An artificial intelligence agenda formed on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being set into U.S. policy as President Donald Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign. Trump plans on Wednesday to reveal an “AI Action Plan” he ordered after revoking President Joe Biden’s signature AI guardrails.
The plan and related executive orders are expected to include some familiar tech lobby pitches: accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct the energy-hungry data center buildings that are needed to form and run AI products, according to a person briefed on Wednesday’s event who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. It might also include some of the AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year.
Here’s the latest:
Gabbard lashes out at Obama administration officials on Russia investigation
Tulsi Gabbard, the Trump administration’s director of national intelligence, is touting from the White House podium the release of a House report that she claims helps undercut the reality of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Gabbard made a surprise appearance just hours after she made public a declassified report from House Republicans that was produced during the first presidential administration.
The report does not dispute the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the election, but alleges tradecraft failings in how intelligence officials reached the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to have Trump win.
The release of the report, as Trump is facing backlash from elements of his base over the handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of Russian election interference.
Gabbard lashed out during lengthy remarks at specific members of the Obama administration.
Gabbard appears at White House briefing
Leavitt brought Gabbard up to the podium as a surprise guest at the daily guest briefing.
The director of national intelligence was accompanied by her cinematographer husband, Abraham Williams, who was filming her appearance in the White House briefing room. Williams is a filmmaker and was often seen filming Gabbard during her 2020 presidential campaign.
Government Accountability Office issues impoundments decision on Head Start
The audit watchdog for Congress has found that the Trump administration earlier this year withheld funds for Head Start programs in violation of federal law.
The finding Wednesday underscores Democratic lawmakers’ concerns that the administration is unilaterally canceling funding for programs it does not view as a priority.
The Government Accountability Office said that the Department of Health and Human Services between January 20 and April 15 significantly reduced the rate of disbursements for Head Start grants compared to the same period the prior year. Based on that evidence, it concluded the department was in violation of the Impoundment Control Act.
The GAO also said current data suggests that Head Start funds have since been made available at rates consistent with those from the year before.
Democrats said the damage was done, however.
“It does not matter how long these funds were frozen,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “The chaos and uncertainty of illegally withholding these funds is costly and hurts the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on Head Start.”
White House condemns Kohberger as ‘vicious and evil killer’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt started a press briefing 45 minutes late on Wednesday and addressed the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger that had just concluded.
Leavitt started the briefing with condolences to the victim’s family and called Kohberger a “vicious and evil killer.”
“If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls,” Leavitt said.
Kohberger was sentenced to serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago.
Leavitt: Trump’s AI plan will ‘secure a brighter future for all Americans’
Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Trump’s new AI plan, which incorporates familiar pitches from tech lobbyists, during her press briefing.
She noted Trump will speak on the plan at an event later in the afternoon and said he’ll also sign three executive orders there.
“Under president Trump’s leadership, our country will lead the world in AI to secure a brighter future for all Americans, massively grow our economy and protect our national security,” Leavitt said.
Trump’s new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley ideas
An artificial intelligence agenda that started coalescing on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being forged into U.S. policy as President Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign.
The “AI Action Plan” revealed by the White House on Wednesday includes some familiar tech lobby pitches: Accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct energy-hungry data centers in the U.S.
It also includes some of the AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year.
▶Read more on Trump’s new AI plan
Former Australian PM urges strong alliances in face of China
Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a congressional panel Wednesday that U.S. alliances and partnerships must be strengthened to push back against China’s economic coercion, including China’s chokehold on critical minerals.
“This is as true in the economic sphere as it is in the security sphere,” Morrison said in a rare appearance by a country’s former leader before Congress.
He shared with the House Select Committee on China his experience of coping with Beijing’s trade punishments — including restrictions on imports of Australian wine, barley and more — when his government called for an independent inquiry into the origin of COVID-19.
Morrison, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, said U.S. allies and partners can be tapped to build an alternative supply chain of rare earths, used in technology such as smartphones.
For such alliances and partnerships to work, “there has to be a strong core, and that requires a strong America,” he said.
FEMA acting chief defends response to Texas floods
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing back on criticisms of the federal response to the central Texas floods that killed at least 135 people.
