Republicans go after Jack Smith for Trump probes at Senate hearing
NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Trump Ai Jack Smith Congress Doj 2026 Midterm Iran Live Updates Rcna600372 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.
President Donald Trump met at the White House with leaders of major U.S. artificial intelligence companies and unveiled a new AI-powered government website.
What to know today
- JACK SMITH HEARING: Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his election interference and classified documents probes into Donald Trump as numerous Republicans bashed him at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
- TRUMP AI MEETING: Trump hosted tech leaders at the White House to discuss the rapidly advancing development of artificial intelligence, which he rebranded as "super intelligence," and called self-regulation the right approach. He also unveiled an AI-powered website that’s meant to help Americans navigate government services.
- U.K. TERRORISM PROBE: Trump said he was "surprised" after British police released on bail five men who had been arrested in connection with a huge security operation near an air base the U.S. Air Force uses to facilitate strikes on Iran.
Coverage of this live blog has ended. For the latest news, click here.
Spurning regulations, Vance says AI companies need to take 'responsibility' when it comes to 'product liability'
At a launch event for America.gov today, Vice President JD Vance amplified the administration's position that AI companies are responsible for how they develop their products and don't need new federal regulations.
"There’s been this weird dynamic where a lot of people who are developing the frontier models in artificial intelligence, they’ll come out and they’ll say, ‘Oh, oh, my God, this is a terrible, terrible thing we’re building,'" Vance said. "It’s like, well, if you’re building a terrible, terrible thing, then stop and build something good. Don’t come to the government and regulate."
He said it was similar to "a kid who just can’t stop eating cookies."
"It’s like, ‘I just, please, government, come and help me stop eating these cookies.’ No, no, no. You have to exercise some responsibility over your own products," Vance said.
He added that AI companies need to focus more on product liability and "making sure your products actually work."
"Now, obviously, there are risks to AI, and we talked about that during the lunch today," Vance said in reference to a lunch Trump and AI leaders heldtoday. "But I think the president wanted to say, ‘Look, the solution to some of the AI risks is for you guys to take the risks seriously,' not to come to the government for a regulatory regime that may make things worse if it’s not smart and careful."
At the beginning of his remarks, Vance said he hopes the new government website, which uses an AI search tool, "isn't a clusterf--- like America.gov." He quickly added that he meant "like healthcare.gov," a website associated with the Affordable Care Act that was severely flawed when it was rolled out during the Obama administration.
"America.gov has got to be the good version of that," Vance said.
Senators unveil bipartisan bill to deliver essential newborn supply kits to new moms
Becoming a new mom can require an abundance of supplies for both mother and baby — diapers, blankets, carriers and more. That’s why a bipartisan Senate duo is teaming up on a bill to provide new moms with starter pack newborn kits in communities with high rates of infant or maternal mortality.
Alex Segre / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images file
Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced the Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit Act, or NEST Act, today, their offices shared first with NBC News. The bill would codify a Department of Health and Human Services pilot program launched in 2023 that distributes toolkits with essential materials to mothers who need them most.
Democrats use new America.gov AI tool to fact-check the Trump administration on election fraud claims, health insurance
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
After the Trump administration debuted a new government website today, several Democrats in Congress have used its AI tool to fact-check Trump on issues like election fraud and health care coverage.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., targeted Trump's false claims that there has been widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections. Clyburn posted a screenshot on X that showed the search "Does official U.S. government data show evidence of any significant voter fraud in past elections? Yes or no." The tool responded "No" and linked to supporting government documents.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pointed to Trump's insistence that he won the 2020 election. Schiff's pSchiff's X post included a screenshot of the AI tool saying, "Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the 2020 U.S. presidential election." He captioned the post, "Finally, a straight answer from someone in the Trump administration."
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., posted his query about how many people are set to lose their health insurance because of policies signed into law in Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The AI answered, "10 million people."
"At least someone in this administration is willing to admit the devastating health care losses for Americans caused by Trump and Congressional Republicans," Kim captioned the second post.
Pro-Trump TV ads paid for with Customs and Border Protection money, official says
Bonnie Cash / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Trump administration paid for TV ads showing him in a favorable light using money intended for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an official and a top Republican senator confirmed to NBC News.
The source of the funding for the controversial ads the White House has described as public service announcements was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Drive to Decision Day: NBC News drove I-80 to find out what’s driving people’s votes in the midterms.
Frank V Thorp for NBC News
Americans are frustrated with the direction the country is headed in as the midterm elections approach — an atmosphere that typically blows up on the party in power.
They’re angry about rising prices, ballooning interest rates and foreign wars. They are afraid AI will automate many jobs while driving up utility prices.
The perspectives were shared with three NBC News reporters during a six-day, eight-stop August road trip in a minivan along Interstate 80. This “Drive to Decision Day” covered one-third of the most closely contested House races in the country and two key Senate races.
