DAILY DIGEST, 3/10: Odds of strong El Niño surge — and potential California impacts become clearer; Water woes endgame? CEO urges Trump-Newsom alliance for California’s thirsty valley; California groundwater limits force almond orchard removals; Dat

The odds of a strong El Niño event developing later this year in California have surged to 80%, potentially leading to major weather impacts. A severe heat wave is expected to hit the state in the coming days, with temperatures soaring up to 30 degrees above normal. California's longstanding water crisis, driven by years of bad policy, is now forcing almond growers to remove orchards due to groundwater limits under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. However, one CEO believes a Trump-Newsom alliance could help address the state's water woes in the Central Valley. The rapid growth of data centers is outpacing the ability of many local water systems to meet the surge in cooling demands, potentially requiring billions in new infrastructure. Regulators recommend that data centers should pay their own energy costs rather than passing them on to other ratepayers.