Lawmaker

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has deployed monitors to polling sites in Michigan to oversee the election process. • While FBI poll monitoring is a standard practice, U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms that the move could be politically motivated. • The controversy stems from former President Donald Trump's persistent, unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud in previous cycles.

• Lawmakers are increasingly focusing on artificial intelligence to build credibility with voters and strengthen their standing within their respective political parties. • Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, asserts that AI policy will become a "decisive issue" by the 2028 presidential election. • This trend highlights a strategic shift where mastery of high-profile technological issues is used as a tool for political advancement and stardom.

• Tech CEOs and AI industry leaders are urging lawmakers to support open-weight AI models to ensure fair market competition and reduce overall costs. • Proponents argue that open-weight models allow a global community of researchers to identify vulnerabilities and develop critical safeguards more effectively than closed systems. • The argument is highlighted by a recent incident where Hugging Face reportedly used an open-source Chinese AI model to defend against a hack by OpenAI models due to restrictions on closed-source cybersecurity tools.

Vance Boelter receives two life terms after admitting politically motivated killings and shootingsSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to killing a top Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison on Thursday, a little over a year after the political attacks.Vance Boelter, 59, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in June to the six counts related to the killings of house speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shootings of state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ro Khanna says ‘reindustrialization’ effort would provide grants, loans and investments to smaller businessesDemocrats in the US Congress have laid out plans for what they say would be the “boldest” bid to revitalize the country’s industrial heartlands since the second world war – using revenue raised by tariffs on China.A bill introduced this week would create a new bank to strengthen domestic manufacturing, provided with up to $15bn in funds each year. Continue reading...

• Republican congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds announced legislation on Monday aimed at preventing AI data centers from increasing utility costs for the public. • The proposal would mandate that data centers source all of their electricity and water needs from private providers rather than relying on public water systems or the power grid. • This move reflects a growing political backlash against the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and its potential strain on shared public resources.

Congressman to run for seat despite Donald Trump backing Graham’s sister Darline, should she choose to runRepublican representative Ralph Norman, ⁠of South Carolina, has announced he will join the race to succeed the late senator Lindsey Graham, despite Donald Trump backing Graham’s sister, Darline, should she choose to run.Announcing the launch of his bid on Saturday, Norman wrote on X: “I’m running to represent the people of South Carolina in the US Senate because we need a fighter who will stand with President Trump and carry on Lindsey Graham’s legacy!” Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court upheld a two-year prison sentence for Rep. Kweong Seong-dong of the People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday. • The ruling follows convictions for accepting illegal political funds sourced from the Unification Church. • As a result of the finalized prison term, Kweong has been stripped of his parliamentary seat.

• The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has threatened to sue opposition lawmaker Rep. Joo Jin-woo for allegedly violating a recently enacted fake news law. • The legal action follows the distribution of a video clip featuring the first lady, which the ruling party claims contains false information. • This move highlights the intensifying political conflict in South Korea over the regulation of misinformation and the legal boundaries of legislative speech.

• Supreme Court justices appeared before lawmakers on Capitol Hill for a hearing focused on enhancing judicial security, marking their first such testimony since 2019. • The rare appearance highlights growing concerns over threats against judges and their families, necessitating a review of current protection protocols. • This move matters as it signals a critical need for legislative action and increased funding to safeguard the judiciary from political violence and harassment.

• A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging federal agencies to coordinate efforts to protect election integrity against threats posed by artificial intelligence. • The lawmakers are specifically concerned about AI-driven misinformation, such as chatbots providing voters with inaccurate information during the election cycle. • AI companies have acknowledged the limitations of voluntary safeguards in addressing political bias and are focusing on neutrality-by-design and citation transparency.

Bipartisan group warns HHS that older adults and people with disabilities risk being pressured to end their livesLawmakers urged the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Thursday to establish strict hospice reporting rules to prevent discrimination and coercion in medically assisted suicide.The bipartisan group of members of Congress warned that older adults, people with disabilities, or those with disaffected caregivers face a particular risk of being pressured to end their lives. Continue reading...

• European lawmakers are moving forward with the "Chat Control" bill, which allows Big Tech companies to scan personal texts, emails, and social media messages. • The measure aims to identify and combat the spread of child abuse material online, despite a majority of lawmakers previously voting against the proposal. • This development is significant as it bypasses legislative opposition and raises critical concerns regarding the privacy and encryption of citizens' personal communications.

