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☆ Colorado Republicans reckon with string of major electoral losses as Democrats strengthen their hand in the onetime GOP stronghold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Colorado Republicans are reckoning with an increasingly Democratic tint of the Western state. Republicans lost the Colorado Springs mayoralty this week, a stunning blow for the state party. Independent candidate Yemi Mobolade easily defeated former Colorado Republican Secretary of State Wayne W. Williams in a May 16 runoff election for the mayoralty of Colorado Springs, a longtime conservative stronghold. "I think it's literally demographics are the hugest reason why Colorado is shifting more blue. The people moving into our state are by and large more liberal, and the people leaving our state are by and large, more conservative," former state Republican chair Kristi Burton Brown recently told The Hill.

☆ US senator introduces bill to create a federal agency to regulate AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in front of Congress and proposed creating a new federal agency to regulate artificial intelligence, a US senator has introduced a bill to do just that. On Thursday, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet unveiled an updated version of legislation he introduced last year that would establish a Federal Digital Platform Commission. And for the most significant platforms — companies the bill calls “systemically important” — the bill would create requirements for algorithmic audits and public risk assessments of the harms their tools could cause. The debate over whether the US government should establish a separate federal agency to police AI tools may become a significant focus of those efforts following Altman’s testimony this week. Altman suggested in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that such an agency could restrict how AI is developed through licenses or credentialing for AI companies.

Interviews with a U.S. senator, congressional staffers, AI companies and interest groups show there are a number of options under discussion. Some proposals focus on AI that may put people's lives or livelihoods at risk, like in medicine and finance. Other possibilities include rules to ensure AI isn't used to discriminate or violate someone's civil rights. Another debate is whether to regulate the developer of AI or the company that uses it to interact with consumers. GOVERNMENT MICROMANAGEMENTThe risk-based approach means AI used to diagnose cancer, for example, would be scrutinized by the Food and Drug Administration, while AI for entertainment would not be regulated.

☆ Michael Bennet demonstrates his go-to piquant tuna sandwich recipe after chatting with cookbook author Mark Bittman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Michael Bennet discussed food politics with cookbook author Mark Bittman in a new podcast. Bennet shared how he devoured Bittman's recipes during the pandemic and now cooks them regularly. Bennet told Insider he whips up a briny tuna sandwich creation every chance he gets. "I'm going to show you how to make the most sublime thing that is in Mark Bittman's cookbook," the Colorado Democrat says as he walks social media fans through a savory offering punched up by anchovy-spiked olive tapenade. "And I rattled off Mark Bittman's recipe for stir-fried tofu."

☆ Michael Bennet demonstrates his go-to piquant tuna sandwich recipe in chat with cookbook author Mark Bittman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ U.S. senator introduces bill targeting AI's shortfalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Senator Michael Bennet introduced a bill on Thursday that would create a task force to look at U.S. policies on artificial intelligence, and identify how best to reduce threats to privacy, civil liberties and due process. In Washington, national security experts have fretted about its use by foreign adversaries, and teachers have complained about it being used to cheat. The job of the AI Task Force, which could include cabinet members, will be to identify shortfalls in regulatory oversight of AI and recommend reforms, if needed. Under the terms of the bill, the task force would work for 18 months, issue a final report and then shut down. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Snapchat’s new AI chatbot is already raising alarms among teens and parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The feature is powered by the viral AI chatbot tool ChatGPT – and like ChatGPT, it can offer recommendations, answer questions and converse with users. The net effect is that conversing with Snapchat’s chatbot may feel less transactional than visiting ChatGPT’s website. Snapchat's new AI chatbot. “I snapped a picture … and it said ‘nice shoes’ and asked who the people [were] in the photo,” a Snapchat user wrote on Facebook. One user wrote on Facebook that she’s been asking My AI for homework help.

☆ Biden wants to bring back sending monthly checks to parents and make the program permanent
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The first iteration of expanded child tax credit checks lifted millions of kids out of poverty. The ARP also paid out the tax credit in monthly checks, rather than as part of an annual tax refund. According to the US Census Bureau, child poverty fell to a record low of 5.2% in 2021, declining from 2020's 9.7% rate because of those monthly checks sent out to parents. However, after efforts to expand or prolong the credit fell short, child poverty skyrocketed in 2022. Several Democratic lawmakers have also pushed for the expanded Child Tax Credit to be renewed.

