Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
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that → welcome → House
In today’s edition, our reporters dig into how Washington is — and isn’t — responding to the latest warnings about the threats of AI.
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Washington → dig → AI
Plus, senior national politics reporter Natasha Korecki examines some early signs of the 2028 presidential campaign sticking out in the thick of the midterm elections.
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campaign → examine → elections
Washington’s response to AI warnings has fallen into predictable patterns so far
This week’s big warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence didn’t come out of nowhere.
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warnings → fall → intelligence
In September 2023, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and other billionaire tech titans huddled with senators in the Capitol to discuss what Musk called the “civilizational risk” posed by artificial intelligence, NBC News’ Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V and Brennan Leach report.
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Wong → huddle → intelligence
But three years later, Congress still hasn’t passed any comprehensive legislation to rein in or create guardrails for the fast-moving technology.
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Congress → pass → technology
Anthropic whistleblower Jacob Coxon’s latest warnings about civilizational risk to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei set off fresh alarm bells and a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and even some Republicans saying Congress faces a narrow time frame to act on AI.
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Congress → set → AI
But despite the calls for action, it’s unlikely lawmakers will do anything before Election Day to address the dangers, even as experts say the technology’s capabilities are growing more powerful with each passing month.
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capabilities → ’ → month
House GOP leaders have shown no urgency in prioritizing more sweeping AI regulations.
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leaders → show → regulations
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has mostly deferred to President Donald Trump, who has issued a series of executive orders on AI, most recently one that lays out a way for the federal government to conduct voluntary tests of powerful new AI systems before they are deployed.
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they → defer → systems
Johnson called AI an “important issue” Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” but “not one that we can rush into.”
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we → call → that
Meanwhile, Trump’s response to the calls to slow AI growth in the name of safety included downplaying the need for any congressional action.
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response → slow → action
He posted Monday on Truth Social that the only control needed is “a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”
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U.S.A. → post → spades
Trump returned to the internet Monday afternoon to post again about the subject, NBC News’ Megan Brand reported, writing that “AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX” and that AI would be “the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet.”
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AI → return → Oil
Johnson also said Monday that he expects Trump to “summon” AI executives to a meeting soon.
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Trump → say → meeting
Slowly but clearly, the 2028 election is already getting started
Analysis by Natasha Korecki
And so it begins.
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it → start → Korecki
With 50 days to go until consequential midterm elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress, some on the left are zeroing in on 2028.
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some → go → 2028
Two progressive groups — Progressive Democrats of America and RootsAction — say that while they’re indeed focused on the midterms, it was imperative to reveal Monday that they’re ready to embrace Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ro Khanna of California as potential Democratic presidential nominees.
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they → say → nominees
Of course, we see some version of this every four years.
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we → see → this
Progressive Democrats of America was behind a “Run Bernie Run” campaign before Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential run, and RootsAction put its own twist on the endeavor in 2022, attempting to “undraft” then-President Joe Biden from running for re-election with its “Don’t Run Joe” effort.
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RootsAction → run → effort
Together, the activists behind the newly unveiled RunRoRunAOC.org make a far smaller push than, say, the Ready for Hillary super PAC endeavor in 2016.
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activists → unveil → 2016
What’s significant here is that at least some of the Sanders faithful are signaling ground-level energy for both Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez, meaning they see either as suitable to run in the so-called Bernie lane.
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they → ’ → lane
It’s an important distinction in a moment when the party is bucking more establishment Democrats.
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party → ’ → Democrats
Ocasio-Cortez is still weighing the possibility of running for the Senate or for president in 2028.
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Cortez → weigh → 2028
But in the meantime, she is drawing notice with trips to the South and stops speaking before Black voters.
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she → draw → voters
Khanna likewise has traveled extensively in ways that suggest his 2028 interest, including appearing at events with Rep. Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina Democratic kingmaker.
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that → travel → Clyburn
The groups are pushing either or both to run, not suggesting that they run as a ticket.
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they → push → ticket
That’s with some hope that the two can help push the national conversation to the left, with the groups noting in their statement that “we believe their presence in the race is crucial to foster debate on healthcare, jobs, AI, militarism and the U.S. relationship with Israel.
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presence → ’ → Israel
Coming out this early to elevate Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez does something else.
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Coming → come → something
It works to pre-empt the party establishment from locking in more moderate Democratic front-runners.
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It → work → runners
We’ve also seen this before: a mountain of early polling that creates an impression of an inevitable nominee.
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that → see → nominee
The joint statement from RootsAction and Progressive Democrats of America says that “most of the Democrats whose names now crowd the field have been war enablers, go-slow reformers or status quo protectors.”
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names → say → field
Today's other top stories
- ❗Watchdog report: A DHS watchdog found that immigrants were held in cramped outdoor cages at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the now-shuttered detention facility in southern Florida.
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immigrants → find → Florida
Several Texas Republicans criticized Bo French, a GOP candidate for state railroad commissioner, for his racist post targeting students at a University of Texas football game.
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Republicans → criticize → game
Lawmakers in Stockbridge, Georgia, unanimously voted to remove their 23-year-old mayor, Jayden Williams, after allegations arose that he misused a municipal credit card and sent sexually explicit messages to a teenager.
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he → vote → teenager
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress could work with President Donald Trump to give $5,000 to American adults after Trump promised to issue the payments if Republicans do well in the midterms.
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Republicans → say → midterms
The GOP nominee for governor of Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, said he swam to safety and sustained minor injuries after the plane he was traveling in made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.
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he → say → Wausau
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now.
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That → ’ → Desk
Today’s newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland.
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newsletter → compile → Bland
If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
And if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone.
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you → have → everyone
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The Aporia
