{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Trump eyes AI riches with government stakes President Trump is considering a plan that would give the U.S. government direct stakes in leading AI companies, putting him in unusual alignment with some of his fiercest critics. © AP
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday warned California that its “Glock ban” violates the Second Amendment and shared plans to file a federal complaint against the Golden State in court if officials do not cease enforcement of the law. “Californians have the
Just days after a gunman killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, it became clear that President Donald Trump would use the assassination to fuel a crackdown on free speech. To avenge Kirk's death, the administration vowed to go after so-called "antifa" (otherwise known as
The Trump administration is struggling to convince GOP lawmakers to back President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget in addition to tens of billions of dollars to fund the Iran war. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were on Capitol Hill Wednesday to shore up
Democrats on Wednesday largely downplayed any hard feelings a day after a stunning trio of victories by antiestablishment candidates in New York that sent two House incumbents packing. The wins by the three candidates supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) had a
"We cannot afford to leave any points on the board in reconciliation."
Pundit Tucker Carlson on Tuesday ruled out any plans to launch a bid for the presidency in 2028, days after saying he no longer supports the Republican Party. "Of course, I'm not planning to run for president," he told former "InfoWars" host Alex Jones during an interview
Billionaire Bill Gates told lawmakers that Jeffrey Epstein may have sought to blackmail him with information about his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of his closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee released Tuesday. “I learned Epstein ha become
White House advisor Stephen Miller spent his Wednesday posting racist, anti-immigrant dog whistles on X as he coped with the election sweep for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed progressive candidates in New York City the night before. “In 2026, half of NYC residents speak a
The number of American voters who say that the U.S. is being too supportive of Israel is at a high, according to a new poll. In the Quinnipiac University survey, 48 percent of respondents said the U.S. backs Israel too much, 7 percent said the U.S.’s backing of Israel was “not
A new cryptocurrency-focused consumer advocacy group launched Tuesday, aiming to highlight the risks associated with the industry and educate Americans about them. The non-profit known as Crypto Watchdog is hoping to “bring sunlight to what has so far been a not very
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) performed “better than expected” on issuing refunds to taxpayers this year, the agency’s independent watchdog said Wednesday. A report to Congress from Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate, noted the “vast majority of taxpayers”
GOP hard-liner threats related to the SAVE America Act have upended the leadership agenda.
President Donald Trump and outgoing Republican Senator Bill Cassidy got into a shouting match over the war in Iran at a GOP lunch Wednesday. Cassidy told Morgan Rimmer of CNN that he “lost his temper.” One source said that Trump called Cassidy a “lunatic.” CNN reports that Bill
Google's YouTube reached a settlement with a minor who sued multiple social media platforms for allegedly impacting his mental health, lawyers announced Tuesday. The settlement, the terms of which are confidential, comes nearly a month away from the trial's July 27 state date
The 'Great American State Fair' will open to the public with fanfare Thursday morning against a backdrop of partisan fighting and public fallouts over the celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. The 16-day fair, which boasts more than 150 exhibits featuring U.S.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents in a Quinnipiac University poll think the Supreme Court should keep birthright citizenship in place. The results come ahead of the high court’s ruling on the legality of President Trump’s executive order seeking to end the policy. The survey,
The top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is backing a moratorium on AI data centers — a show of support from a mainstream, influential Democrat for a policy that has thus far been endorsed at the national level mainly by anti-establishment figures. During a
The signing of a memorandum of understanding last week between the U.S. and Iran signaled a positive step toward negotiations to end this months-long conflict. A majority of Americans in a new survey released Wednesday said the terms of this framework agreement did not justify
Former President Obama on Wednesday said he thinks President Trump has an "obsession" with him, existing in a "suite in his head." "All the Smoke" podcast co-host and former NBA player Matt Barnes spoke with Obama about Trump being "very fascinated with you and your family,"
Donald Trump totally isn’t bitter about having his name removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Nevermind the fact that his administration put up a massive tarp obscuring the building’s facade after a judge made the president take his name down. The white tarp
The president arrived determined to prosecute his grudges against the Republican lawmakers who have opposed him.
