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Congress might block state AI laws for five years — here’s what it means

A federal proposal that would ban states and local governments from regulating AI for five years could soon be signed into law, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other lawmakers work to secure its inclusion into a GOP megabill — which the Senate is voting on Monday — ahead of a key July 4 deadline. Those in favor — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, and a16z’s Marc Andreessen — argue that a “patchwork” of AI regulation among states would stifle American innovation at a time when

Trump's big, revised bill will slash AI funding for states that regulate AI

ANDREY DENISYUK/Getty The Trump administration's tax bill -- also called its "big, beautiful bill," which is facing a vote today -- includes a rule that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI legislation for five years, and would withhold up to $500 million in funding for AI infrastructure if states don't comply. Over the weekend, senators also added exemptions for state laws targeting unfair or deceptive practices and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The initial version of the ru

Congress might block state AI laws for five years. Here’s what it means.

A federal proposal that would ban states and local governments from regulating AI for five years could soon be signed into law, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other lawmakers work to secure its inclusion into a GOP megabill — which the Senate is voting on Monday — ahead of a key July 4 deadline. Those in favor — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, and a16z’s Marc Andreessen — argue that a “patchwork” of AI regulation among states would stifle American innovation at a time when

Senate pits AI regulation against state funding

ANDREY DENISYUK/Getty The Trump administration's tax bill -- also called its "big, beautiful bill," which is facing a vote today -- includes a rule that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI legislation for five years, and would withhold up to $500 million in funding for AI infrastructure if states don't comply. Over the weekend, senators also added exemptions for state laws targeting unfair or deceptive practices and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The initial version of the ru

Moratorium on state AI laws set to pass, with some exemptions

If there's one thing the AI industry needs it's more regulation. Yet, soon individual US states might not have much say in what AI companies can and can't do thanks to Trump pleasing senators. That's right, an AI-friendly amendment to the president's tax legislation is on the road to approval — despite concerns that its shoehorning is illegal. The clause would prevent states from legislating the AI industry for five years, Bloomberg reports. Only states that cooperate will be allowed to access s

The Supreme Court just upended internet law, and I have questions

is a senior tech and policy editor focused on VR, online platforms, and free expression. Adi has covered video games, biohacking, and more for The Verge since 2011. Age verification is perhaps the hottest battleground for online speech, and the Supreme Court just settled a pivotal question: does using it to gate adult content violate the First Amendment in the US? For roughly the past 20 years the answer has been “yes” — now, as of Friday, it’s an unambiguous “no.” Justice Clarence Thomas’ opi

How the Senate's ban on state AI regulation imperils internet access

ANDREY DENISYUK/Getty The Trump administration's tax bill -- also called its "big, beautiful bill" -- which rounds up key pieces of the president's agenda, also includes a rule that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI legislation for 10 years, if passed. After an initial budget hiccup, Republican senators successfully amended the rule to comply with budgetary requirements by adding that states trying to enforce AI regulations would not receive federal broadband funding. Here's why

Congress might block state AI laws for a decade. Here’s what it means.

A federal proposal that would ban states and local governments from regulating AI for 10 years could soon be signed into law, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other lawmakers work to secure its inclusion into a GOP megabill ahead of a key July 4 deadline. Those in favor – including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, and a16z’s Marc Andreessen – argue that a “patchwork” of AI regulation among states would stifle American innovation at a time when the race to beat China is heating up. Crit

Data brokers may be illegally selling your personal information

Some data brokers may be illegally selling your information – preventing you from finding out what personal data is held, and opting out from its collection and resale. Privacy campaigners say they’ve “uncovered a troubling pattern” that may indicate companies who collect and re–sell personal data may not be complying with state laws … While Europe has tough privacy laws governing the collection and use of personal data, there is no equivalent federal legislation in the US. However, four state

Hundreds of data brokers might be breaking state laws, say privacy advocates

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a nonprofit privacy rights group have called on several states to investigate why “hundreds” of data brokers haven’t registered with state consumer protection agencies in accordance with local laws. An analysis done in collaboration with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) found that many data brokers hav

A Federal Moratorium on State AI Rules Is Inching Closer to Passing. Why It Matters

States and local governments would be limited in how they can regulate artificial intelligence under a proposal currently before Congress. AI leaders say the move would ensure the US can lead in innovation, but critics say it could lead to fewer consumer protections for the fast-growing technology. The proposal, as passed by the House of Representatives, says no state or political subdivision "may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence s

The United States has lower life expectancy than most similarly wealthy nations

Since taking over as the top US health official in February, Robert F. Kennedy Jr has overseen radical changes that have alarmed many public-health experts. The agency he leads announced that it would cut its workforce by 20,000, and cancelled billions of dollars in federal funding for research and public health. Earlier this month, Kennedy replaced all the members of an influential vaccine advisory committee with hand-picked ones, including some who have expressed scepticism about vaccines. His

Ted Cruz can’t get all Republicans to back his fight against state AI laws

A Republican proposal to penalize states that regulate artificial intelligence can move forward without requiring approval from 60 senators, the Senate parliamentarian decided on Saturday. But the moratorium on state AI laws did not have unanimous Republican support and has reportedly been watered down in an effort to push it toward passage. In early June, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposed enforcing a 10-year moratorium on AI regulation by making states ineligible for broadband funding if they t

Moratorium on state AI regulation clears Senate hurdle

A Republican effort to prevent states from enforcing their own AI regulations cleared a key procedural hurdle on Saturday. The rule, as reportedly rewritten by Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz in an attempt to comply with budgetary rules, would withhold federal broadband funding from states if they try to enforce AI regulations in the next 10 years. And the rewrite seems to have passed muster, with the Senate Parliamentarian now ruling that the provision is not subject to the so-called Byrd rule

US Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday upheld the state of Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. In a 6–3 decision in United States v. Skrmetti, the justices found that Tennessee’s law is not unconstitutional. The central issue of the case was whether Tennessee’s ban violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which states that the government cannot discriminate against individuals based on their race, gender, or other characteristics. The rulin

Trump administration throws wrench into $42 billion broadband rollout

The big picture: In a sudden policy shift, the Trump administration has thrown a wrench into the nation's largest broadband expansion effort, forcing states to overhaul plans to distribute $42 billion in federal funding aimed at closing the digital divide. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has put the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program on pause, unveiling sweeping new rules last week that require states to rethink how they allocate grants to Internet service providers. T

iOS 26 will bridge the gap with digital IDs in Apple Wallet thanks to this new addition

Yesterday at WWDC25, Apple announced a new addition to the Wallet app that’ll certainly bridge the gap when it comes to digital ID adoption in the United States: support for passports. Apple announced Drivers Licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet back with iOS 15 in 2021, but since then, it’s only rolled out to a handful of US states. Apple currently supports 9 US states plus Puerto Rico, and will soon add 3 more. Still, 12 is far short of all 50 US states. Soon, however, Apple will introduce suppo