“I can’t see anything we did wrong,” FEMA acting administrator David Richardson told a House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee Wednesday morning, calling the relationship between state and federal agencies “a model for how disasters should be handled.”
Richardson denied reports that FEMA’s flood response was impaired by bureaucratic delays that slowed the deployment of urban search and rescue teams and left FEMA call centers unstaffed.
FEMA’s search and rescue leader, Ken Pagurek, resigned Monday.
The response “brought the maximum amount of capability to bear in Texas at the right time and the right place,” said Richardson.
Johnson says no need for House vote this week on Epstein records
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House doesn’t need to vote this week on releasing records related to the Jeffrey Epstein case because the Trump administration is “already doing everything within their power to release them.”
The comments come as Democratic repeatedly try to force votes on the matter, casting it as an issue of trust in the government. GOP leadership has also unveiled a resolution that has no legal weight but would urge the Justice Department to produce more documentation. None of those efforts will be brought before the House for a vote before lawmakers return home for the traditional August recess.
“There’s no point in passing a resolution to urge the administration to do something that they are already doing,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “That’s why we’re going to let that process play out.”
Johnson said that if the process for releasing the information stalls out, “then we’ll take appropriate action when everybody returns here, but we have to allow the court process to play out.”
As Trump targets Harvard, other Republicans take aim at higher education nationally
No government effort to influence a university — private or public — has gotten more attention than the clash at Harvard, where the Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars in federal funding as it seeks a series of policy changes. But far beyond the Ivy League, Republican officials are asserting control over public universities.
These conservatives in GOP-led states say colleges are out of touch, too liberal and loading students with too much debt. First they focused on the critical race theory that racism is embedded in the nation’s institutions. Then they went after diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Since Trump took office, officials in states including Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Iowa and Idaho have sought control over university governance — the rules for who picks presidents and boards and how curricula and tenure are determined. As at Harvard, they’ve sought to reduce the power of faculty members and students.
▶ Read more about GOP efforts to reshape higher education
US stocks tick toward another record high on US-Japan trade deal
The trade deal between the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 economies would lower proposed tariffs on Japanese imports coming to the United States to 15% from the 25% tax that Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1.
The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 196 points, or 0.4%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rallied 3.5%.
“It’s a sign of the times that markets would cheer 15% tariffs,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “A year ago, that level of tariffs would be shocking. Today, we breathe a sigh of relief.”
Trump’s presidential job approval holding steady
Although it’s been an eventful year, the percentage of U.S. adults who approve or disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job has been steady in AP-NORC polling since the beginning of his second term.
There was a similar pattern during his first White House stint, when his approval in AP-NORC polling never exceeded 43%, and never fell below 35%.
Our latest survey shows Trump’s unfavorable rating at 54%, and his favorable rating at 43%.
▶ See more from the AP-NORC polling tracker
Trump’s favorability drops among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
A small but fast-growing group of people in the United States is souring on Trump as they worry about high costs and fear new tariff policies will hike their personal expenses, a new poll finds.
The percentage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with an unfavorable opinion of Trump rose to 71% in July, from 60% in December, according to a national survey by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, whose views are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.
▶ Read more about this survey’s results
What are Americans thinking? Check out the new AP-NORC polling tracker
Wondering how Trump’s approval rating has changed, or where U.S. adults stand on trust in the Supreme Court, or whether they think climate change is happening?
Take a look at the new AP-NORC polling tracker, which shows the latest poll numbers as well as how they’ve changed over time. The tracker shows AP-NORC polling results going back as far as 2018. Go deep into the data and look at how the results break down by party, race, gender, and age.
The polling tracker shows shifts in public opinion on trust in institutions, favorability of Trump and Vance, the state of the country’s economy, and more.
Trump cancels loan guarantee for renewable energy transmission line
The Trump administration has canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for an 800-mile, high-voltage transmission line for delivering solar and wind-generate electricity from the Midwest to the eastern U.S.
