All posts tagged: J.D. Vance

AI skeptics from Bernie Sanders to Steve Bannon urge action

AI skeptics from Bernie Sanders to Steve Bannon urge action

Published by Sam Flores

Progressive stalwarts Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, agree with staunch conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and former White House strategist Steve Bannon on few issues. But all four appeared in a Marriott ballroom in Washington on Tuesday to raise alarms about the existential threats of artificial intelligence. “Our jobs, our freedom and our safety, all at risk. It’s hard to think of an issue that fundamentally touches more aspects of our lives,” Casar said at the event, dubbed the “Pro-Human Assembly” and organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit that advocates against large-scale technological risks. The event was planned before last week’s bombshell post by Jacob Coxon, an Anthropic employee who resigned and wrote on X about the critical risks of unchecked AI development and said major developers including OpenAI and Anthropic are “gambling with our lives.” But the gathering took on new meaning in the revelation’s wake, as much of Washington scrambles to come to terms with a technology that has evolved rapidly and for which little …

Trump aide Hassett says AI firms can solve risks; Warner balks

Trump aide Hassett says AI firms can solve risks; Warner balks

Published by Sam Flores

The private sector is more than capable of addressing the risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC on Tuesday. “I think these are completely solvable problems,” Hassett said on “Squawk Box.” Hassett’s remarks largely align with President Donald Trump, who went on a social media rampage Monday against AI industry leaders and others who have raised alarms about their own models. But the message contrasts with a growing number of influential voices, including the heads of several top AI companies, calling for strengthened protections — or even a slowdown in development — around the nascent technology. “The idea that we’re going to simply allow a kind of, ‘We’ll trust you to take care of this,’ would be shortsighted,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” later Tuesday morning. Warner, who spoke over the weekend with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI chief Sam Altman, said some AI companies’ experimentation on their products “has been sloppy to …

The U.S. commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11

The U.S. commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11

Published by Sam Flores

A visitor pauses at one of the reflecting pools at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at ground zero on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Sept. 11, 2026. Jeenah Moon | Getty Images On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists backed by al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners. They flew two planes into the twin skyscrapers of the World Trade Center in New York, the first at 8:46 a.m. and the second at 9:03 a.m., and both towers collapsed later that morning. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, while a fourth — believed to have been headed for the U.S. Capitol — crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to retake control of the plane. The coordinated attacks became the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, killing 2,977 people in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard the four hijacked planes, excluding the 19 hijackers. The attacks led directly to the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and helped usher in a broader U.S. “war on terror” …

Trump says MAGA Inc. will spend up to 0 million on 2026 midterms

Trump says MAGA Inc. will spend up to $500 million on 2026 midterms

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House on September 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to spend as much as $500 million from his political operation to help Republicans with about two months to go before the November midterm elections. “I think I have like close to a billion dollars in the super PAC, and I’m allocating probably four or $500 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re going to spend a lot of money because we don’t want to lose our country.” Republicans in competitive House and Senate races have been waiting for Trump’s political action committee, MAGA Inc., to ramp up spending. Some GOP officials and strategists had reportedly grown concerned that massive war chest would remain on the sidelines. MAGA Inc. reported $403.45 million in cash on hand as of July 31, according to its latest Federal Election Commission filing, less than half …

Trump threatens to halt trade with top partners unless Fed cuts rates

Trump threatens to halt trade with top partners unless Fed cuts rates

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on his threat to cut off trade with countries that have surpluses with the U.S. unless the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. “What I’m saying, very simply, is that we should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world,” Trump said in the Oval Office. He had been asked about his Truth Social post earlier in the day declaring, “LOWER THE RATE OR I’LL STOP TRADING WITH COUNTRIES WITH WHICH WE HAVE A DEFICIT.” Trump issued that sweeping ultimatum after urging the Fed and its chairman, Kevin Warsh, to “get smart” and cut rates following a much-stronger-than-expected monthly jobs report. Read Trump’s full post: Great jobs number just announced, breaking all estimates (except mine!) by double and triple – And you haven’t seen anything yet! EMPLOYERS ADDED 162,000 JOB IN AUGUST. Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was just a short time ago! A STRONG COUNTRY MEANS A LOWER INTEREST RATE – IT’S A BETTER CREDIT…Very simple! We should …

