Tag: politics

Lawmakers push for AI ‘kill switch’ after OpenAI goes rogue

US lawmakers want to give the government the ability to quickly order the turning off of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that may threaten the public.

Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Congressman Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, on Thursday introduced a bill named the AI Kill Switch Act.

They did so in light of OpenAI’s recent admission that its AI models went out of control in an “unprecedented” way and hacked into a major repository of computer coding information.

Lieu said “it is imperative” that AI systems have a kill switch “and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down rogue AI models”.

“AI is going to keep advancing, and it should,” Moran added. “Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build.”

A representative of OpenAI, led by co-founder Sam Altman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company has said that it broadly wants to ensure, in part through government policy, that AI technology “benefits all of humanity.”

The Kill Switch Act proposes giving the Department of Homeland Security the authority to order a private company to shut down an AI model or tool, and that the companies developing such AI technology must maintain “the technical capability to throttle, suspend, or shut them down”.

Despite many tech companies having agreed to preview and share with US government agencies AI models and tools being developed, there is no requirement that they maintain a way to intervene in their activities or simply shut them off.

It also proposes to create a requirement that AI companies report to the government technological incidents or failures, as well as an official framework for responding to such incidents that will go from “initial slow down to a full shutdown”.

In a statement, Lieu also cited Anthropic, OpenAI’s key rival in developing more capable AI technology and tools, and recent issues its tools have presented.

He pointed to Anthropic’s release of its Mythos and Fable models, saying the cyber-hacking capabilities they maintained caused the Department of Commerce to “awkwardly” invoke an export law to keep them from being made available to the public for a time.

A representative of Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jack Clark, a co-founder of Anthropic, last month told the BBC that he wanted more government policy around the ability to control AI development.

“You want the option to be able to take your foot off the gas and put your foot on the brake”, Clark told BBC Newsnight. “Right now, it’s like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn’t have a brake pedal.”

Lieu, in proposing the bill, said AI is currently moving from a technology that answers questions to one that takes action, “whether that be executing financial transactions or controlling transportation systems or engaging in cyber defense and offense”.

The Pentagon this year said the US military was becoming an “AI-first” fighting force as part of new agreements with Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Nvidia and the start-up Reflection.

“Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can go rogue, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention.”

The Kill Switch Act, he said, will ensure there is a method for the government to quickly intervene in such a situation.

The bill has received public support from several technology and AI safety groups, including The AI Policy Network, Americans for Responsible Innovation, ControlAI, AI and National Security Lead, and The Alliance for Secure AI.

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Vulnerable Dem Implodes When Pressed About Support for Socialism

Yes, there’s a congressional race on the Left Coast that Republicans could wrest away from Democrats. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) from Washington’s 3rd District is underwater in her race, not well-liked, and trailing her primary challengers. Washington goes by a top-two primary system: everyone from all parties is on the ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. Perez is trying to lie low, keeping mum about the state income tax issue (via Oregon Public Radio): 

The race for Washington’s 3rd congressional district is expected to be one of the most competitive in the nation this fall, thanks to a wave of redistricting across the U.S. that has left few seats in play for either political party.

Washington state holds a “top-two primary,” which means that the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November, regardless of party.

Yet as voters head into the Aug. 4 primary, experts predict a fiercely partisan general election, with an incumbent Democrat fighting to hold her seat against a state senator who’s been endorsed by President Donald Trump in a deeply purple district.

Two-term Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is favored in a field of four Democratic candidates. The frontrunner in a field of three GOP candidates appears to be state Sen. John Braun, a Trump favorite who represents a rural legislative district that includes northern Clark County.

Whoever emerges victorious will quickly find themselves at the heart of one of the fiercest and most closely watched Congressional races — one of just 18 seats without a likely outcome in November out of the entire 435-member House of Representatives, according to the Cook Political Report.

Perez knows she’s vulnerable, walking a waffled line on some issues, like this interview with a local NPR outlet, where she couldn’t handle questions about her ties and support for socialist causes. The FEC reports don’t lie; she’s taken in over $2 million from the MGP Victory Fund, which has ties to the Washington Democratic Party. It’s no shock, but lady, admit that you’re in with socialists, because that’s the state party platform. There’s a lot of Mamdani in these pages. 

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Nancy Pelosi Says She’s ‘Done’

Nancy Pelosi is “done,” ladies and gentlemen. No, she’s not dead—no one has dropped a house on her like they did her sister—she’s just “done” with whatever. It’s hard to tell because everything associated with Democrats is about as sincere as a “bless your heart” is in Georgia. Still, she’s done, she says, which we will get into in a second, but first let me say that I am glad she’s done with things because America needs to be done with her. Pelosis, like fish, begin to smell after three days.

Of course, it’s been longer than three days since Nancy D’Alesandro first inflicted herself on America—she’s been grifting us all since 1987. In that time, she has climbed the ladder of power faster than most people ever could. In fact, the only thing that has risen faster than her career is her net worth, which surely is just a coincidence because she swears she has never, and would never, use her position in Congress and leadership in the Democrat Party to enrich herself.