☆ White House backs Senate bill to boost US ability to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bill gives the Commerce Department the ability impose restrictions up to and including banning TikTok and other technologies that pose national security risks, said Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Intelligence Committee. He said it would also apply to foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. TikTok said in a statement that any "U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide." Warner said it was important the government do more to make clear what it believes are the national security risks to U.S. from the use of TikTok. McCaul said he thinks the full U.S. House of Representatives could vote on bill this month.

☆ Twelve U.S. senators back giving Commerce Secretary new powers to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO:. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks during the High-Level Economic Dialogue Second Annual Meeting in Mexico City, Mexico September 12, 2022. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha/PoolWASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators will introduce legislation Tuesday that would give Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo new powers to ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok and other foreign-based technologies if they pose national security threats, Senator Mark Warner said. "I think it is a national security threat," Warner said on CNBC, adding the bill would give Raimondo "the ability to do a series of mitigation up to and including banning" TikTok. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A growing group of lawmakers think TikTok is 'digital fentanyl' and want to ban it. Many others remain skeptical.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Some members of Congress have begun pushing to ban TikTok in the US. "I'm a little less enthusiastic about an all-out ban of it," said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. "I'm an incrementalist on a lot of things, and I would be on this as well," said Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media and the internet's impact on children. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, another committee member, said she's most concerned about how social media platforms are impacting kids.

The suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this month led politicians to criticize the .S. The Pentagon said there had been four previous Chinese spy balloon flights over the United States in recent years. On Friday, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified object about the size of a small car near Deadhorse, Alaska. VanHerck said the military considered shooting guns at the objects, but this was deemed too difficult given the small targets. Whether this is the start of regular shootdowns of unidentified objects over American skies is still unclear.

☆ TikTok Dealt Another Hit as Democratic Senator Joins Calls for Banning the App
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Another prominent Democrat has joined Republicans seeking to hobble TikTok, with Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.) calling on Apple Inc. and Google to bar the Chinese-owned video platform from their app stores. Republicans have been the most outspoken critics of TikTok, but in recent weeks, Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois joined with Republicans to sponsor legislation to ban TikTok outright.

☆ Dem. Senator Michael Bennet asks Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Julia Boorstin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDem. Senator Michael Bennet asks Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app storesSen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) has urged Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their mobile app stores. CNBC's Julia Boorstin joins 'The Exchange' with the detail.

☆ Democratic senator urges Apple, Google to kick TikTok out of app stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, should be removed from app stores run by Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google because the short video social media app poses a risk to national security, Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat on the intelligence committee, said in a letter dated Thursday. "Given these risks, I urge you to remove TikTok from your respective app stores immediately," he wrote. Prior to Bennet's letter, Republicans have largely led the charge on TikTok and national security concerns, although Democratic Senator Dick Durbin previously urged Americans to stop using the app. For its part, the company says China's government cannot access the personal data of U.S. citizens or manipulate the app's content. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is due to appear before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee in March.

☆ Apple and Google should boot TikTok from their app stores, Democratic senator urges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., urged the CEOs of Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their mobile app stores immediately in a letter on Thursday, citing widespread concerns that the Chinese government could access information on Americans using the app. "These obvious risks render TikTok, in its current form, an unacceptable threat to the national security of the United States." TikTok has repeatedly sought to reassure concerned American lawmakers and officials that it does not store U.S. user data in China. It has also been negotiating with the U.S. government about how it can mitigate potential national security risks while continuing to operate here. "Unfortunately, Senator Bennet's letter relies almost exclusively on misleading reporting about TikTok, the data we collect, and our data security controls," TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement.

☆ Democratic senator urges Apple and Google to ban TikTok from their app stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —A member of the Senate Intelligence Committee is calling on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores over concerns about national security, in the latest indication of mounting scrutiny on the short-form video app from members of Congress. The laws in question, Bennet wrote, require organizations in the country to “cooperate with state intelligence work” and to allow the government to access company resources. China could potentially try to shape what US users see on the app, Bennet warned, with possible implications for foreign policy and democracy. Apple, Google and TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Some other US officials have also called on Apple and Google to voluntarily remove TikTok from their app stores.