The U.S. Department of Energy declared Wednesday that it “is not critical for the federal government to have a role” in the first phase of Chicago-based Invenergy’s planned Grain Belt Express. The department also questioned whether the project could meet the financial conditions required for a loan guarantee and asserted that multiple loan commitments were “rushed out the door” during the final days of the Biden administration.
Invenergy has said the project will create 4,000 jobs and that transmission efficiencies would save consumers $52 billion over 15 years. The project’s route had been approved by regulators in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, and it had bipartisan support. But some Republicans were opposed, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
Vice president’s GOP fundraiser pulls in $3 million
JD Vance on Tuesday appeared at a fundraising dinner at a private home in Nantucket that brought in the high sum for the Republican National Committee, according to a person familiar with the event who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Couples were asked to contribute $100,000 to join the dinner and $250,000 to be part of the event’s host committee, according to a copy of the event’s invitation seen by the AP.
Democrats planning summer town halls in GOP districts
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will “fill the void” if Republicans refuse to face voters back home.
“They have nothing good to sell to the American people,” Jeffries said at a press conference at the Capitol, before lawmakers head out for the August recess.
Flanked by the Democratic leadership team, Jeffries said Democrats plan to show up at town halls and other events to criticize GOP policies and showcase what his party would do if they regain control of the House.
And the Democrats warned the Republicans’ refusal to vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files won’t be forgotten.
“They run out of town to hide sex crimes for the rich and famous,” said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the Democratic Whip.
As US withdraws from UNESCO, China steps up
“We have noted that UNESCO and multiple countries have expressed regret over the U.S. decision to withdraw once again,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
“This is the third time that the U.S. has withdrawn from UNESCO, and it has long been in arrears on its membership dues. This is not the behavior befitting a responsible major country,” Guo said.
“The purpose of UNESCO is to advance international cooperation in education, science, and culture, foster mutual understanding and integration among civilizations, safeguard world peace and promote common development. China has consistently and firmly supported the work of UNESCO.”
China has become increasingly involved in U.N. affairs even as the U.S. retreats. Guo said China calls on “all countries to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, and support with concrete actions the international system with the United Nations at its core, international rules based on international law, and basic norms of international relations grounded in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”
Here’s what UNESCO does and why it matters
Pulling U.S. funding and participation from UNESCO could sets back cultural heritage preservation around the world:
1. World Heritage Sites UNESCO names World Heritage sites, including landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Statue of Liberty, and gives them special protection under its World Heritage Sites program.
2. Holocaust Education Created in response to the horrors of World War II, UNESCO has responded to anti-Israel resolutions by promoting Holocaust awareness including visits to former Nazi concentration camps.
3. Empowering Girls UNESCO’s literacy programs provide support for girls in countries hit by war or disasters who get little or no schooling.
4. Climate Change Over 30 programs aim to help members adapt to climate change and favor sustainable development.
5. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence UNESCO standards on the ethics of artificial intelligence apply to all 194 member states, emphasizing the protection of human rights and dignity, grounded in principles like transparency, fairness, and human oversight.
State Department launches investigation into Harvard’s participation in international program
The probe announced Wednesday could determine whether Harvard University can remain part of a government program that allows foreign nationals to take part in cultural and education exchange programs.
It’s the latest attack by the Trump administration on Harvard, which is challenging $2.6 billion in government funding cuts in federal court. The university has accused the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign after Harvard rejected a series of demands from a federal antisemitism task force in April.
The State Department did not say why it is investigating Harvard’s eligibility to take part in the Exchange Visitor Program. It just stated that all participants “are required to fully comply with exchange visitor regulations, transparency in reporting, and a demonstrated commitment to fostering the principles of cultural exchange and mutual understanding upon which the program was founded.”
Japan’s autos will be tariffed at a lower rate than the rest of the world
Trump’s trade framework with Japan would dramatically curb his new 25% tariffs on autos to 15%, according to a social media post by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. “With the idea of ‘prioritizing investment over tariffs,’ Japan and the U.S. have reached a deal that will benefit both sides,” Ishiba posted on X.
The Trump administration has separately placed a broad 25% tariffs on autos, which would hit German and Korean producers that compete against Japanese companies such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Subaru.
The lower tariff rate could give Japanese automakers an advantage against their competitors.
