Here’s a recap of the day so far
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Donald Trump has claimed there is a “SICK conspiracy” against artificial intelligence and data centers in response to the growing calls for greater checks on AI development. “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, insisting that the administration has stopped leaders of AI companies from “doing bad, or potentially bad” things. This comes after a number of AI company CEOs called for the advancement of the technology to slow down.
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House speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill that the White House will schedule a meeting with artificial intelligence executives either by the “end of this week or early next week”. However, the speaker said that while the legislative branch could have “a role” moving forward, he did not want to act “irrationally or haphazardly”. He added: “If you do that, then you lose your edge, and that is a national security concern for the American people.”
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Meanwhile, vice-president JD Vance told reporters today that he doesn’t think Americans “should be scared of anything” when it comes to concerns about AI regulation. Vance also noted that he was skeptical of AI companies “begging” the government for increased regulation. “It feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse. So I think we just have to be careful about this,” he said.
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For his part, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader has called for an all-senators briefing with key administration officials to discuss the administration’s actions to regulate “responsible” development of artificial intelligence, and “stopping China’s advancement of AI”. “I have long argued that we must keep the US as the global leader in AI innovation and security,” Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York said in a statement. “But that innovation must be coupled with serious guardrails that earn the trust of the American public.”
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Detainees at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration jail were frequently locked in outside metal cages no bigger than a phone booth, according to a damning government watchdog report. The findings from the office of the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were published on its website – and offer rare criticism of the Trump administration by one of its own agencies. The report also provides the first official confirmation that guards repeatedly used the highly restrictive cages on detainees in direct contravention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rules. More here
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Two dozen states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over a rule that would make it harder for adults to get a green card. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, due to take effect on Friday, grants immigration officials greater authority to reject green cards if applicants are deemed likely to rely on public assistance programs like food stamps and Medicaid. Federal law already requires those seeking to become US permanent residents to prove they will not be a burden to the US – also known as a “public charge” – but the new rule includes broader range of programs that could disqualify them.
Key events
Some more context following the news that Mike Johnson and Donald Trump are set to meet with AI company executives by the end of this week or early next.
Trump met privately with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backstage at the Republican midterm convention last week, according to MS Now.
Citing three people familiar with the matter, Altman met with the president on Thursday, just days after Jacob Coxon – a former researcher for Anthropic and OpenAI said that “neither company was acting responsibly”, as the technology continued to develop rapidly.
According to one of MS Now’s sources, Altman requested the meeting with Trump, which was reportedly centered on artificial intelligence and its growing power. Altman was also one of the CEOs who spoke out about the need for increased guardrails.
Johnson says he will meet with AI execs ‘soon’ alongside Trump
House speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill that the White House will schedule a meeting with artificial intelligence executives and company CEOs “soon”.
“I think either end of this week or early next week. But wait and see,” he told reporters.
The speaker didn’t say whether Congress would try and rush through any legislation to curb AI development this week, before House lawmakers head out of Washington to continue campaigning ahead of the November midterms. However, Johnson confirmed that the Ratepayer Protection Act – a piece of legislation that would require tech companies to cover the costs associated with datacenters – will head to the House floor this week. The speaker said that he supported the bill.
On Sunday, Johnson said it was up to tech companies, not Congress, to guarantee the safety of their artificial intelligence products. However, on the Hill today, he seemed to say that the legislative branch could have “a role” moving forward, but did not want to act “irrationally or haphazardly”.
“The reflex of legislative bodies is to cover things up with red tape and hyper-regulation. If you do that, then you lose your edge, and that is a national security concern for the American people,” he said.
Trump ‘open to’ talks with Iran, insists that countries should reimburse US for oil arriving through strait of Hormuz
On Truth Social, Donald Trump also claimed that Iran wants to make a deal “quickly and badly”, and that while the US president will “determine” whether to engage, the US is “open to” the “concept”.
This comes after scheduled talks between Gulf states and Iran about the future control of the strait of Hormuz, were postponed today.
Earlier, Trump insisted that other countries who have benefited from oil that has arrived through the vital passageway should ultimately reimburse the US.
“The Countries of the World, which have been no help to us whatsoever, should, and will, reimburse the United States of America when this SCAM Confligration is all over,” Trump said. “We are doing it much more for others, than we are for ourselves, and we have been for Generations!”
The president has claimed that the “only reason” that there has been such consternation about increased guardrails on artificial intelligence is because the US is “leading” development of new technology. “Don’t kill the Golden Goose!” Trump warned on Truth Social.
However, the recent pushback, including from leading AI company CEOs has been in response to employees who have warned of irresponsible and “reckless” growth in the space, which – they argue – is threatening humanity.
