
5 key things from Gov. Hochul's interview with Axios
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Wednesday that lawmakers who claim not to have read parts of the GOP spending bill should use ChatGPT to ask: "Anything I should worry about in here?"
The big picture: Hochul spoke about the economic, political and social consequences of AI — from training workforces to children's safety — while speaking with Axios' Ina Fried at the AI+ Summit in New York.
Here are five key things Hochul said in her interview with Axios' Ina Fried.
1. Hochul took a dig at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for saying she didn't know the GOP tax bill that passed the House last month included a provision that would ban states and municiplaities from regulating the tech for 10 years.
Hochul referenced Greene, who sits on the House Oversight Committee, without naming her when mentioning she's set to testify on Capitol Hill next week with other Democratic governors about immigration policies.
"They're claiming did not know that there was a 10 year ban on any ... AI" regulation, she said. "You voted for it. Just ask ChatGPT. ... just some humble advice for them."
2. She called out the GOP spending bill for that provision, calling it a "concerning" move by House Republicans.
Hochul indicated it jeopardizes New York's ban on sexual exploitation of young girls on social media through the use of AI.
3. AI doesn't have to replace jobs, Hochul said.
"AI can increase productivity dramatically," the governor said, adding that she's not looking to eliminate jobs. "I want ... people to have a better customer experience when they come into a DMV or other offices, so I see great potential here."
4."I'm New York state's first mom governor, and I look out for all the kids," she said regarding online safety.
"So that's where I approach this from, is what we can do to protect our children, but not unnecessarily constrain what AI is all about and the potential?"
5. New York is challenging the White House including on saving offshore wind, congestion pricing and challenges to birthright citizenship.
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Chicago Tribune
37 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Democratic leaders share vision for party's future in Valparaiso town hall
State and Porter County leaders discussed the future of the state and national Democratic Party during a town hall Saturday at the Laborers' Local 81 in Valparaiso. The town hall was led by Indiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian, State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, and Center Township Trustee Jesse Harper. About 45 people attended the meeting, and a handful of them submitted questions on note cards about the future of the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm elections, voter turnout, party messaging and engaging younger people to run for office. While a lot of people are mad about the current national political landscape, Harper said an equal amount of people are mad at the Democratic Party. 'They are angry and mad at the Democratic Party. We have to take responsibility for our losses. We have to figure out what happened,' Harper said. 'Everything you're concerned about, I'm going to tell you right now it doesn't mean a damn thing. The reason it doesn't mean a damn thing is because we can't do anything about it because we don't have the votes. The only way we get those votes is by getting Democrats elected.' For the midterm elections, Tallian said the state party has been reaching out to all the county chairs, holding town hall meetings and creating a program to focus on candidate recruitment. 'This year, we're in an off year, we need to build and to recruit candidates,' Tallian said. 'We've got 92 counties, and every one of them has down ballot elections. We have township advisory boards, we have county councils, and now we have school boards. All of these down ballot positions need to get filled.' Every precinct committee person also needs to help with voter registration and canvassing, Tallian said. In 2024, 330,000 Hoosiers registered as Democrats but did not vote, she said. 'One of the things we're trying to do this year is to canvas neighborhoods for those people and find out why,' Tallian said. 'We need to get that done this year so that people can be ready for the elections in 2026.' For Democrats to win in Center Township, Porter County and in Indiana, Harper said Democratic candidates need to secure Republican votes. 'It's not this elusive Independent vote … you've got to get Republican votes,' Harper said. 'The way to do that is you are the adult in the room and you talk about issues that people are scared about.' For example, Harper said health care cuts impact the elderly, children and people with disabilities, which is 'a bipartisan issue' that also allows Democrats to be 'the adults in the room.' One of the questions raised concerns about 'watering down' Democratic values to get Republican votes versus 'doubling down' on Democratic issues to encourage more Democrats to vote. If the party were to double down on Democratic issues, 'there aren't enough Democrats' in Indiana to vote on those issues, Harper said. 'It's a question of mathematics,' Harper said. 'We have to decide what our Democratic messaging is, when we use it and how we use it. I think we can have a strong Democratic message.' When it comes to messaging, Moseley said property taxes, future economic stability and health care are major issues that the Democratic Party can focus on. 'People want to vote for something, not just always against something,' Moseley said. Another important issue in Northwest Indiana is the environment, as it's located near Lake Michigan and environmental protections are rolled back, Pol said. Pol said public education is also an important issue the party could focus on because public education in Indiana has been experiencing a 'death by 1,000 cuts' with each passing legislative session. The state's voucher program allows wealthy families to receive a discount for sending their children to private schools, while public education has been eroding through various pieces of legislation, he said. 'It's the funding of defunding public education, is what it is. We'll give you money to send your kids to a private school, so you don't send your money to a public school,' Pol said. As she talks to people at town halls throughout the state, Tallian said the themes she's heard people should focus on are the economy, 'Big Brother' and stability. Under 'Big Brother,' Tallian said Republican Party leaders 'at the state and federal level are telling us what to think, they're telling us what our universities can do and they're cutting who can go to which schools.' 'The 'Big Brother' aspect of what's going on in this country is, to me, one of the scariest things going on right now,' Tallian said. When it comes to stability, Tallian described the constant switch between tariffs being on and off and chaos caused by the deportation methods under President Donald Trump's administration. 'Things keep moving every day in Washington and you can't keep track of anything,' Tallian said. 'We want to have stability.' When it comes to engaging younger people, Tallian, a former state senator, said Pol took over her seat and he's younger than her youngest child. The party needs to 'build a bench,' Tallian said. 