The Trump administration has opposed international mandates on global warming
The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleum-producing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions.
But those who cling to fossil fuels could go broke doing it, the U.N. secretary-general told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview this week.
Simply having the court issue an opinion is the latest in a series of legal victories for the small island nations:
6. Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that countries have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems.
7. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change.
The UN ruling could be a catalyst for lawsuits
The panel of 15 judges was tasked with answering two questions:
8. What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions?
9. What are the legal consequences for governments when their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the climate and environment?
“The survival of my people and so many others is on the line,” Arnold Kiel Loughman, attorney general of the island nation of Vanuatu, told the court during a week of hearings in December.
Now, activists can sue their governments for failing to comply.
“What makes this case so important is that it addresses the past, present, and future of climate action. It’s not just about future targets -- it also tackles historical responsibility, because we cannot solve the climate crisis without confronting its roots,” Joie Chowdhury, a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, told AP.
Top UN court says failing to protect planet from climate change could violate international law
The International Court of Justice is delivering an advisory opinion in a landmark case about every nation’s obligations to tackle climate change and consequences they may face if they don’t, calling it an “urgent and existential” threat to humanity.
“Failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system ... may constitute an internationally wrongful act,” court President Yuji Iwasawa said during Wednesday’s hearing.
The case is led by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and backed by more than 130 countries. All U.N. member states, including major greenhouse gas emitters like the United States and China, are parties to the court.
The UN’s top court delivers landmark decision on tackling climate change
The United Nations’ top court’s advisory opinion Wednesday declares that a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right.
The International Court of Justice’s opinion describes the obligations of every nation to tackle climate change — and the consequences they may face if they don’t.
The non-binding opinion, which runs to over 500 pages, is seen as a potential turning point in international climate law. Enshrining a sustainable environment as a human right paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account, as well as domestic lawsuits.
“The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is therefore inherent in the enjoyment of other human rights,” court President Yuji Iwasawa said.
▶ Read more about the UN court’s landmark climate ruling
Tips to help teenagers navigate AI companions
Artificial intelligence is largely unregulated and many parents have no idea how their kids are using AI tools and what personal information they are sharing. Here are some things experts say parents can do:
10. Start a conversation, without judgment. Listen and understand before being dismissive or expressing worries.
11. Help teens recognize that AI companions are programmed to be agreeable and validating — it’s not how real friends can help.
12. Teach kids that this is a form of entertainment — it shouldn’t replace relationships in real life.
13. Watch for signs of unhealthy attachments — like becoming emotionally distressed when they put their phones down.
14. Set rules about AI use, just like parents do for screen time and social media.
15. Have discussions about when and how AI tools can and cannot be used.
16. Get informed. Many AI companions are designed for adult use and can mimic romantic, intimate and role-playing scenarios. The tools are not equipped to handle a real crisis or provide genuine mental health support.
17. Forget about banning AI tools — the technology is becoming ubiquitous. Instead, embrace the challenge of this artificial world.
▶ Read more about tips for protecting teens from AI risks
Teens turn to AI for advice, friendship and ‘to get out of thinking’
Teenagers are increasingly interacting with AI as if it were a human companion, according to a new study and interviews with The Associated Press.
“Everyone uses AI for everything now. It’s really taking over,” said Kayla Chege, who wonders how AI tools will affect her generation. “I think kids use AI to get out of thinking.”
Concerns about cheating at school have dominated the conversation around kids and AI, but artificial intelligence is suddenly playing a much larger role in many of their lives — as a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making and problem-solving.
More than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to the study from Common Sense Media, a group that advocates for using digital media sensibly.
▶ Read more about teens using AI companions
China to dispatch team to Sweden for trade talks with US
China has announced that Vice Premier He Lifeng will travel to Sweden from Sunday to Wednesday for trade talks with the U.S. side.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also has said he will be in Stockholm for trade talks with his Chinese counterpart next week.
Bessent has indicated that two sides are likely to extend the Aug. 12 deadline, set three months earlier in Geneva when Beijing and Washington agreed to walk back from sky-high tariffs. Bessent and He are taking the leads for their governments in the negotiations.