Alligator Alcatraz held detainees in cages the size of phone booths, DHS watchdog says
Richard Luscombe
Before the facility was shuttered, detainees at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration jail were frequently locked in outside metal cages no bigger than a phone booth, according to a damning government watchdog report that said the practice “does not align with standards for humane treatment”.
The findings from the office of the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were published on its website – and offer rare criticism of the Trump administration by one of its own agencies.
The report also provides the first official confirmation that guards repeatedly used the highly restrictive cages on detainees in direct contravention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rules.
In December, the Guardian was the first to report an Amnesty International dossier detailing multiple alleged human rights abuses at the controversial camp in the remote Florida Everglades, including how people were regularly shackled outside in metal cages for hours as well as exposed to brutal heat, sunshine and swarms of mosquitoes.
At the time, a spokesperson for Ron DeSantis, the Republican Florida governor whose administration ran Alligator Alcatraz on behalf of the federal government, dismissed the claims now confirmed by the DHS report as “fabrications” – and the Amnesty report as “a politically motivated attack”.
The same spokesperson did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on Monday.
The notorious immigration jail closed in June after a year of operation during which DeSantis boasted of detaining and deporting more than 21,000 immigrants. Officials cited the risk of holding detainees in tents during hurricane season for the closure.
Further to his earlier post dismissing grave calls to increase controls on AI as a “sick conspiracy”, Donald Trump continued to defend the growth of AI and spread of data centers as going to be “the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet.”
He wrote on Truth Social:
Concerning AI, when, in the History of Business, did anyone see the Leaders of an Industry call for Regulation that, if strongly implemented, will drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy? AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX, no different from RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA — UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE — IMPEACHMENT HOAX #1 — IMPEACHMENT HOAX #2 — and all of the other HOAXES and SCAMS that America was forced to endure through the Destructionists’ and Deviants’ foul play and illegal conduct. President Xi, of China, just announced that China will be doing absolutely nothing to stand in the way of AI, or its future. Google has recently stated that they want to build a massive Plant in Finland, all because they are finding permitting too difficult in the United States. I am not happy about this, and want them to change their thinking. AI, and Data Centers, will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet. It will not be stopped by brilliantly run Destructive Forces during the Term of President DONALD J. TRUMP!
AI-linked stocks tumbled this morning after the bosses of Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX called for a slowdown in AI “reckless” development, citing fears the technology could soon run out of control.
My colleague Lauren Almeida has the story:
Trump again touts $5,000 payments if GOP retains control of Congress
Donald Trump is still touting his pledge to give a “Trump dividend” of $5,000 to every adult US citizen if Republicans win November’s midterm elections.
The pledge has sparked incredulity and accusations of bribery, with a huge question mark still hanging over its legality – not to mention it comes at a time of extreme concern over the national debt, which exceeded $40tn for the first time last month.
He posted about it again just now on Truth Social:
The $5,000 Trump Dividend, to be given to all Adults in the United States due to the fact that our Country is taking in Trillions of Dollars of Economic Development, Investment, and Pure SUCCESS, is being criticized by “Dumocrats” who are hoping that it never happens — But it will! As an example, the Dumocrats said THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, one of the largest ever approved by Congress, or signed into Law by a President happened, despite the Dumocrats saying it would be impossible to get approved — Or the Gift of $1776 that I gave last year to our Military, was an almost guaranteed Non Starter, everyone said it could not be done, but it was, our Military Patriots got the money, and loved it. When I say something, I mean it! The $5,000 Dividend will happen because the People of our Country deserve it. VOTE REPUBLICAN — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Senate Republicans release new crypto bill text ahead of critical Tuesday vote
Senate Republicans have released a revised draft of major cryptocurrency legislation which they said addressed Democrats’ concerns over ethics provisions, as well as banking industry concerns that the bill could hurt lending, ahead of a key vote tomorrow.
The Clarity Act, which would create a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, had stalled amid concerns among Democrats and some Republicans that it had insufficient ethics and illicit finance safeguards and could destabilize the banking system by creating more competition for deposits.
This morning, GOP senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, John Boozman of Arkansas and Tim Scott of South Carolina said the new text incorporated “126 substantive changes made at the request of Democrats”.
But it’s still unclear if it has enough support to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to pass a key procedural vote tomorrow that could determine the bill’s fate, while the banking industry remained opposed to the text, an industry official told Reuters.
“After a year of intense daily bipartisan negotiations, this bill is ready,” Lummis said in a statement. “Democrats got what they wanted; now they need to take yes for an answer.”
Democrats have been pushing, in particular, for the text to include stricter restrictions on public officeholders profiting off their own crypto ventures, an effort in part aimed at Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial. Trump in June disclosed that he had made $1.4bn off his crypto ventures.
