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Axios

Axios

Newspaper | United States | Mitte
www.axios.com/

Smart brevity news covering politics, business, technology, and more. Get essential news efficiently.

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Diskussionen von Axios

Politik

What could happen if Texas becomes a more competitive state for Democrats in elections?

Democrats' main Senate super PAC is privately telling top donors that Texas offers their best shot at flipping a deep-red Senate seat, followed by Ohio, where the race remains close. Senate Majority PAC also sees victories in Iowa and Alaska as within reach, though the outcomes could take longer to become clear. Why it matters: Democrats are increasingly confident about Election Day on Tuesday — and sharing their qualified optimism with their biggest donors. To retake the Senate, Democrats need to win two of those four states — all of which Trump won by double digits in 2024 — flip North Carolina and Maine, and avoid an upset in Michigan.JB Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, projected confidence that Democrats will wrest control of the Senate from Republicans during a private donor briefing this week as he walked through the races state by state.He also reminded donors that Kansas, where even Republicans are deeply worried, is a state Trump won by roughly 16 points in 2024. But it's in play. What they're saying: "This matches what we've been saying publicly and privately for weeks. There are signs of optimism in Texas, but it remains a toss-up, as do Iowa, Ohio and Alaska," said Lauren French, a spokesperson for SMP. "There is positive movement for Democrats, but it is critical to remember that every seat on the battleground map voted for Donald Trump by double digits," she said."These are deep red states and we're focused on bringing them over the finish line so the Senate can work to provide real relief to families who are being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis." The big picture: Texas hasn't elected a Democratic senator since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Democrats thought they'd end the drought in 2018 and let themselves fall for then-Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points.Four years later, O'Rourke tried again to prove a Democrat could win statewide in Texas. He lost the governor's race by nearly 11 percentage points.This ti

United States
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Technologie

What are the possible risks and benefits of AI accessing personal voter data without permission?

Anthropic's Claude accessed publicly available Georgia voter data without human authorization, a disclosure sure to add to growing concerns about AI security ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Why it matters: AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI have continued to make disclosures about agents taking unauthorized or unintended actions, raising alarms about advancing model capabilities and the extent of human control. Driving the news: Claude accessed aggregate vote counts while on an internal statistics project, pulling data that the state makes available to the public for a fee. It didn't access the state's voter registration system or change or pull any voting records, an Anthropic spokesperson said. However, the model bypassed a paywall in accessing the information, according to Georgia officials and Anthropic."The model was being used internally for a statistics project to pull public data," the Anthropic spokesperson said. "Without being asked to, the model requested a token to query a dashboard that contained information normally available for a fee. We have since put in place mitigations to block these kinds of actions."The company notified the Georgia secretary of state's office and the White House weeks ago but administration officials urged the Georgia Secretary of State's office to make a public disclosure sooner, a source familiar told Axios. Those requests went unheeded, the source said. The bottom line: Anthropic has previously been in the administration's crosshairs for inadequately disclosing AI incidents. Now it's Georgia's turn

United States
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Geopolitik

What are the different opinions on the impact of the Russian diesel deal on our country's policies and relationships?

President Trump's deal to lift sanctions on Russia to increase diesel supplies "is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine" and "a gift to our adversary," a bipartisan coalition of senators wrote in a letter admonishing the agreement. Why it matters: The decision to turn to Vladimir Putin in an attempt to ease the diesel crunch is piling onto Republican headaches ahead of the midterms and fueling fresh friction between the U.S. and Ukraine. What they're saying: The deal "will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans," the senators warned, urging Trump to withdraw from it and ramp up the economic pressure on Russia as called for in a sanctions bill named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham that he signed into law last month. While record-shattering diesel and gas prices are squeezing key industries and American households, the lawmakers argued that "allowing Russian-origin diesel into global markets will offer limited to no relief to Americans."Analysts have expressed doubt that the levels Trump pitched will meaningfully sway prices, Axios' Ben Geman reports.However, the lawmakers argued that it will "undoubtedly finance" Russia's war "and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea." The fine print: The signers are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Alan Armstrong (R-Okla.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas). The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Zoom out: That bipartisan coalition has fellow dissenters on the Hill, including members of the president's party who swiftly condemned the deal. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) vowed over the weekend to force a vote to block Russian oil purchases, predicting that "it will pass overwhelmingly."Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios' Andrew Solender he "alread

United States
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Politik

What should be done if people question the fairness of election results in Alaska?

