Texas paid bitcoin miner $31 million to cut energy use during heat wave
To ease load on aging grid, state program offers energy credits to bitcoin miners to curtail their power consumption.
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To ease load on aging grid, state program offers energy credits to bitcoin miners to curtail their power consumption.
The state of Texas has sweltered this summer under a seemingly endless cycle of extreme heat warnings. Those high temperatures have put a strain on the state's power grid, with Texas' grid operator saying demand for energy has set seven records this summer alone. Emily Foxhall, Texas Tribune energy reporter, joins CBS News to give an update on how the state's power grid is performing.
The price hikes come as demand for electricity in the Lone Star State has soared in recent weeks.
Millions of Americans are still feeling the heat. At least 33 states saw temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, and it's a trend scientists say will likely continue. Texas Tribune energy reporter Emily Foxhall joins CBS News to discuss how the Lone Star State's power grid is keeping up with demand.
Texas lawmakers will hold a hearing Thursday to address the state's power grid failure during last week's winter storm. At least five board members from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have resigned. It comes as the state's petrochemical plants say they may have released millions of pounds of excess pollution into the air due to failures of the power grid. Erin Douglas, the Texas Tribune's environment reporter, joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano to discuss the backlash Governor Greg Abbott is facing, as well as the communities that are likely to experience the greatest impact from the spike in air pollution.
Four board members are resigning from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, after last week's deadly winter storm knocked out power for millions. Dallas Morning News political writer Gromer Jeffers joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss what comes next for the state's power plans.
The storm system has placed more than 100 million Americans under winter weather alerts, and over 4,000 flights had already been canceled by Thursday morning.
With the heat index going into triple digits, ERCOT is asking Texans to raise thermostats and shut off large appliances.
Amid the winter storm last month, one woman was billed $9,546 between February 1 to19 — 40 times more than her typical bill of $200 to $250.
Some Griddy customers were charged more than $9,500 even as last month's blackout caused residents to lose power.
Approaching ouster of Bill Magness comes after last month's outages left millions without power and head in frigid temperatures.
A Houston family is in mourning after their loved one died of hypothermia during last week's power outages. Janet Shamlian reports on their loss and how they're trying to cope.
Texas resident claims power provider Griddy broke price-gouging laws as winter storm knocked out power.
"We're victims of our own attempt to let free market forces work," said one lawmaker investigating last week's outages.
The board members cited concerns of "out of state leadership," as three live in other states, and one lives in another country.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave an update Sunday to address how the state is dealing with the ongoing crises of skyrocketing energy bills, food shortages and lack of access to water after deadly winter weather crippled the state's infrastructure. Watch Abbott's press conference.
A ship was taken by unknown parties toward Iranian waters after an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked off Oman.
President Trump is in Beijing meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders aiming to stabilize their trading relationship after last year's trade war.
Anastasia Antonov believes that her father, Aleksandr, was arrested by the Russian government last year because he is an American citizen. Now, she is appealing to President Trump to push Vladimir Putin's government to free her father.
The Supreme Court has maintained mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone, setting aside for now a lower court order that blocked abortion providers from prescribing the widely used drug through telehealth and shipping it to patients.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government plans to file a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.
The vote on a Democratic resolution to rein in Mr. Trump's authority to strike Iran was 212-212, falling just short of a majority.
A CBS News investigation showed the broker had worked with dangerous "chameleon carriers," thousands of which evade federal safety enforcement by reincarnating under new names.
Brett Blackman was convicted on charges including healthcare and Medicare fraud, and faces decades in prison.
Ian Nixon, a veteran pilot from the Bahamas, put the plane he was flying down in the ocean without anyone suffering serious injuries.
There has been palpable excitement about President Trump's state visit to China in the Queens neighborhood of Flushing, home to one of the largest Asian populations in the U.S.
The Supreme Court has maintained mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone, setting aside for now a lower court order that blocked abortion providers from prescribing the widely used drug through telehealth and shipping it to patients.
A CBS News investigation showed the broker had worked with dangerous "chameleon carriers," thousands of which evade federal safety enforcement by reincarnating under new names.
Trump Mobile's $499 gold-toned phone has faced delays since it was unveiled in June 2025.
More than a dozen American CEOs are accompanying President Trump on his trip to China. That's not unusual.
Trump Mobile's $499 gold-toned phone has faced delays since it was unveiled in June 2025.
More than a dozen American CEOs are accompanying President Trump on his trip to China. That's not unusual.
A jury in Chicago awarded $49.5 million in damages Wednesday to the family of a 24-year-old American who perished in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash.
The 5.5-carat "Ocean Dream" diamond was found in Central Africa in the 1990s.
AI companies are recruiting a wide range of temp workers, from writers to wine enthusiasts, for hourly-paid gigs to help train their language models.
There has been palpable excitement about President Trump's state visit to China in the Queens neighborhood of Flushing, home to one of the largest Asian populations in the U.S.
The Supreme Court has maintained mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone, setting aside for now a lower court order that blocked abortion providers from prescribing the widely used drug through telehealth and shipping it to patients.
The FBI said Thursday that it's still trying to locate Monica Witt, who is accused of defecting to Iran in 2013 and revealing highly classified U.S. intelligence.
Anastasia Antonov believes that her father, Aleksandr, was arrested by the Russian government last year because he is an American citizen. Now, she is appealing to President Trump to push Vladimir Putin's government to free her father.
The vote on a Democratic resolution to rein in Mr. Trump's authority to strike Iran was 212-212, falling just short of a majority.
Challenging your mind, through games and learning new skills, may help reduce your risk of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. (Sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association.)
