek to represent this whole state, you've got to do a lot
12:26of listening and a lot of learning.
12:27And I'm still very much in that process.
12:30In DeSoto, I said that our campaign is a is a teenager now. Right.
12:34It's not an infant anymore. Many of you remember when it was a baby campaign back in September of last
12:38year, and it's not a full grown adult.
12:41Hopefully that will be the case after Labor Day. But there are still growing pains.
12:44How do we make sure that every Texan, every community feels represented by this movement?
12:51And that's not just black Texans. It's not just Latino Texans. It's not just Asian American Texans.
12:56It's also rural communities. It's independents and Republicans, people who've never voted for a Democrat before.
13:03We have to build a big tent where all of those Texans feel like they belong to this movement that
13:08we're building.
13:09And that takes hard work. It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen after one town hall.
13:13It's going to take a lot of hard conversations and honest conversations.
13:17Last thing I'll say is in DeSoto, I mentioned that I wanted a real relationship with the community and a
13:24real relationship is built on honesty.
13:28Right. I mean, there's you can run a campaign where you show up. I bring all of you.
13:33We get some pictures and we go home. Right.
13:35But that's to me is a superficial relationship. That's not what I want.
13:40And it's not what I need if I'm actually going to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
13:43There needs to be hard conversations. There has to be honesty. There has to be vulnerability.
13:48And I think I saw that in Houston. I saw it in DeSoto.
13:52And to me, it's an encouraging sign, even when it's a little tense.
13:56Adam?
14:08Yeah.
14:13Yeah.
14:15Yeah.
14:22Yeah.
14:24Yeah.
14:29And I will just tell you all, this is one of the questions I get most often at town halls
14:34across the state is AI.
14:36We have to have a government that is keeping up with the pace of AI development.
14:42These companies, as you just mentioned, we learned yesterday, they're developing these models faster and faster.
14:47We need a regulatory framework that can keep up with the pace of that technological advancement.
14:53I think a lot of Texans are deeply concerned that our government seems to be asleep at the wheel when
14:58it comes to AI.
14:59There seems to be a general attitude in both political parties of just like sticking, sticking their heads in the
15:05sand.
15:05And that's worrisome because the scale and the scope of this technology is really unlike anything we've seen in this
15:13century.
15:13The only parallels I can think of are in the 20th century, the Manhattan Project, the space race, the development
15:22of the Internet.
15:24Arguably, this advancement in AI is even more consequential and has the potential to be even more destructive if we're
15:32not careful.
15:33And so I think we need at the federal level to develop a basic common sense regulatory framework.
15:40And here are just the things that I would prioritize as part of that framework.
15:44One is protecting jobs, protecting workers.
15:47We have to ensure that AI is improving jobs, not replacing jobs.
15:50And it is possible, I believe, to walk that line, but it will require a regulatory framework to do it.
15:56The second is, and you all know I was a teacher before I ran for office, ensuring that we're protecting
16:02our young people.
16:03We've already seen the damage that social media platforms have inflicted on my fellow millennials, but also on Gen Z
16:10and kids even younger than Gen Z.
16:14We're starting to see indications that AI is doing the same thing.
16:17I'm sure you all have read the horror stories of AI acting as therapists to young kids, sometimes encouraging them
16:26to harm themselves or take their own lives.
16:28So we have to ensure that we are protecting children from the dangers of this technology.
16:33And then lastly, we have to protect our democracy.
16:37I've already, some of you know that in the last legislative session, I worked on a bill with Senator Nathan
16:42Johnson to ban AI deepfakes in political campaigns.
16:47We got close, but we didn't get that over the finish line.
16:50I think God is punishing me for not getting that bill passed by, you know, because we've seen the Republicans
16:57already launched several AI deepfakes against me.
17:00So I'm now seeing firsthand the consequences of not passing that kind of policy.
17:05And so I think we have to take some steps to ensure that AI is not undermining the democratic process.
17:12You know, sometimes I'm sure you all seen this when you just scroll through social media.
17:15It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between an AI deepfake and a real video.
17:20It's concerned should be concerning to all of you as journalists, because you depend on on being able to tell
17:27your readers, your listeners the truth.
17:29And that that line between fact and fiction is getting increasingly blurred by AI.
17:35And so again, this is this is all of these are areas that are ripe for federal intervention.
17:40And again, I'm not talking about ignoring, you know, this technology.
17:47I'm not advocating for sticking our head in the sand.
17:49I want to I want to see the the benefits of what this technology can offer us, which I think
17:55there are those benefits.
17:56I I was talking to a young entrepreneur who is who is working on a on a on an approach
18:03with AI to curing some of the chronic diseases that people face curing cancer.
18:09I really think there's so much potential when it comes to biomedical research with AI.
18:14So I don't want to make this a black and white choice of either AI is all bad or it's
18:17all good.
18:18Just like with any technology, it depends on what decisions we make together.
18:22And right now we're not making those decisions together.
18:24All these decisions are being made by a handful of billionaires who are running for profit corporations.
18:29There is no public private partnership and that back to the data center issue.
18:34That's what we're seeing across the state.
18:35We're seeing corrupt politicians like Ken Paxton, who are giving sweetheart deals to these these companies, to these data center
18:44companies, these tax breaks.
18:46I think the estimate is that over the next two years, it's going to be three point two billion dollars
18:50spent on tax breaks for data center companies.
18:54I mean, just think about the good that that those revenues could do for our communities of bringing down the
19:00cost of housing and child care and prescription drugs.
19:03Instead, it's going to sweetheart deals to giant AI companies.
19:07And so I'm not trying to I want to reject that binary choice between welcoming growth and innovation and protecting
19:16people, because I think we have to.
19:17I think we must do both of those things simultaneously.
19:21Thank you very much, everyone.
19:22Thank you all.
19:22Appreciate you being here.
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