The aim was to find out what Americans are most concerned about right now and how that might affect their votes in November.
Trump renames AI as 'Super Intelligence' in new executive order
Trump signed an executive order today that renames artificial intelligence as "super intelligence."
The order directs all federal departments and agencies to use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in documents and communications within the executive branch. It also instructs them to no longer acknowledge the terms “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI.”
It also directs a White House official — the assistant to the president for science and technology — to propose a federal definition of “Super Intelligence” and “SI” that "reflects the state of this extraordinary frontier technology and identify any additional executive action necessary to implement the proposed definition."
"The term 'Super Intelligence' more appropriately captures the promise, potential, and rapidly advancing capabilities of these technologies," the order says. "As these capabilities continue to improve, they increasingly represent not merely artificial intelligence, but a new era of Super Intelligence."
Trump, who has called growing concerns around AI a "hoax," met earlier today with tech CEOs to discuss AI and said self-regulation of the industry was the best approach.
After Trump rebrands AI as ‘super intelligence,’ most tech executives stick to calling it artificial intelligence
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Trump's announcement today that he's "officially" renaming artificial intelligence as "super intelligence" isn't catching on with the country's biggest tech CEOs.
“We are going to have to create new technologies to advance the capabilities of AI, but we’re also creating new technologies to advance the safety of AI,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters this afternoon. He made no mention of super intelligence.
Greg Brockman, the president and a co-founder of OpenAI, talked about how “we build artificial intelligence to benefit everyone.” He also didn't refer to it as SI.
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei told reporters: "I will say what I’ve always said, which is that AI has incredible benefits. I’ve talked about the medical benefits of the technology. As the president has said, you know, whoever wins AI wins." There was no mention of super intelligence.
Only one tech leader cited super intelligence, after having called it AI.
“SI. Pardon me, super intelligence,” SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said.
Trump thanked Musk for the self-correction.
GOP senator airballs perjury claim against Jack Smith over apparent Hawks/Hawkeyes mixup
Sen. Eric Schmit, R-Mo. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
His slam dunk was a brick.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., today accused former special counsel Jack Smith of committing perjury when he denied having attended a specific Atlanta Hawks basketball game in 2024 — to Smith’s apparent confusion.
The attempted trick play happened during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Smith’s now-scuttled investigations into Trump. But it soon emerged that Schmitt had the wrong team.
Trump and Mike Johnson downplay concerns that data center growth could hurt Republicans in the midterms
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., today brushed aside concerns that the rapid growth of data centers across the country could have a negative effect on GOP candidates at the ballot box.
Asked whether he's concerned about the possible impact, Trump told reporters: "I just have to do what’s right. All I can tell you is that these big, powerful, very rich, very smart companies are going to be making massive contributions to communities."
"It's going to be really a partnership," he said, predicting it's "going to be so good for the people."
Johnson said, "Our candidates and our incumbents are out in their communities right now as we speak, communicating on this."
"They’re saying we cannot lose the race to China, we cannot lose America’s edge, because it’s important for every American worker, every American family, for their safety, security, the future, the economy," Johnson said. "But it has to be a balance. You have to take the community concerns in hand."
Johnson said the AI leaders flanking Trump agree on that.
"That’s what the president articulated in the room today, that you have to heed those concerns and you have to make commitments to them. Just as they’re making as an industry, they will make it to the local communities," Johnson said.
The proliferation of data centers across the country has sparked opposition from both Republican and Democratic voters, including in key midterm races.
A recent poll from the NBC News Decision Desk found that 69% of respondents oppose building AI data centers in their areas, with 45% saying they “strongly oppose” the idea.
Mark Zuckerberg describes 'historic' agreement AI leaders and Trump signed today
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the agreement AI leaders signed at the White House today alongside Trump to develop AI "safely."
Zuckerberg told reporters that the group signed "the White House accord on developing this technology safely," adding that "the basic idea is that we want to give the American people and our customers confidence that the technology works in the way that we intend."
Trump and Zuckerberg at the White House today. Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images
He said the group drafted "a set of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology, coupled with multiple layers of auditing and controls, starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators, and agreeing that we’re going to have all of our boards of directors independently review the reports that come from the auditors."
"The idea isn't that this is the only thing that we will ever do," Zuckerberg said. "It is that this is a start and an accord that the whole industry could come to."
Trump says AI guardrails aren't necessary and industry can rely on 'self-policing'
Trump reiterated this afternoon that guardrails aren't necessary to regulate AI, instead telling reporters outside the White House that "there's going to be a tremendous self-policing aspect."
He said guardrails aren't necessary "because we have people that love our country and love the world."
