Less than two months before the midterms , Republicans are fighting roughly 200 legal battles to try to impact elections, including several cases in which the GOP isn't officially participating but is paying legal fees or advising on strategy. Driving the news: The Republican National Committee's vast roster of cases includes efforts to tighten voter ID rules in Montana, decrease ballot drop-off locations in Georgia, increase scrutiny of voter lists in New Jersey and Delaware, and boost access for election observers and challengers elsewhere. - Five RNC officials described the scope of the party's nationwide "election integrity" effort to Axios. They said strict enforcement of voting laws and preventing noncitizens from registering and…
A week of extraordinary warnings about AI is shifting the fight in Washington from whether to regulate to how far policymakers are willing to go. Why it matters: Washington and industry's failure to put basic guardrails around AI came into plain sight this week, spurring fresh momentum for regulatory action. Lawmakers were quick to re-up their AI bills following a stark warning that went viral from a former Anthropic researcher who said he quit the company over safety concerns. - The post thrust the topic into public consciousness with more than 150 million views and fueled debate, but congressional leadership and President Trump have largely been quiet. - Those are the players to watch for a true change in the U.S. AI policy…
The national average price of a gallon of diesel jumped over $6 for the first time ever, AAA said on Friday. Why it matters: The fuel that runs the economy is getting more expensive by the day, costing businesses and consumers alike billions of dollars. - While the $6 threshold is more psychological than anything else, it points to months of continued pain for drivers, shippers and shoppers. Data: AAA; Chart: Ben Geman/Axios Driving the news: At $6.0556 a gallon, diesel is about 14% more expensive than it was a month ago and over 60% more than a year ago. - That is starting to show up in other prices, as has long been feared; inflation data out Thursday showed sharp spikes in transportation and warehousing costs, for example. Stunning…
America says "never forget" — but a growing share of Americans don't remember. Why it matters: More Americans are coming of age with no firsthand memory of 9/11 , creating emotional distance from the trauma and more room for dark humor and reinterpretation. The big picture: For Americans under 27, 9/11 arrived through textbooks, movies, social media and family stories rather than lived experience. - That distance can make humor easier, amplified by algorithms that reward provocative content and a generational instinct to push back against mandatory reverence. By the numbers: About 83% of adults born before 2001 remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard about the attacks. - But roughly 10% of U.S. adults were…
Anthropic insiders' warnings this week that AI could end humanity in the next decade have members of Congress frantically seeking answers and trying to cobble together some kind of response. Why it matters: Federal lawmakers are at the "concepts of a plan" stage at this point, with congressional leaders showing little apparent urgency to mobilize. - Some rank-and-file members in both parties say something must be done: "We should absolutely act, and act with urgency," Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) told Axios. - Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote Wednesday in a post on X that "Congress needs to convene a special session on AI and what the future of the U.S. looks like." Driving the news: Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon …
DALLAS — Support for President Trump is dropping among millennials and Gen Zers — particularly young men. Vice President Vance is in charge of getting them back in the midterms. Why it matters: The 42-year-old Vance, the first millennial VP, capped off the GOP's two-day convention here with a direct appeal to families with young children that emphasized the "birthright" of U.S. citizens. - Vance also sought to cast Democrats as anti-American, anti-family "crazies." - "America belongs to those who love it. Not those who hate it," he said. Zoom in: Support for Republicans is slipping across all age brackets, but the disapproval among millennials and young men is an acute concern for Trump's political operation because they were…
Twenty-five years later, it is important to step back from today’s cynicism and remember the heroism and national unity in the hours and days after the attacks.