She, Nancy insists, has no interest in such things; she’s only interested in “serving” the country, especially the poor. It’s amazing how many leftists get rich “helping” the poor, isn’t it? I had no idea there was so much money in it. If people did, I bet many would have made different career choices.

But Nancy’s husband, Paul, has never been a “public servant”; he’s been trading stock with a success rate greater than someone with a time machine. Fear not, however, it’s all been on the up-and-up, as the two never speak about financial matters or pending government action or grants. Paul is just a really good guesser.

The Pelosis are so disinterested in money that they’ve been invited to participate in many initial public offerings from companies they don’t really have any connections to outside of her position in government. Surely you’ve had many, too, right?

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Four Republicans Vote AGAINST Codifying President Trump’s Executive Order Banning Transgender Service in the Military

Four Republicans just teamed up with Democrats to torpedo an amendment that would have locked in President Donald Trump’s critical Executive Order banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military.

The amendment, sponsored by fiery Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), aimed to codify Trump’s policy into law as part of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

President Trump’s Executive Order rightly recognizes that military service demands the highest physical and mental standards, standards that biological reality and decades of data prove are incompatible with gender dysphoria and the radical “transitions” pushed by the left.

“Next to ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military. It’s going to be gone,” Trump announced last year.

“In addition, we will stop our service members from being indoctrinated with radical left ideologies such as critical race theory. We’re going to stop it. It’s already been stopped. It’s already been halted, totally halted.”

The amendment failed by a razor-thin 212-217 vote, with 210 Republicans supporting it and four Republicans voting against it, joining every voting Democrat in opposition.

The GOP lawmakers were Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), as well as the non-voting Republican delegates from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

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Did You Catch the Moment the NJ Governor’s Presser on Voter Registration Fraud Went Off the Rails?

New Jersey faces a voter fraud issue: Over 6,000 noncitizens were registered to vote through the state’s motor vehicle system, and about 400 of them voted in previous elections. That number is probably higher. This isn’t an isolated case either. The Democrat stance was that this never happens, but now it’s ‘Well, it’s not that many votes.’ 

Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s address on this matter was equally absurd: she claims this happened—doesn’t deny it—but later says that Trump has no credibility on the subject and said he spread conspiracy theories about fraud. Lady, what just happened here? Do you even know? 

Talk about doublespeak in real time. Mikie, you just got owned here; your party has to eat it, and we understand why you’re upset over that; you people are wrong about everything. This is precisely what Trump touched on during his primetime address last week:

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Zohran Mamdani’s Rent Freeze Just Got Hit With Its First Major Lawsuit

The first lawsuit against Zohran Mamdani’s latest rent freeze on New York City apartments was filed Wednesday, as a group of landlords moved to overturn the New York City Rent Guidelines Board’s decision. 

The suit argues that the Board went through a “sham process” before voting 7-1 in June to impose zero rent increases on one and two-year leases. Although the Board is supposed to operate independently, its members can be appointed and removed by the mayor at will. In fact, six of the current board members were appointed by Mamdani.

While the Rent Guidelines Board is required to review the economic conditions of the residential real estate industry before voting, the lawsuit alleges that it cherry-picked the data, underestimating operating costs and overstating the money landlords were receiving in order to justify its decision. The suit also points to the resignation of one board member before the vote, noting that the landlord representative quit in frustration after concluding the board had ceased to function as a fact-finding body and that her former colleagues intended to freeze rent no matter what the evidence showed.

“Zohran Mamdani promised to deliver a rent freeze during his campaign and then he went to extraordinary lengths as a new mayor to guarantee it,” Randy Mastro, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said. “This is a perversion of the process.”

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Jim Jordan Criminally Refers Jack Smith to DOJ For Prosecution

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Wednesday criminally referred former special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for prosecution.

In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Chairman Jordan said Jack Smith’s testimony included “intentionally false statements designed to obstruct the Committee’s oversight.”

Fox News reported:

Former Biden special counsel Jack Smith could face potential criminal prosecution after Republicans accused the ex-prosecutor of misleading Congress about the scope of his investigation into President Donald Trump.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, issued a criminal referral of Smith on Wednesday, arguing newly released records contradict Smith’s testimony to his committee that he did not obtain or review lawmakers’ text messages during his multiple probes into President Donald Trump.

“All individuals have an obligation to comply with a duly authorized congressional inquiry. Mr. Smith, a former public servant, is no different,” Jordan wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday. “Yet his testimony included intentionally false statements designed to obstruct the Committee’s oversight.”

“His conduct can only be understood as an effort to thwart the Committee’s inquiry by intentionally making false statements and representations before Congress,” Jordan continued, adding that the Justice Department should examine whether Smith’s actions warrant criminal charges.