The new text includes rules put forth by senators Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Democrat Ruben Gallego. It includes giving state attorneys general more power to enforce the restrictions.
“President Trump voluntarily agreed to unprecedented ethics restrictions, holding every federally elected official, judge, and their spouses to some of the toughest ethics restrictions in US history,” Lummis said in the statement.
Spokespeople for Gallego and Tillis did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on whether they endorsed the new text.
The new draft also includes new protections for bank deposits, and protects consumers with new guardrails on affiliate trading, clarifies the applicability of state consumer protection laws and protects software developers, the Republican senators said.
However, the banking industry continues to have concerns about language that would allow crypto players to offer rewards on dollar-backed tokens known as stablecoins, the industry official told Reuters.
A number of local governments are also filing a similar lawsuit, challenging the new DHS rule set to take effect.
Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayor, is one of the officials leading the charge.
“The new public charge rule not only sweeps aside more than a century of established law, it is intentionally vague as a means of creating uncertainty and fear to isolate immigrant New Yorkers,” he said at a press conference on Monday.
He added:
This is an undisguised effort to strip New Yorkers of the services they rely on, the public benefits they are entitled to. Families, including those with children who are US citizens, have already begun to forego essential services like SNAP, Medicaid, and affordable housing out of the fear that if they use these programs, immigration officers could use it as justification to deny them a future in our country.
Two dozen states sue Trump administration over rule to make it harder to get green cards
Two dozen states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over a rule that would make it harder for adults to get a green card.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, due to take effect on Friday, grants immigration officials greater authority to reject green cards if applicants are deemed likely to rely on public assistance programs like food stamps and Medicaid.
Federal law already requires those seeking to become US permanent residents to prove they will not be a burden to the US – also known as a “public charge” – but the new rule includes broader range of programs that could disqualify them. The measure essentially rescinds a Biden-era rule which excluded non-cash benefits from consideration when adjudicating a green card application, and revives a policy from Trump’s first term in office.
“This rule preys on that fear and counts on families forfeiting the food assistance, healthcare coverage and other public benefits to which they are legally entitled,” Letitia James, the New York attorney general, said in a statement.
The states argue that the new rule exceeds the longstanding interpretation of the public charge provision passed by Congress.
In response to another federal judge blocking the Trump’s order that directs the US Postal Service to tighten mail-in voting requirements, the NAACP has welcomed the injunction after they sued the administration.
“The election is just 49 days away. We urge the supreme court to reject this administration’s request to green light this unlawful scheme and leave in place our mailing voting system which is safe, secure and orderly. We will always stand up for voters and continue to fight this administration’s voter suppression attempts,” said Kristen Clarke, NAACP’s general counsel.
Top Senate Democrat calls for all-chamber meeting with Trump administration about AI guardrails
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader has called for an all-senators briefing with key administration officials to discuss the administration’s actions to regulate “responsible” development of artificial intelligence, and “stopping China’s advancement of AI”.
“I have long argued that we must keep the US as the global leader in AI innovation and security,” Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York said in a statement. “But that innovation must be coupled with serious guardrails that earn the trust of the American public.”
Schumer pointed to the “warning bells” over the weekend from leading AI company CEOs who called for the slow down of technology development, and the reports from Anthropic whistleblowers last week, who said their employers were acting irresponsibly by “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives”.
The top Democrat said that if companies “won’t hold themselves accountable, we will. And if Trump does not act, Congress must”.
House committee to consider Russia sanctions bill
Today, as Congress returns from recess, a key House panel is set to consider a bill which would punish Russia and countries that buy its petroleum exports over the invasion of Ukraine.
The bill would impose new sanctions and visa bans on Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and top military commanders, as well as put tariffs of up to 500% on the country’s exports. And it would also allow Trump to impose levies of up to 100% on goods from countries that are the top five importers of Russian oil and gas.
While supportive of the mission, many Democrats fear that the legislation would give the president latitude to implement more tariffs. The Senate passed a version of the bill last month, but the House rules committee will vote on it today before it can head to the floor for a full vote.
‘I don’t think Americans should be scared of anything’: Vance tries to quell concerns about AI regulation
Ahead of traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, vice-president JD Vance told reporters that he doesn’t think Americans “should be scared of anything” when it comes to concerns about AI regulation.
The vice-president attempted to quell concerns after leading AI companies said they would welcome moderating advancement.
“I think what the president has said is we want to be smart about making sure we stay on top of the risks. I don’t think Americans should be scared of anything … There are downsides to anything, and that’s certainly true of AI,” Vance said on the tarmac.
He added that the best way to implement guardrails would be a “consensus between both Congress and the administration”.
Vance also noted that he was skeptical of AI companies “begging” the government for increased regulation. “It feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan Horse. So I think we just have to be careful about this,” he said.