☆ Child tax credit: Democratic lawmakers make last-ditch effort to enhance benefit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Buoyed by the steep drop in child poverty last year, a group of Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocates are pushing hard to restore at least part of the enhanced child tax credit that stabilized many families’ finances in 2021. GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a longtime advocate of the child tax credit, crafted an enhanced version earlier this year, along with fellow Republican Sens. The 2021 enhancementThe American Rescue Plan made three significant changes to the child tax credit for 2021. A reduction in child povertyThe expansion lifted 2.1 million children out of poverty in 2021, according to the Census Bureau. It helped drive child poverty to 5.2%, a drop of 46%, according to the bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure.

☆ Fact Check-Most Democrat wins for U.S. Senate races were called by Nov. 9; Dems did not ‘only’ win in states with mail in voting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

For the midterm election on Nov. 8, there were 35 states that had Senate races. Delays were seen in Arizona and Nevada, where the Senate races were called for Democrats on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 respectively. All four projected Democrat wins for the Senate races on election night, after the polls closed. In Illinois and Maryland, known as “Solid Democratic” states, the Senate race was called on election day. Only two of 14 U.S. Senate races resulting in Democrat wins in states that allow mail-in voting were not called by Nov 9.

Hassan did betterthan Biden democrats have won control Arizona › Mark Kelly (D) wins D+5.7 D+0.3 +5.4 pts. Kelly did betterthan Biden democrats have won control Pennsylvania › John Fetterman (D) wins D+4.4 D+1.2 +3.2 pts. Warnock did betterthan Biden democrats have won control Nevada › Catherine Cortez Masto (D) wins D+0.7 D+2.4 +1.7 pts. Welch did betterthan Biden democrats have won control Maryland › Chris Van Hollen (D) wins D+26.4 D+33.4 +7.0 pts. Rep. Van Hollen did worsethan Biden democrats have won control Connecticut › Richard Blumenthal (D) wins D+14.9 D+20.1 +5.2 pts.

☆ Why far-right GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert is in an extremely close re-election race in Colorado
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is in a closer-than-expected race against Democrat Adam Frisch. Her Colorado district backed Trump by less than 10 points in 2020, unlike other hard-right Republicans. Boebert's district is more ideologically heterodox. "But within there, there's ski communities, there's traditional ranching communities, there's mining communities, there's industrial communities." Frisch also benefited from the endorsement and backing of GOP state Sen. Don Coram, who represented a far-southwest Colorado district and unsuccessfully challenged Boebert for the GOP nomination this year.

☆ White House buoyed by early midterm results as Biden avoids fate of his predecessors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MILWAUKEE — President Joe Biden appears to have pulled off something few of his recent predecessors managed — a midterm election that wasn’t a clear shellacking for his party, providing a sense of vindication for the White House. Biden's losses are likely to tally far fewer than President Barack Obama suffered in 2010 or President Donald Trump in 2018. The president spent election night at the White House watching returns with top advisers and family and making calls to Democrats who won their races. For many voters, Biden appeared to play little role in their decision. That compares to 2018 when only a third of voters said Trump was not a factor in their House vote.

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

☆ Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet defeats Republican Joe O’Dea in Colorado, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado won re-election Tuesday, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Joe O’Dea in a competitive race. Bennet, 57, a former chief of staff to his Senate colleague John Hickenlooper, is seen as a moderate, although he has championed marijuana reform and environmental issues. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at a rally in Golden on Oct. 26. Good luck Joe!”Joe O'Dea, the Republican nominee for the Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet, at a primary election night watch party in Denver on June 28. Ron DeSantis, a potential rival to Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, made a point of endorsing O’Dea, prompting criticism from Trump.

Democrat Yadira Caraveo defeated Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. (2 Districts) Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. CO-08CO-07 House Governor Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Democrat Yadira Caraveo defeated Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado's new 8th Congressional District. 2022 General EmbedsColorado's 8th Congressional District candidatesThe Democratic nominee, state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, easily secured her party's nomination for the seat.

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