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Technology

How should the government manage the use of AI technology in our daily lives?

Like its AI policy, the Trump administration's AI team is taking shape on the fly. Why it matters: Departures among key White House officials, combined with rapid advances in technology, are shaking up who's taking the lead on AI policy in the administration. The big picture: Silicon Valley figures David Sacks and Siriam Krishnan have served as key architects of the administration's AI agenda. But with Sacks stepping back from day-to-day involvement and Krishnan preparing to leave, influence is shifting inside the White House to a broader group of officials and aides. Here's who's running the show — for now. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick's signature was on the letter that sparked the latest confrontation between Anthropic and the administration, ultimately leading to the takedown of the company's Fable and Mythos models. Last week, Lutnick imposed export controls on Anthropic, effectively creating a licensing regime that could eventually impact other AI labs.He is now leading meetings on the sidelines of the G7 to discuss expanding access to advanced AI models and standing next to President Trump during his summit press conference. While Lutnick brokers abroad, Chris Fall at Commerce's Center for AI Standards and Innovation has been holding technical meetings in D.C. Zoom in: Lutnick was once said to be on the outs for going off message in TV interviews and not having a solid handle over his department's jurisdiction, sources familiar with the matter said. But last week's Anthropic fallout put him back in the game and it's now Lutnick's moment."He's fixing a problem. He's not being a problem. And he's doing a great job," said one senior administration official following the letter imposing export controls. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent does not directly oversee AI testing. Yet he was the point of contact when Amazon raised concerns about Anthropic safety issues and was among the few cabinet members flanking the president during a G7 press co

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Politics

What impact might Robert White's win in the DC delegate primary have on local policies and community representation?

Councilman Robert White has won the Democratic primary to be Washington, D.C.’s, next delegate to the House of Representatives, beating out his colleague Brooke Pinto in their race to replace retiring Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). With 64% of the vote counted early Wednesday morning, White was declared the winner of the Democratic primary with […]

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Geopolitics

How should countries balance support for Ukraine with efforts to negotiate peace with Russia?

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 17 (Reuters) - The leaders of the G7 countries said on Wednesday they stand united to support Ukraine, including its territorial integrity, and agreed to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy. "In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions (against Russia), including those on the oil and gas sectors," the leaders said in a joint statement

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Geopolitics

What should the U.S. do about Iran's nuclear deal, considering different opinions on their intentions?

CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that evidence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raises serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, according to three sources familiar with those discussions. Friction point: Ratcliffe isn't the only skeptic in Trump's top team. In internal discussions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth both expressed concerns and raised questions about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced Sunday, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it, according to two of the sources. Behind the scenes: There were a series of high-level meetings about the deal between Trump and his advisers in the lead-up to Sunday's announcement. During those meetings, Trump and his team discussed intel gathered by several U.S. intelligence agencies that showed that the way Iranian officials were discussing the deal among themselves was inconsistent with what they were telling the mediators and the U.S., two sources said.Ratcliffe and Rubio said that based on that intel, they doubted the Iranians would agree to take the nuclear steps the U.S. was seeking, according to two sources."The intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal," a source said. What they're saying: "President Trump listens to all opinions on any given issue — but everyone understands he is the final decision-maker," a White House official said in response to questions for this story. "This MOU meets all of the redlines that the administration has long articulated by ensuring that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, they cannot keep their highly enriched uranium, and they cannot hold the world's energy supply hostage," the official said, adding that Trump would only agree to a "good" final agreement.The CIA and the State Department declined t

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