‘Would be nice to have some help’

‘Would be nice to have some help’

Published by Sam Flores

The Federal Reserve should cut interest rates to make homes more affordable, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday, adding to the pressure President Donald Trump has placed on the central bank to cut borrowing costs. The remarks came days after Trump’s handpicked Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, hinted at the possibility of doing the opposite: addressing persistently high inflation by hiking rates. “Obviously the president cares a lot about interest rates,” Vance said at a White House press briefing when asked by CNBC’s Eamon Javers for the Trump administration’s view on the volatile U.S. bond market. “One of the main reasons he cares a lot about interest rates is because he wants Americans to be able to afford a home,” Vance said, referencing Trump. “When interest rates go higher, that means that borrowing costs are higher.” “We believe that the Fed should be lowering interest rates,” he said, calling it the “proper and responsible” response to recent U.S. inflation data. Vance added, “We’re doing a lot of things to try to keep those interest rates down, …

Iran strikes Kuwait, Trump says renewed hostilities won’t last ‘too long’

Iran strikes Kuwait, Trump says renewed hostilities won’t last ‘too long’

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaks during a meeting with U.S. travel executives in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 2, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images Kuwait’s army on Thursday said it was confronting hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said that renewed hostilities in the Middle East would not last “too long.” Kuwait advised residents to follow security and safety instructions, adding that any explosions heard in the country were due to air defense systems intercepting hostile targets. The strikes were targeted at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Iranian state media outlet IRIB said. “I don’t think it will [war] be very much longer … I don’t know how much more they [Iran] can take,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, describing the American strikes against Iran on Tuesday as a “very heavy attack,” adding that the U.S. was prepared for further military operations “any time we want.” Iran had retaliated after the Tuesday strikes, targeting U.S. regional allies Jordan and …

Trump defends data centers amid midterm election backlash

Trump defends data centers amid midterm election backlash

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 10, 2026. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Monday blasted communities that oppose new data centers as Republicans confront voter backlash over the projects ahead of November’s midterm elections. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” the president said. “The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!” Trump’s post comes nearly a week after a memo issued by the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned, “If …

Republicans are dismissing affordability. That could be a problem in November

Republicans are dismissing affordability. That could be a problem in November

Published by Sam Flores

Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, May 28, 2026. Matt Rourke | AFP | Getty Images Voters are worried about the cost of living. Comments from the GOP this week are not likely to console them. President Donald Trump, in an interview Wednesday, said the word “affordability” was “devised” by Democrats to disparage him. The Republican National Committee sent out a fundraising text attributed to Vice President JD Vance that said groceries “cost what they cost.” And Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who won the nomination for a full Senate term on Tuesday, disparaged federally run universal healthcare before recalling with nostalgia her parents heading to work even if they were sick. The set of comments over the past 24 hours exemplifies the challenges ahead for Republicans as they race to save their majorities in Congress in the midterm election, which looms less than 10 weeks away. Democrats are hammering Republicans on the campaign trail over the cost of living, which remains stubbornly high amid the …

Husted defends energy policy as GOP warns data centers put Ohio seat at risk

Husted defends energy policy as GOP warns data centers put Ohio seat at risk

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks during a Senate Appropriations committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, July 21, 2026. Finn Gomez | Getty Images Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, defended President Donald Trump’s energy and economic agenda on Friday during an appearance at a southwestern Ohio steel mill with Vice President JD Vance, as Republicans warn that backlash over data centers could be putting his seat in jeopardy. Husted’s comments come days after the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, warned in a memo that data centers have become a “sleeper issue” this election cycle, as Americans increasingly worry about the impact they could have on their utility costs. Ohio is home to several large data center projects, including a proposed 10-gigawatt campus in Pike County that could cost more than $500 billion. But higher electricity costs, Husted said, are the result of Democratic policies, not data center construction. “You want to have lower electricity prices — I want to tell you why they’re rising. Because Congress and, under the Obama administration, under …