• US lawmakers are considering new restrictions to limit the adoption of Chinese-developed artificial intelligence models by American companies. • The House Committee on Homeland Security and the Select Committee on China launched a joint investigation in April to assess the risks of this tech integration. • As part of the probe, legislators have contacted firms such as Airbnb and Cursor to determine their level of exposure to Chinese-built AI systems.

• European lawmakers are calling for a formal investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding his conduct and external influences. • The probe centers on concerns that Infantino may have had improper contact with Donald Trump to allow U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play in a match against Belgium despite a red card. • This development highlights ongoing scrutiny over transparency and potential political interference within FIFA's disciplinary processes.

• South Korean lawmakers and investors are expressing growing unease over leveraged ETFs, which are criticized for potentially amplifying market volatility. • Policymakers are now demanding regulatory fixes to address the risks associated with these high-risk financial instruments. • The issue matters as these products can lead to significant losses for retail investors during sharp market swings, threatening overall financial stability.

• US lawmaker Ro Khanna criticized the Trump administration for pursuing a unilateral military conflict against Iran without consulting key global allies. • Khanna highlighted that the US failed to engage India, despite the far-reaching consequences the conflict would have on international partners. • The criticism follows repeated pleas from New Delhi for restraint as tensions escalated in West Asia during the US-led campaign.

New Jersey’s Tom Kean Jr, who last voted in March, says he was diagnosed with depression after entering hospitalTom Kean Jr, a Republican congressman who disappeared from the Capitol for nearly four months with little explanation, re-emerged on Tuesday and said that he was absent while dealing with depression.“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said in a speech on the floor of the House Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn now faces DoJ investigation after sharing post criticizing Democrat Dan GoldmanNew York Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman has said it is “sad” that a Brooklyn coffee shop banned him over his views on Israel – a move which has put the cafe under investigation by the Trump administration’s justice department.Goldman represents New York’s 10th congressional district and holds pro-Israel views. He made the “sad” remark to CNN after Brooklyn’s Poetica Coffee banned him in a viral, since-deleted social media post after a visit from him on Sunday. Continue reading...

Democrat Jamie Raskin seeks ‘comprehensive accounting’ and requests interview with outgoing Bard presidentHarvard University and Bard College are facing new questions about the institutions’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein amid allegations that the convicted child sex trafficker leveraged his ties to the universities and their faculty to traffic women, while also burnishing his reputation to avoid detection.Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, said in a statement that Harvard and Bard had both previously attempted to investigate the role their universities and leadership played in facilitating Epstein’s abuse, but that those attempts either failed or fell short of a full accounting of what occurred. Continue reading...

Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator, joins Democrats in bid to stop dismantling the Ocean Observatories InitiativeUS politics live – latest updatesA group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters on Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally.The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386m. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years. Continue reading...

Government urged to reconsider proposal for 1,100 Afghans, currently stranded in Qatar, who worked with US forcesDozens of US lawmakers urged the Trump administration on Thursday to roll back any plans to ship to unsafe third countries Afghan nationals who worked with US forces during the war in their homeland.In a letter seen by Reuters, more than 80 House of Representatives members, including at least three Republicans as well as Democrats, appealed to secretary of state Marco Rubio to reconsider plans for 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting relocation. Continue reading...

• Former President Trump signed an executive order in April titled “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness” to fast-track research and drug approvals for psychedelic-assisted therapy. • The order aims to increase clinical trial participation and explore innovative research models to treat serious mental health conditions. • This federal push provides a new path for psychedelic research in Missouri, where state lawmakers have failed for several years to pass similar legislation.

• Primary election races are currently unfolding across six states, including New Jersey, California, and Iowa, as candidates advance toward midterm battles. • In separate political developments, Senator Marco Rubio is engaging with lawmakers to answer critical questions regarding government policy. • The Trump administration is weighing a decision to relocate certain groups to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the region's severe humanitarian crisis.

• Missouri State Rep. Dave Griffith is advocating for psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat veterans suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. • The initiative follows an April executive order signed by Donald Trump titled “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness,” which aims to speed up drug approvals and clinical trial participation. • The order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allocate at least $50 million to support state governments developing programs for psychedelic drugs.

• Driven by public demand and survivor advocacy, members of the U.S. Congress are attempting to set aside party politics to seek accountability for Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse network. • The effort focuses on identifying those who enabled Epstein, though survivors argue that the U.S. response has been insufficient compared to international efforts. • In contrast to the U.S., senior government officials in the UK, Sweden, Norway, and Slovakia have already been forced to resign due to their ties to Epstein.