The AM/DM

For much of its first year in existence, xAI used Tesla Megapacks and portable natural gas turbines — in addition to some power from Memphis Light, Gas and Water — to power Colossus, its first area data center. But the artificial intelligence company's local power usage ramped up in April of 2025, after the company appeared to fully connect to a newly constructed MLGW substation.

Today, we talk about the amount of power xAI is using, as well as what they are using it for, and how it fits into the national conversation.

Plus:

• Grizz coach says there is a chance Ja will play in Europe
• The Commission steps in to pay the county clerk's rent in Millington
• New home developments could increase in Lakeland
• The County Commission votes to keep all nine board seats on the 2026 ballot
• Some pre-K classrooms could close within 30 days without county funding

The 114th Tennessee General Assembly convenes in Nashville today with an aggressive, but perhaps quick, agenda. Today, Noah McLane, our reporter in Nashville, is here to set up the upcoming session for us.

Plus:

• Desmond Bane has no hard feelings
• Tennessee passes on federal help that would feed far more children
• Baptist Memorial sells a Germantown-based clinic
• An iconic North End restaurant announces its sale
• xAI's $50M Memphis energy footprint

It's a big week in politics and governance, as the 114th General Assembly starts its latest legislative session in Nashville.

But, closer to home, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will chat about a resolution to set new standards to censure members of the body who break the rules of decorum. Former presidential candidate Kamala Harris will talk about her new book, "107 Days," at a ticketed event at the Orpheum Theatre. And then the Memphis Grizzlies are on the road ... to Europe.

In today's episode, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips discuss the events of the upcoming week.

Plus:

• Midtowners have a new ice cream shop
• A measles case was reported at Memphis International Airport
• A state lawmaker files a bill to keep ICE out of schools and churches
• A Bartlett resident is bringing Play It Again Sports to the suburb
• Leaders tout xAI's investment in the Southaven data center

This weekend is full of music, movies and dancing. Today, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips talk about "The Magic of Motown," "it girls" of art, films about running, films with puppets, blacksmithing classes, line dancing and transcendent dancing.

Plus:

• A Bartlett resident is bringing Play It Again to the suburb
• An East Memphis liquor store gets approval from the local Alcohol Commission
• A $60M renovation will get a Memphis raceway firing on all cylinders again
• Erling Jensen Small Bites gets a new chef
• A jury finds a local gynecologist guilty of 40 charges

Ellen Chamberlain recently put together a "worth the drive" piece on restaurants that may be a little bit off your beaten path but should not be missed. She joins us today to tell us all about them.

Plus:

• Jerri Green is named interim chief public defender
• A packed room challenges a Southaven board over xAI
• Military lawyers are sworn in to help with federal Task Force cases
• Two local lawmakers now agree how to move forward with a MSCS takeover

In May, during a Fox News interview, Kash Patel, the director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Memphis was "the homicide capital of America per capita." He also mentioned that he didn't know that until he was confirmed in his position. But that news may have been less surprising to Memphians, where the murder rate has long been cause for concern.

In 2025, however, the number of murders declined more than 25% since 2024. Today, reporter Sam Hardiman joins us to talk about the city's murder rate, when it started falling, potentially why and if the Memphis Safe Task Force has played a demonstrable role.

Plus:

• CBU names an insider to guide the post-probation turnaround
• Jason Smith and John Martin are set to replace Calkins on the 92.9 lineup
• What Memphians can expect in the 2026 TN General Assembly
• Germantown's The Standard development could generate $2.2M in taxes
• A former bank CEO pleads guilty to child porn charges

In the time the Memphis Safe Task Force has been on the ground in the Bluff City, it's been challenging for local journalists to get accurate data on its operations, such as who has been arrested and where members of federal law enforcement are working within the city.

Recently, however, The Daily Memphian was able to obtain daily reports from the Task Force between Oct. 1 and Dec. 8, with reporters Aarron Fleming and Sam Hardiman analyzing each day's information. One thing of particular note was that most of the Task Force's immigration arrests stem from traffic stops.

Today, we talk about that and what else the daily situation reports could show us.

Plus:

• Trump claims the Memphis crime drop is due to the Task Force
• McLendon rolls out legislative priorities for Mississippi
• The futures of the last state-run ASD schools are in limbo
• National Guard numbers swelled in mid-November

For decades, scientists believed a small beetle with a comically large snout had quietly vanished from the forests of the eastern United States — wiped out by the same disease that nearly erased the American chestnut tree itself. The greater chestnut weevil hadn't been definitively seen since the 1990s. Many assumed it was extinct. But two scientists at the University of Memphis weren't so sure.

Today, the story of a beetle presumed gone — and what its rediscovery might mean in an era of rapid biodiversity loss.

Plus:

• Venezuelans in Memphis feel euphoria now that the 'nightmare' is over
• Memphis overcomes sloppy play to open American Conference play with a win against North Texas
• 2026 is set to be a big build year for Lakeland and Bartlett
• A 'Save the Harrold' campaign reimagines a historic Millington building
• A Mississippi state senator is to introduce legislation targeting a school board member who supported Lindsey Whiteside
• There is a new wave of Memphis-connected health apps
• Nearly 90% of Task Force immigration arrests started with traffic stops

It's the new year and a time when people often look to make changes in their lives, whether that means getting healthier, spending more time with friends or family or finding a new job or career. That's the thinking behind Dry January. But it's also the thinking behind a similar effort, Veganuary, a 31-day challenge to have people cut animal products out of their diets.

Today, The Daily Memphian's newsletter editor, Bianca Phillips, joins us to talk about her own personal journey to living a plant-based lifestyle, the local restaurants she likes and steps others can take to try eating vegan.

Plus:

• New THC laws will reshape how Tennessee eats, drinks and gets high
• Buc-ee's in West Memphis and Fayette County is delayed
• XAI buys a building for a third Memphis-area data center in Southaven
• Marshall Steakhouse owner decides against selling

Just call this The AM/DM AMA.

To wrap up 2025 and answer some of our readers' most burning questions from the year, we decided to do an "Ask Me Anything" style segment. Today, digital director Holly Whitfield brings questions derived from social media channels, and we talk about media bias, if citizen groups could overcome xAI and what might happen with The Station, the would-be liquor store on White Station Road.

Plus:

• A Christmas party shooting rekindles the fight over 'party house' rentals
• Kuya restaurant will blend Filipino culture and food on South Main
• One of the city's largest murals has been painted at Le Bonheur
• The former Memphis Motorsports Park is to reopen next year
• TVA is moving ahead with natural gas turbines in Southwest Memphis