Several states have required their health agencies to take on another job: verifying immigration status among Medicaid recipients and reporting them to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Jake Rosmarin is one of the 16 Americans at the University of Nebraska Medical Center being monitored for signs of hantavirus. Ian Lee spoke with him and has more details.
"Your doctor could be making decisions around treatment based on studies that never existed," one expert said.
A New York native is among 16 American passengers who are quarantining in Nebraska after being on the cruise ship that is at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak.
There has been palpable excitement about President Trump's state visit to China in the Queens neighborhood of Flushing, home to one of the largest Asian populations in the U.S.
The FBI said Thursday that it's still trying to locate Monica Witt, who is accused of defecting to Iran in 2013 and revealing highly classified U.S. intelligence.
Anastasia Antonov believes that her father, Aleksandr, was arrested by the Russian government last year because he is an American citizen. Now, she is appealing to President Trump to push Vladimir Putin's government to free her father.
The vote on a Democratic resolution to rein in Mr. Trump's authority to strike Iran was 212-212, falling just short of a majority.
Cuba's national energy grid has suffered a major failure, cutting power to the island's eastern provinces.
Film critic Rex Reed, whose clever and barbed opinions about movies – and movie stars – made him a fixture for decades in print and on television, died on May 12, 2026 at age 87. In this Feb. 4, 2018 "Sunday Morning" profile, Reed talked with Mo Rocca about how he came to live the life of an A-Lister himself. He also dispensed his unvarnished opinions about that year's best picture Oscar-nominees.
(Spoilers ahead) "CBS Mornings" reveals the castaways voted off during Wednesday's episode of "Survivor 50" in another double elimination. They discuss being part of the franchise and their legacies in the game.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
Major musicians from Post Malone to Meghan Trainor have recently struggled to sell out stadiums and arenas for their tours. It's a troubling trend being called "blue dot fever" and has led to entertainers canceling some or all of their shows. Ash-har Quraishi reports.
Actor Geena Davis talks about starring in the new series "The Boroughs," if there are parallels between herself and the character she plays, and why she's drawn to supernatural projects. She also addresses representation in the entertainment industry.
President Trump's visit to Beijing comes as the U.S. and China compete for artificial intelligence supremacy. Matt Sheehan, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins with analysis.
Lawyers presented closing arguments Thursday in the OpenAI trial pitting Elon Musk against its CEO, Sam Altman. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson has more.
From labor shortages to environmental impacts, farmers are looking to AI to help revolutionize the agriculture industry. One California startup, Farm-ng, is tapping into the power of AI and robotics to perform a wide range of tasks, including seeding, weeding and harvesting.
Trump Mobile's $499 gold-toned phone has faced delays since it was unveiled in June 2025.
AI companies are recruiting a wide range of temp workers, from writers to wine enthusiasts, for hourly-paid gigs to help train their language models.
NASA's Psyche spacecraft will slingshot past Mars on Friday, on its way toward a rare metal-rich asteroid.
Greater protections for endangered emperor penguins and how to manage growing tourism are topping the agenda at talks on Antarctica in Japan.
The Pentagon released UFO documents on Friday, with President Trump telling the public to "have fun" deciding for itself what is going on. Carter Evans reports.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it's time for the American people see it for themselves, as the Pentagon started releasing previously classified documents related to UFOs and UAPs. CBS News Pentagon reporter Eleanor Watson has more.
The Pentagon on Friday released and declassified numerous files on UFOs, including eyewitness testimony, photos and reports. Government knowledge of non-human intelligent life was the subject of the documentary "The Age of Disclosure," released in February. Its director and producer, Dan Farah, joins CBS News to discuss.
An Oklahoma judge granted bond to former death row inmate Richard Glossip on Thursday, laying the groundwork for his first release from prison since 1997.
Brett Blackman was convicted on charges including healthcare and Medicare fraud, and faces decades in prison.
Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina lawyer who was convicted of murder, will get a new trial and have his convictions overturned, the state's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. CBS News' Eva Pilgrim reports.
The tourist sparked outrage after a witness recorded him chucking a coconut-sized rock at "Lani," a beloved Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach.
Warning: Distressing video. Authorities in the Philippines tried to arrest a senator on Wednesday, resulting in a burst of gunfire in the Philippine Senate, according to an Associated Press journalist and other witnesses.
NASA's Psyche spacecraft will slingshot past Mars on Friday, on its way toward a rare metal-rich asteroid.
NASA's Apollo 17 crew reported seeing three mysterious dots and sparks that resembled fireworks, according to new files released by the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that the documents "have long fueled justified speculation — and it's time the American people see it for themselves."
If confirmed, the rock would become just the second world past Neptune in our solar system to host an atmosphere.
The Artemis II team gained a new member, and the crew made sure their youngest teammate had the right stuff for space.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Does the evidence show a cover-up, or was Todd Kendhammer wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife?
Christy Salters-Martin dominated in the boxing ring but faced her toughest challenger at home.
Family seeks answers in death of newlywed who disappeared in 2005 while on Mediterranean honeymoon cruise.
Meet the tattooed beauty charged in the death of Google executive Forrest Hayes.
David Begnaud meets a man who has attended the Kentucky Derby for 79 years in a row – and his dying wish to make it there one last time.
During their bilateral meeting on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump of "conflicts" if Taiwan is not "handled properly." CBS News foreign correspondent Anna Coren has the latest from Beijing.
President Trump's visit to Beijing comes as the U.S. and China compete for artificial intelligence supremacy. Matt Sheehan, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins with analysis.
CBS News 24/7 is saying goodbye to Scoop, a service dog in training for Canine Companions, as she heads to puppy college.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a trucking broker at the center of a CBS News investigation can be sued following deadly crashes. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod has the details.