The national median price for a house is now three times higher than the median household income for Americans under 40—an obvious explanation for why nearly all young people say it’s harder for them to buy a home than it was for their parents. A study from the Pew Research
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) says her staff used AI for "spellcheck" in an amendment summary for a major defense bill, but denies it was used for the bill text itself and says "NO Legislation is ever drafted with AI." Luna issued the response after accounts on X began sharing
President Trump blew up at Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) during an intense meeting behind closed doors in the Capitol Wednesday after the Republican senator accused the president of not being forthright with the American people about the Iran war. The argument got so loud and
The Ohio Supreme Court declined to review an appeal for a new trial for Mackenzie Shirilla, 21, who was convicted of murder for killing her boyfriend and a friend in a 2022 car crash. Shirilla was convicted in 2023 after prosecutors argued she intentionally drove her car nearly
GOP Leaders' SAVE America Act pitch couldn't persuade members to sign off on a plan.
President Donald Trump is evidently still reeling from the results of last night’s congressional primaries, especially in New York, where multiple democratic socialists won their races. After posting on Truth Social Wednesday that he was refusing to sign a bipartisan housing
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Justice Department (DOJ) prosecutors from accessing the medical records of transgender individuals treated at New York City hospitals. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, of the Southern District of New York, granted the plaintiffs’
Representative Anna Paulina Luna was caught using Claude to do her job—and she doesn’t care. A description of Luna’s National Defense Authorization Act amendment that appeared on the House Rules Committee website Wednesday was filed with a tell-tale indicator of the artificial
A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked the Trump administration’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote, ruling in favor of 19 states that filed the lawsuit. District Court Judge Denise Casper ruled that President Trump was overstepping his authority
Supporters of Norway took over New York City this week as the team competed in group stage action during this year's opening round of the World Cup. Social media has been filled in recent days with photos and videos of fans celebrating in Manhattan streets and crowding bars as
President Trump will give remarks during the kickoff of the Great American State Fair in Washington, the massive bash on the National Mall marking America’s 250th birthday. More than half of the musical acts that were originally announced to perform pulled out of the concert
Ten Democratic senators, along with one independent, on Wednesday flagged “profound concerns” with the Trump administration’s website for new and expecting mothers, with the lawmakers saying the site drives families toward crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) for treatment.
In an already alarming moment for voting rights, the U.S. Postal Service wants to make things so much worse. In response to a March executive order by President Donald Trump—which directed USPS to only provide mail-in ballots to voters on a federal list—the theoretically
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said the Trump administration turned the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “into a swamp” — comments that come in the wake of algae growth in the structure's water. “I mean, when you defund science research ... when you don't really
The Florida-funded and operated migrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is one step closer to closing permanently.
While the court still hasn't signed off on the massive settlement resolving Epic's antitrust lawsuit against Google for having a monopoly over Android's app store with Google Play, the tech giant says it will start rolling out changes to the way it handles billing for
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn on Tuesday lost his bid to succeed retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to Maryland state Del. Adrian Boafo (D). Boafo, Hoyer's former campaign manager, won 32 percent of Democrats' votes in the primary race, while Dunn trailed in third
Soldiers wounded in the deadliest attack of the war on Iran have accused the Pentagon of minimizing their injuries, according to CBS News . Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman and Sergeant First Class Cory Hicks were both pierced with multiple pieces of shrapnel from the March
The administration is expected to seek about $80 billion to cover the costs of the Iran war.
With one strike of the gavel, a federal judge has reversed the SNAP restrictions states have been slowly rolling out since the start of the year.
The resolution from the Black, Hispanic and progressive caucus chairs comes in response to the recent narrowing of the Voting Rights Act.
The federal government has settled a water pollution case against Chemours, which makes and uses toxic forever chemicals. The Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency and West Virginia announced Wednesday that Chemours would pay an estimated $450 million over
A federal judge has killed most of President Donald Trump’s first executive order changing election rules. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper permanently banned the administration Wednesday from implementing most components of the president’s 2025 order , which required
The expensive, $27 million political proxy war between Anthropic and OpenAI came to a draw last night when Alex Bores, a New York state Assemblyman whose popularity surged after being targeted by a pro-AI super PAC, narrowly lost the Democratic primary to represent New York's
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday appeared flabbergasted when asked about why President Trump chose to cancel his signing of a bipartisan housing bill that easily cleared both chambers of Congress. “I'm sorry, if you're asking me to get into Donald Trump's head and
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) expressed frustration with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) for endorsing a group of democratic socialists for statewide races following his victory last November. “Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals
Senate Republicans expressed shock and bewilderment over President Trump’s threat not to sign a highly touted bill to address housing affordability, describing the move as “inexplicable” and making “no sense” at a time when voters are worried about rising costs. GOP senators
The vote revealed a party-line fracture within the House over how far to go in clamping down on lawmakers' use of the prediction markets.