Americans are paying more for electricity and losing drinking water for AI
The tech industry has pushed for easier permitting to get huge data centers connected to power and water — even if it means consumers losing drinking water and paying higher energy bills.
On Tuesday, 95 groups including labor unions, parent groups, environmental justice organizations and privacy advocates signed a resolution opposing Trump’s embrace of industry-driven AI policy and calling for a “People’s AI Action Plan” that would “deliver first and foremost for the American people.”
Amba Kak, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, which helped lead the effort, said the coalition expects Trump’s plan to come “straight from Big Tech’s mouth.”
“Every time we say, ‘What about our jobs, our air, water, our children?’ they’re going to say, ‘But what about China?’” she said Tuesday. She said Americans should reject the White House’s argument that artificial intelligence is overregulated, and fight to preserve “baseline protections for the public.”
Blocking tech contractors from using ‘woke AI’
Sacks, a former PayPal executive and now Trump’s top AI adviser, has been criticizing “woke AI” for more than a year, fueled by Google’s February 2024 rollout of an AI image generator that, when asked to show an American Founding Father, created pictures of Black, Asian and Native American men.
Google quickly fixed its tool, but the “Black George Washington” moment remained a parable for the problem of AI’s perceived political bias, taken up by X owner Elon Musk, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Vice President JD Vance and Republican lawmakers.
“The AI’s incapable of giving you accurate answers because it’s been so programmed with diversity and inclusion,” Sacks said at the time.
Elon Musk’s xAI, pitched as an alternative to “woke AI” companies, had to scramble this month to remove posts made by its Grok chatbot that made antisemitic comments and praised Adolf Hitler.
Trump’s artificial intelligence plan unveiling co-hosted by a podcast
The All-In Podcast is a business and technology show hosted by four tech investors and entrepreneurs including Trump’s AI czar, David Sacks.
The plan and related executive orders to be announced late Wednesday afternoon are expected to include some familiar tech lobby pitches — including accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct the energy-hungry data center buildings needed to run AI products, according to a person briefed on Wednesday’s event who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It might also include some of the AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year.
▶ Read more on Trump’s Artificial Intelligence plan
Global markets rally on Trump's Asian trade deals
Global shares rallied on Wednesday, with Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index gaining 3.5% after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on Trump’s tariffs.
The tariff agreement as announced calls for a 15% U.S. import duty on goods from Japan, apart from certain products such as steel and aluminum that are subject to much higher tariffs. That’s down from the 25% Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1 if a deal was not reached.
“This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,” Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Japan was also investing “at my direction” $550 billion into the U.S. He said Japan would “open” its economy to American autos and rice.
Trump announced the U.S. will place a 19% tax on goods from Indonesia and the Philippines. A senior Trump official said Indonesia will charge no tariffs on 99% of its trade with the United States and drop its nontariff barriers on U.S. goods. Trump said the U.S. won’t pay any tariffs in the Philippines, but they will pay 19%.
“President Trump has signed two trade deals this week with the Philippines and Japan which is likely to keep market sentiment propped up despite deals with the likes of the EU and South Korea remaining elusive, for now at least,” Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at Kohle Capital Markets, said in a report.
The Epstein files — delayed, but far from forgotten
House Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffed pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, instead sending members home early on Wednesday for a month-long break from Washington after the week’s legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote.
“There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson said at his last weekly news conference.
The speaker’s stance did little to alleviate the intra-party turmoil unfolding on Capitol Hill as many of Trump’s supporters demand that the administration meet its promises to publicly release a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Under pressure from right-wing online influencers, as well as voters back home, rank-and-file Republicans are demanding House intervention.
“The public’s not going to let this die, and rightfully so,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican.
Trump says EU will be in Washington for trade talks as tariff deadline nears
The president told congressional Republicans at a Tuesday night dinner that European Union officials will be in town Wednesday for the talks.
“We have Europe coming in tomorrow, the next day,” Trump said after announcing a trade framework with Japan.
The president sent a letter this month threatening the 27 EU member states with 30% tariffs to be imposed starting Aug. 1.
The Associated Press