The Trump administration sued Alaska on Thursday to block certification of election results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Why it matters: The race between incumbent Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola, and retired teacher Dan Sullivan has been marked by controversy, with Republicans accusing Democrats of trying to confuse voters by planting a candidate with the same name. Alaska's use of ranked-choice voting complicates matters, eliminating candidates in rounds if no one gets 50% of the initial vote. "An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska's rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election," the lawsuit, filed in Alaska District Court, states. The intrigue: The race is among those being closely watched as Democrats appear to be making inroads in red territory. The administration acknowledged the tight race in its lawsuit, saying "there is a realistic chance" that the non-incumbent Sullivan's presence on the ballot could tip the scales for Peltola. Catch up quick: The retired teacher Sullivan, also running as a Republican, will appear on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. after the state's Supreme Court ordered the state's Division of Elections to include him in the race in June. The Division of Elections, whose director is named as a defendant in the government's suit, previously rejected his candidacy, concluding he was running to confuse voters.But that Sullivan has argued his candidacy is not a sham, and Peltola's campaign has denied any involvement with his run. Go deeper: Scoop: NRSC pleads for $9M to defend three red seats

United States
An Diskussion teilnehmen
Geopolitik

How can Lebanon balance its security needs while addressing the influence of groups like Hezbollah?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed Lebanon President Joseph Aoun not to return to Hezbollah a truck full of explosives it attempted to smuggle into Beirut several days ago, according to a State Department official and another source with knowledge of the call. Why it matters: The issue is a test case for the Lebanese government's resolve to stand up to Hezbollah and implement its policy of keeping weapons outside the control of state security forces. Driving the news: Lebanese security forces intercepted the truck last week at a checkpoint on the highway connecting the Bekaa Valley to Beirut. The truck was carrying approximately 780 kilograms of explosives, including TNT and C-4, Lebanese officials said. Two suspects were arrested for transporting the shipment. After the arrest, Hezbollah acknowledged that the explosives belonged to them but claimed they were intended for use against the Israeli military in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon seized on the incident as further proof of the danger of the Shia militia's weapons and its independent military activity. Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon have since pressed the government to release its two members and return the explosives to the militia. Behind the scenes: The State Department official said Rubio urged Aoun to "hold accountable all those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, and underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question." Aoun assured Rubio that the Lebanese army and security forces are fully implementing decisions to prevent armed displays, confiscate weapons and ammunition, and combat smuggling, the president's office said. Aoun also stressed that the judicial authorities will show no leniency toward those responsible and will enforce the laws without favoritism."No one will be released unless he is innocent," Aoun told Rubio according to a Lebanese official. The big picture: Rubio also raised Lebanon's 1955 Boycott Law, which bans a

United States
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Technologie

What should be done to ensure the safety of AI technologies for consumers?

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday sent civil subpoenas to AI giants seeking documents about safety incidents that have spiraled into an industry crisis. The FTC sought documents from Anthropic and OpenAI with the scope of the probe focused on potential consumer protection violations, a person familiar told Axios. Why it matters: The investigation is one of a number of steps the administration has taken to show a firm hand with AI companies after multiple incidents in which unreleased models hacked websites or took deceptive or aggressive steps in testing. State of play: The agency on Wednesday sent out civil investigative demands, which help the government gather evidence and investigate ahead of potential litigation. They are more than 50 pages long each and ask for documents concerning security incidents and safeguarding practices. The agency is also asking for marketing materials and documents detailing company privacy policies, the source said.Investigative demands will be sent to third party AI organizations at a later date, the person familiar said. Zoom in: The FTC has plans to compel top AI executives to testify about their products, according to the source. The agency has investigative authority to examine actions related to consumer harms that could be seen as unfair or deceptive. Those can relate to a wide range of misbehavior, from how companies charge for services or if they're alleged to have misled users.AI companies continue to face scrutiny about the safety of their products. Ferguson has echoed the view of other administration figures and executives that AI systems shouldn't be released if they aren't safe.OpenAI faces a litany of lawsuits. A group of state attorneys general on Wednesday sued OpenAI under consumer protection laws for allegedly misleading users, including children, on the safety of its chatbot. The big picture: The Trump administration has taken on a more aggressive posture toward AI companies as safety incident disclosures

United States
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