'The bench can't just be people who want to burn everything down and start over. We've seen the burn down, start over (with) DOGE,' Tallian said, referencing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Indiana's Democratic Party leaders at the county level range in age from 22 to 82, Tallian said, and she wouldn't 'throw out anyone' because they are either too young or too old. 'But building the bench is something that we absolutely need to do, and I'm encouraging that every single place I can,' Tallian said. Pol said when he first joined the Senate he was 37 years old and he was the youngest senator at the time. Pol said he's now 41 years old and he's still the youngest Senator. 'I think that's criminal because there are younger people who are much smarter than I. There are younger people who have a voice that needs to be heard,' Pol said. Pol encouraged young people to get involved in political groups and organizations to have their voices heard and engage in the process. Moseley said anyone coming to town halls or other political events should bring a younger person they know to the event to educate them on the process. 'It's up to us to let them know, 'Hey, you are welcome,'' Moseley said. Tallian has come under fire after an IndyStar opinion piece written by Elise Shrock, sharing her story of being dragged out by sheriff's deputies from an Indianapolis City-County Council meeting earlier this month for seeking accountability for survivors of sexual assault. Shrock shared her disappointment with the state Democratic Party's silence on the issue. In response to a question about the situation Saturday, Tallian said it's 'partially an Indianapolis problem.' Referencing her written statement issued after the op-ed was published, Tallian said just days apart, she saw U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from California shoved to the ground and handcuffed at a news conference in Los Angeles, and in Indianapolis, multiple women were shoved out of a public meeting. 'Forcibly removing people from a public meeting is not the way that we fix our problems in this country,' Tallian said.

an hour ago
Sources: Pentagon prepared Iran plans as final attempts at diplomacy failed
President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly tried to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul last week, two officials told ABC News. Erdoğan called Trump on Monday during the G7 Summit and suggested a meeting in Istanbul for the next day, those officials said. That meeting would never happen. Iran's supreme leader, fearing assassination, went into hiding and couldn't be reached to approve the meeting, those U.S. officials told ABC News. The White House declined to comment. Axios was first to report the details. The president's extraordinary action followed weeks of tension and shifting messages. When we traveled with the president to his Bedminster golf club on the weekend of June 8, there was a sudden shift in schedule: The president would no longer be traveling back to the White House but instead, he would be traveling to Camp David on Sunday. Among the topics the president was briefed on then was the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, according to sources. And, more specifically, Israel's plans to move forward with a strike on Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would later convey his plans directly to Trump. Since the Israeli initial strike on Iran, Netanyahu and the president have remained in close contact -- speaking almost every single day, multiple sources tell ABC News. Just one week ago, in a brief phone interview, the president told me he wouldn't give Iran a deadline. He mulled the possibility of Russia serving as a mediator, an idea he later abandoned. He said it was 'possible' the U.S. could get involved, but the administration was not there yet. He would then abruptly leave the G7 Summit, traveling back to the White House, holding meetings with his national security team day after day. His tone started to change surrounding Iran. It appeared he was warming up to the idea of the United States getting involved. We reported the president approved attack plans, but did not make a final decision. He set that two-week deadline —giving Iran 14 days max to come to the table. Two days later, the U.S. would strike. The president departed his Bedminster golf club Saturday afternoon and returned to the White House for a national security meeting. The senior administration official said that in the week leading up to the strike, efforts were made for diplomacy, mainly through the president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. As those efforts continued, the Pentagon simultaneously prepared the operation. By the end of the week, there was a growing belief among U.S. officials that Iran was not going to come to the table to reach a deal, according to sources. I'm told Trump was briefed daily on Israel's efforts and the operation itself as he decided whether to move forward. He stayed in close contact with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while traveling to Bedminster, receiving updates until he made the final call.


The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Senate parliamentarian rejects GOP's attempt to limit courts' contempt powers
The Senate parliamentarian has ruled against a controversial provision in the Senate Republicans' megabill that would have made it significantly more difficult for courts to enforce contempt findings against the Trump administration. The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that limiting courts' ability to hold Trump officials in contempt violated the Senate's rules governing what can be passed with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) hailed the parliamentarian's decision as a major victory. 'Senate Republicans tried to write Donald Trump's contempt for the courts into law — gutting judicial enforcement, defying the Constitution and bulldozing the very rule of law that forms our democracy,' Schumer said in a statement responding to the development. 'But Senate Democrats stopped them cold. We successfully fought for rule of law and struck out this reckless and downright un-American provision,' he said. The provision, tucked into the thousand-page bill House Republicans passed in May, would have required anyone suing the federal government to pay a bond before a court would be allowed to use its contempt power to enforce injunctions and other rulings. Courts have already ruled more than 190 times against the Trump administration since January. The controversial language received little notice when it came to the floor, and Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) later caused an uproar at a town hall meeting when he admitted he didn't know the provision was in the legislation when he voted for it. 'If enacted, this would have been one of the most brazen power grabs we've seen in American history — an attempt to let a future President Trump ignore court orders with impunity, putting him above the law,' Schumer said Sunday afternoon. 'Donald Trump is not above the law. And thanks to Senate Democrats – including the tireless work of Senator Durbin and the Judiciary Democrats – the courts can still hold him and any president accountable,' Schumer said.