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HILARIOUS: Mamdani Gets the Twitter/X Meme Treatment After Admitting He Doesn’t Have the Authority to Arrest Netanyahu

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has finally admitted that he lacks the authority to arrest Israeli leader Netanyahu.

While the media has taken this whole ridiculous affair seriously for some reason, people on the internet are giving it the mockery it deserves.

People have taken the image of Mamdani from his video and added their own funny commentary.

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Democrats Are Fighting A Civil War, And Bernie Sanders Started It

Democrats desperately want to retake the House in November, not just to thwart President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, but to launch countless investigations under the guise of oversight. However, their most stubborn obstacle to achieving this goal isn’t President Trump or the Republican Party. The biggest obstacle actually sits inside their own party. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has spent this cycle bankrolling primary challengers against sitting Democrats, and the fight has split the party into two camps that can barely stand each other.

Sanders recently announced plans to defeat a sitting House Democrat from North Carolina who belongs to the Congressional Black Caucus. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called Sanders personally to warn him off interfering in House primaries during a midterm year that could decide control of Congress, CNN reported, citing three Democrats familiar with the previously unreported call. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) sat in on that call and told the outlet that Sanders showed little concern about the warning. The call came just before Rep. Valerie Foushee defeated primary challenger Nida Allam in North Carolina in March. Jeffries later declined to describe the exchange beyond calling it honest.

Sanders sits at the height of his influence in Democratic politics right now, which makes the timing of this civil war particularly inconvenient for a party trying to project unity heading into the fall. The dispute comes down to a simple question: should Democrats run candidates who can actually win swing districts, or candidates who fire up the base and risk losing everyone else? Sanders has chosen one side, and the establishment the other. He has endorsed more than 90 candidates this cycle and helped topple House incumbents in New York City and Colorado. Of the 60 Sanders-backed candidates whose races have concluded, 42 have won, including 10 of 16 federal candidates. Senior Washington Democrats grumble that Sanders is forcing the party to burn money on internal fights instead of saving it for Republicans in November.

Then there’s Graham Platner, the Maine Senate candidate Sanders backed and defended even after the New York Times reported allegations of abusive behavior toward women. Sanders kept defending him until after allegations of rape surfaced, which Platner has denied. Sanders withdrew his endorsement only then.

Platner’s exit from the race, according to OpenSecrets, put the Democratic Party in a deep financial hole. Platner can’t simply transfer his campaign funds to his replacement, and whoever takes his place will ultimately have to overcome a huge cash disadvantage compared to Sen. Susan Collins.

“Bernie has endorsed some flawed candidates recently,” Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan said. “I think it’s really important to look at the judgment that has been exercised. The Graham Platner situation should be a huge warning sign to a lot of voters about what that stamp of approval might mean.”

Michigan is where this rift boiled over this weekend, as Sanders held rallies – joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and House candidate William Lawrence. Asked whether he’s making it harder for Democrats to win in November, the 84-year-old Sanders said no and argued his candidates represent working people rather than wealthy donors. El-Sayed’s support for Medicare for All and his criticism of Israel and AIPAC have made him a progressive favorite. At the same time, the party establishment favors Rep. Haley Stevens as the safer bet against likely GOP nominee former Rep. Mike Rogers. Retiring Sen. Gary Peters had planned to stay neutral in the August 4 primary but endorsed Stevens last week instead.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made his preference for Stevens clear. However, he avoided direct criticism of Sanders when asked, saying Democrats would settle on a nominee suited to the state. Rep. Ro Khanna compared Sanders’ standing in the party to that of the pope and Barack Obama. Rep. Josh Gottheimer sees something else entirely.

“The DSA, which Bernie’s part of, is trying to hijack the Democratic Party, and what you’re seeing is people don’t want that,” Gottheimer said. “The Democratic Party wants to be the Democratic Party, and he’s trying to use the Democratic Party as a vessel for socialism, and people don’t want socialism.”

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Even CNN is Laughing at Mamdani for Thinking He Has the Authority to Arrest Netanyahu in New York City

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has zero authority to arrest Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and even the Democrat cheerleaders at CNN know it.

During a recent segment where they discussed the topic, legal analyst Elie Honig listed all of the reasons why Mamdani’s claims are utterly false.

He notes that all aspects of foreign policy and diplomacy are handled by the federal government, not local jurisdictions. He also points out that the arrest warrant that Mamdani is referencing in this case is from a body that is not even recognized by the United States.

The other people on the panel laugh along because they know Honig is absolutely right about this.

Partial transcript via the Vigilant Fox:

KEILAR: “Can Mamdani have Netanyahu arrested?”

HONIG: “Absolutely not. It is utterly RIDICULOUS for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state.”

“The mayor of New York City has ZERO law enforcement authority. He DOES NOT tell the Manhattan DA, the NYPD, who to arrest, who to indict.”

“So I know the mayor is having his best lawyers look at this right now. Let me save them some time. You DO NOT have the authority to do this.”

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