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Tech News
Reports on Ohio's Senate race describe how the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein has renewed attention on billionaire Les Wexner, a longtime major donor to candidates from both parties in the state. The issue has become a point of contention among voters across the political spectrum as campaigns navigate questions about Wexner's past ties to Epstein.
A commentary argues that leading AI companies are exaggerating existential risk narratives before Congress to secure favorable regulation and entrench their market position. The piece points to summer 2026 incidents involving AI agents allegedly behaving erratically as examples of security failures being reframed as signs of near-godlike AI capability rather than basic engineering flaws. The author contends lawmakers, flattered by apocalyptic framing, are granting industry-friendly rules instead of scrutinizing mundane technical failures.
Senator Josh Hawley is calling on Flock Safety's chief executive to testify before the Senate next week over the company's automated license plate reading network. Hawley argues that the surveillance technology, deployed widely across the country, threatens Americans' basic privacy expectations during everyday activities like commuting or attending church.
The House of Representatives voted with strong bipartisan support to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers include AM radio in new cars, trucks and SUVs at no extra cost. The measure now moves to the Senate, where a companion bill co-sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey and Ted Cruz already has 60 co-sponsors, enough to survive a filibuster.
A major legislative priority backed by the cryptocurrency industry failed to secure the 60 votes needed to advance to a full Senate floor debate. The setback comes despite heavy lobbying and campaign spending by crypto interests aimed at shaping favorable regulation in Congress.
Senator Mitch McConnell reappeared at the US Capitol after a 92-day absence following a fall and pneumonia, during which he made no public statements at all. Footage showing him appearing disoriented and unresponsive to reporters has circulated widely, prompting concern from medical professionals and the public alike.
A Senate procedural vote to advance the Clarity Act failed 50-49, short of the 60 votes needed, halting progress on legislation meant to create a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets. Republicans had added ethics provisions over the weekend to address Democratic concerns about officials profiting from crypto ventures, but the changes failed to win over enough Democrats, including negotiator Sen. Ruben Gallego, who said the ethics compromise was insufficient.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended a policy change made earlier this year that no longer automatically disqualifies applicants with a history of bestiality or animal cruelty if the conduct occurred before age 18. Patel argued the change protects people who were 'victims' of forced bestiality, while lawmakers including Senators Durbin and Kennedy pressed him on the confusing and controversial framing of the rule.
Bitcoin, XRP and crypto-linked stocks including Coinbase traded lower in premarket sessions as investors awaited a Senate vote on the Clarity Act, legislation that would establish regulatory rules for digital assets. Market sentiment across the sector has turned cautious ahead of the outcome.
The Senate is preparing to vote on the Clarity Act, a major cryptocurrency market bill, after President Trump agreed to ethics restrictions covering himself, including a ban on issuing meme coins like those he and his wife launched before his return to office. Republicans say Trump also accepted a tougher ethics proposal demanded by key senators over the weekend, a concession seen as necessary to secure enough votes for passage.
One year after cofounder Charlie Kirk's assassination, Turning Point is preparing to spend tens of millions of dollars backing Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms. Its super PAC is targeting $15-20 million in ads across three priority states—New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada—while a separate nonprofit arm funds full-time field staff there and in seven other states where Democrats could flip seats. Key races include the New Hampshire Senate contest between John Sununu and Chris Pappas, and the Arizona governor's race pitting Katie Hobbs against Andy Biggs.
Senate Democrats including Ed Markey and Ron Wyden say newly released documents show Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave false statements to the Senate during his 2025 confirmation hearings about his 2019 trip to Samoa, where he was a leading anti-vaccine activist before a measles outbreak killed 83 people, mostly young children. Wyden called the discrepancy a crime and urged the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation, while Markey called it part of a broader pattern of dishonesty.