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Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses
President Trump plans to sign two executive orders Thursday seeking to narrow birthright citizenship in several circumstances and intensify the federal crackdown on commercial "birth tourism," Axios has learned. Trump also is seeking to deny birthright citizenship for children born of some foreign diplomatic staff in the U.S. and, potentially, U.S. territories in the future. Why it matters: It's Trump's second attempt to curb birthright citizenship in the U.S. and is sure to be challenged in court as a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born in America. The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 shot down a broader executive order Trump signed on Inauguration Day to deny automatic citizenship to those born of noncitizens in the U.S. Zoom in: Trump's administration argues that the ruling still grants him the authority to limit birthright citizenship under long-standing exceptions recognized by the court. The executive orders apply only to future births tied to four categories: Children born of foreign diplomatic staff working on behalf of another government while in the U.S. The 14th Amendment doesn't confer automatic citizenship to ambassadors' families, and this order would expand that category to other noncitizen employees.Children of people who are classified as alien enemies, including those who belong to federally declared terrorist groups. The 14th Amendment doesn't apply to invading armies, and this designation would expand that category.Those born in U.S. territories — but only if Congress changes the law to end automatic citizenship there. A bill seeking to do that was introduced last month but isn't expected to pass. This would apply most notably to those in Puerto Rico.Children born of mothers who expressly and deceptively enter the U.S. for the sole purpose of having a child here, namely at a birth-tourism center. The order seeks to limit the use of surrogate mothers for this purpose as well. Between the lines: The ad
William Lawrence, a progressive insurgent, upset the Democratic establishment Tuesday to win the tense primary to run against Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI), possibly thwarting one of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats in November. Lawrence led with a plurality of the vote in the three-way field, 43%, when the Associated Press called the race at […]
The White House said on Monday it met its deadline to establish a voluntary framework for evaluating advanced AI models — but it won't say what the framework contains, who's seen it or when companies will start using it. Why it matters: The framework is being closely watched beyond the industry players it directly applies to. Policymakers, AI safety advocates, and U.S. allies have been waiting to see what the rules for the most powerful models in the world look like. What they're saying: "The voluntary framework outlined in the June 2nd executive order was complete by the deadline," a White House official said. "Discussions with industry about next steps are underway," the official said, adding that the administration is engaging with "many more" industry partners than just Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Leading up to the deadline, the three labs gave the administration feedback on a draft of the framework. What's inside: The framework is meant to give AI developers a structure for engaging the government to determine whether models under development would be covered. The framework is supposed to spell out the confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk, intellectual-property protection use and nondisclosure requirements that would apply when the government gets access to models for up to 30 days before they're released.The framework should also include which "trusted partners" will also have early access to models. Zoom in: The executive order explicitly says the benchmarking process to assess advanced cyber capabilities of AI models will be classified. The threshold for which models are covered under the order is also classified and will only be shared with AI developers and researchers "as appropriate."The order does not similarly designate the voluntary framework as classified, and policymakers and other observers expected to see details. Between the lines: Companies are seeking clarity early so they know whether models under development are likely to fall under
The United States and Israel are reportedly preparing a harsh bombing campaign against energy infrastructure in Iran, possibly as soon as this weekend. The threat of looming airstrikes against the Islamic regime comes in the wake of the televised Cabinet meeting held by President Donald Trump at Camp David, a country retreat in Maryland usually […]
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are being told to prioritize the arrests of Haitian nationals whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States is officially coming to an end. Haitians have been shielded from deportation and allowed to work in the United States without permanent immigration status through the program for over a
China on Thursday voiced “serious concern” over recent US economic restrictions during a video call between Vice-Premier He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The exchange took place as both sides sought to finalise economic deliverables ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States in September. “The Chinese side expressed serious concern over the recent economic and trade restrictions imposed by the United
Start-up discloses breach a week after rival OpenAI reported similar incident
Democratic socialists look like they're about to rack up a stunning new victory: Their candidate in Michigan's Senate Democratic primary has the momentum heading into Tuesday's primary. Why it matters: A win by Abdul El-Sayed in the swing state would turbocharge the party's left flank and validate establishment fears about the party's direction. The big picture: Establishment Democrats have watched in horror as democratic socialist candidates pull off one win after another in House primaries this year. The Michigan primary brings the ideological clash to its biggest stage yet. El-Sayed, who's backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is taking on an establishment favorite in a race that's become a proxy fight between the party's far-left and center-left wings.Democratic leaders have gone all-in for Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens because they think she can win moderate voters — and El-Sayed can't.But El-Sayed has vaulted to a hefty lead in the final stretch of the campaign. One survey this week had him up 15 points. Other polls have shown him with smaller but still substantial leads.The political stakes don't get much higher. If Democrats lose Michigan on Nov. 3, they almost certainly aren't winning the Senate. State of play: Together with Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayor's race, democratic socialists have proven they're not on the periphery of the party anymore — the center of gravity has shifted unmistakably in their direction. A CNN poll out Thursday showed about a third of Democratic voters identify as democratic socialists — and they're the most motivated to turn out.But winning House primaries is one thing. Winning a statewide Senate primary in one of the nation's premier battlegrounds is another. Driving the news: El-Sayed has gained ground as the campaign progressed. Stevens had a sizable lead early on, with El-Sayed in second and state senator Mallory McMorrow trailing. But El-Sayed moved up over the past two months, an
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had heretofore never met a microphone from which he wished to social distance, refused to answer
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday declaring that Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of underage girls, should never receive a presidential pardon. Why it matters: Democrats wanted to put every Republican senator on record as opposed to a potential pardon. By failing to object to Sen. Jacky Rosen's resolution, Republicans agreed that the president "should not grant a pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell," according to the resolution."The Senate stands with the victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking and affirms its commitment to justice, accountability, and the protection of children."Senate resolutions like these are symbolic and non-binding. Last week, the Senate passed a similar resolution about any pardon or clemency for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Zoom out: President Trump has never categorically ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, but he has not given any indication that he plans to issue one. After the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell's appeal in October 2025, Trump was pressed on a potential pardon. "Well, I'll take a look at it. I wouldn't consider it or not consider it. I don't know anything about it. I will speak to the DOJ," he said. Zoom in: In May, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators that he would not recommend a pardon. Blanche personally interviewed Maxwell last year as part of the Justice Department's Epstein investigation, fueling speculation the administration might offer clemency in exchange for cooperation
The White House on Wednesday accused Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI of stealing proprietary U.S. technology to develop its latest AI model, as Washington and Beijing compete for dominance in the advancing technology. “We have information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model,” Michael Kratsios, director of the […]