This will be the first election cycle where AI is both a dominant policy debate — and a widely deployed political weapon. Why it matters: AI allows both candidates and bad actors to persuade and perplex with unprecedented speed, scale and precision in our elections. Watch what works, as those same techniques will likely be used against YOU. What to watch: - Persuasion bots. Campaigns are training text bots to hold back-and-forth conversations in their candidate's voice. Some voters engage for HOURS, granting precise knowledge of what ideas and language move them most. Yale researchers found a bot that admits it's a bot is just as persuasive to people as one posing as a human. - Simulated voters. Political operatives are running AI…
This will be the first election cycle where AI is both a dominant policy debate — and a widely deployed political weapon. Why it matters: AI allows both candidates and bad actors to persuade and perplex with unprecedented speed, scale and precision in our elections. Watch what works, as those same techniques will likely be used against YOU. What to watch: - Persuasion bots. Campaigns are training text bots to hold back-and-forth conversations in their candidate's voice. Some voters engage for HOURS, granting precise knowledge of what ideas and language move them most. Yale researchers found a bot that admits it's a bot is just as persuasive to people as one posing as a human. - Simulated voters. Political operatives are running AI…Open
The Trump administration's rosy promises of a new "golden age" with 6% economic growth have fizzled on the realities of slower-than-anticipated growth and souring consumer sentiment. Why it matters: President Trump's roller coaster economy has risen with consumer spending and AI investment but also tumbled on tariff uncertainty, stubborn inflation and his Iran war, muddling the economic picture. - Trump preaches a golden future, but many voters aren't buying it . - That's a warning sign for the midterms: Reuters-Ipsos polling out this week found that Americans favored Democrats over Republicans on economic policy for the first time in nearly a decade. The big picture: Roughly 18 months into Trump's second term, the economy has proved…
The Trump administration's rosy promises of a new "golden age" with 6% economic growth have fizzled on the realities of slower-than-anticipated growth and souring consumer sentiment. Why it matters: President Trump's roller coaster economy has risen with consumer spending and AI investment but also tumbled on tariff uncertainty, stubborn inflation and his Iran war, muddling the economic picture. - Trump preaches a golden future, but many voters aren't buying it . - That's a warning sign for the midterms: Reuters-Ipsos polling out this week found that Americans favored Democrats over Republicans on economic policy for the first time in nearly a decade. The big picture: Roughly 18 months into Trump's second term, the economy has proved…Open
Senate Republicans' planned vote this week on whether to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress is the latest escalation in their attempt to right perceived COVID-era wrongs and further disempower the federal health care bureaucracy. Why it matters: Critics fear the Senate Homeland Security Committee's efforts will deter scientific talent from taking government jobs, weakening America's public health infrastructure and ceding its dominance in biomedical innovation. Driving the news: The panel is expected to vote Thursday to hold the nation's former top infectious disease official in contempt for refusing to answer the committee's questions on the coronavirus during a hearing last week. - Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment…
Senate Republicans' planned vote this week on whether to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress is the latest escalation in their attempt to right perceived COVID-era wrongs and further disempower the federal health care bureaucracy. Why it matters: Critics fear the Senate Homeland Security Committee's efforts will deter scientific talent from taking government jobs, weakening America's public health infrastructure and ceding its dominance in biomedical innovation. Driving the news: The panel is expected to vote Thursday to hold the nation's former top infectious disease official in contempt for refusing to answer the committee's questions on the coronavirus during a hearing last week. - Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment…Open
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) dropped his re-election bid early Wednesday after the House Ethics Committee recommended his censure over sexual harassment issues. Why it matters: Pressure has been mounting on Edwards to step aside since the Monday decision from the panel. - Axios has previously reported that Edwards faced heavy scrutiny for his treatment of young female staffers. What they're saying: "After much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term," Edwards wrote in a 3:32 a.m. ET post on X. This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) dropped his re-election bid early Wednesday after the House Ethics Committee recommended his censure over sexual harassment issues. Why it matters: Pressure has been mounting on Edwards to step aside since the Monday decision from the panel. - Axios has previously reported that Edwards faced heavy scrutiny for his treatment of young female staffers. What they're saying: "After much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term," Edwards wrote in a 3:32 a.m. ET post on X. This is breaking news. Check back for updates.Open
The FDA allowed some Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed as "lower risk" than cigarettes. Public health experts agree they can help current smokers, but worry young people may become addicted.
The FDA allowed some Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed as "lower risk" than cigarettes. Public health experts agree they can help current smokers, but worry young people may become addicted.Open
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday she will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general . Why it matters: Collins' vote won't sink Blanche's nomination on its own . But it makes every remaining undecided Republican that much more important. - With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still absent from the Senate, Blanche, who is serving in an acting capacity, can afford to lose only two GOP votes, assuming all Democrats oppose him. - "While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," Collins said in a statement . - "Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his…
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday she will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general . Why it matters: Collins' vote won't sink Blanche's nomination on its own . But it makes every remaining undecided Republican that much more important. - With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still absent from the Senate, Blanche, who is serving in an acting capacity, can afford to lose only two GOP votes, assuming all Democrats oppose him. - "While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," Collins said in a statement . - "Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his…Open
Top Pentagon officials are already pitching reconciliation 4.0 to Senate Republicans behind closed doors, underscoring the need for a massive boost in military funds, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Thune hasn't embraced reconciliation 3.0. The White House is already looking beyond it. - Trump officials are quietly sketching out a lame-duck package that could pair significant Pentagon funding with other priorities, including a debt ceiling increase that will be necessary sometime in 2027. They see it as going hand in hand with the current effort to pass reconciliation 3.0. - The administration's case goes beyond replenishing weapons depleted by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine . Officials are also sounding alarms about the need…
Top Pentagon officials are already pitching reconciliation 4.0 to Senate Republicans behind closed doors, underscoring the need for a massive boost in military funds, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Thune hasn't embraced reconciliation 3.0. The White House is already looking beyond it. - Trump officials are quietly sketching out a lame-duck package that could pair significant Pentagon funding with other priorities, including a debt ceiling increase that will be necessary sometime in 2027. They see it as going hand in hand with the current effort to pass reconciliation 3.0. - The administration's case goes beyond replenishing weapons depleted by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine . Officials are also sounding alarms about the need…Open