Asked whether "love" is enough, Trump said, "No, it requires this, and they're the smartest people in the world," gesturing to the AI leaders standing behind him, including Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
"We had a great, really a great, great meeting. It was something very, very special," Trump said, referring to his meeting today with the AI leaders. "They love our country, and they love the world, and they came together."
Trump said that "it's almost like a constitution, in a way," adding that "the biggest people in the world signed that, and I signed it as president, and it really is a form of protection."
Despite his emphasis on "self-policing," Trump said he was considering creating a committee to "watch over the whole enterprise."
"I believe they're going to be used for the good. And when they're not, we're going to be able to nab them," Trump said. "But there's going to be a tremendous self-policing aspect. We're also thinking about forming a committee of sorts, where we put maybe 10 people on that committee. It could be from that group so that we can, so the committee can watch over the whole enterprise."
He also reiterated his desire to change the name of AI to "super intelligence." He said this afternoon that the name had been "officially changed" but offered no further details.
Supreme Court allows Trump’s ‘third country’ deportation policy
The Supreme Court today, for a second time, removed obstacles to the Trump administration's deporting certain immigrants to “third countries” where they have no connections.
The justices, with the court’s three liberals dissenting, granted the government's emergency request to block an appeals court ruling that said the current process is unlawful because the affected people are not given a proper chance to raise concerns about safety risks in violation of federal immigration law.
Utah Republican blocks bipartisan Senate bill to prohibit demolition of presidential memorials
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blocked the Senate last night from considering a bill that would require congressional authorization to demolish any presidential memorials constructed under congressional mandates — including the Kennedy Center.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., pushed last night for the Senate to consider the legislation under unanimous consent before Lee objected.
Merkley had introduced the bill with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Merkley said on the Senate floor that he and Murkowski were “standing up for the rule of law, the separation of powers and the fact we are a republic.”
In a separate statement, Murkowski said Trump's Kennedy Center and the "Triumphal Arch" plans would fall under the jurisdiction of the appropriations subcommittee she chairs. (Merkley is the panel's ranking member.)
"Any action to demolish facilities authorized by Congress or to construct facilities on federal land first requires rigorous oversight and explicit congressional approval," Murkowski said.
She urged the Trump administration to "present actual plans, including cost estimates, for these projects rather than circumventing their responsibility to American taxpayers.”
The Kennedy Center board voted this month to close the arts center, arguing that it faced "dire" financial and structural issues. The board was handpicked by Trump. The Trump administration threatened this summer to demolish the building if its renovation plans could not move forward as it wanted.
Separately, Trump has pushed forward plans for a "Triumphal Arch," which he said this month would also be a "top grade Military Complex."
Musician featured in Trump 'PSA' sends cease-and-desist letter to the White House
Musical artist JMSN demanded that the Trump administration stop using his song in a White House advertisement promoting the president.
Lawyers for JMSN sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles after his song "Love Me" was used in an ad funded by the U.S. government.
The lawyers demand that the administration stop using JMSN's song and withdraw the ad.
"To be absolutely clear, JMSN does not want to be viewed as directly or indirectly affiliated with the President or his Administration," the lawyers said in the letter.
JMSN performs in Detroit in August. Monica Morgan / Getty Images file
The White House ad featuring JMSN and a second that began running over the weekend have provoked controversy because they resemble past Trump campaign ads and carry a disclaimer saying they were paid for by the U.S. government.
Separately, JMSN posted on social media that "it should go without saying that I would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign."
The Trump administration has previously drawn criticism from other artists after it used their songs in promotional social media material. Radiohead, Kesha and Sabrina Carpenter, for example, have criticized the White House for using their songs.
Obama boosts Senate Democrats with October fundraiser
Former President Barack Obama is looking to give Democrats a financial boost, headlining a fundraiser next month with the party’s Senate campaign arm, according to details shared first with NBC News.
Adam Gray / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
The event, scheduled for Oct. 7 in the Washington area, will be Obama’s first fundraiser with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this election cycle. The fundraiser will also feature a conversation between Obama and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., a DSCC vice chair, focused on “the importance of flipping the Senate and the stakes of the election,” according to a DSCC aide.
Smith says it's 'inconceivable' that Jan. 6 rioters were pardoned while prosecutors were fired
During his line of questioning, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said people who "savagely beat police officers" on Jan. 6 were pardoned by Trump and asked Smith what happened to the career prosecutors who sought to hold those people accountable.
Demonstrators try to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Eric Lee / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
"They’ve been fired unlawfully, they’ve been publicly vilified, and they’ve been attacked in every possible way," Smith answered. "It is inconceivable to me how you can pardon people who assault law enforcement officers and then vilify the officers who are trying to uphold the rule of law."
Last year, on the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, more than 1,200 of whom had been convicted. Several police officers who defended the Capitol died in the days immediately after Jan. 6, with Brian Sicknick dying of natural causes following a stroke one day later and others dying by suicide.
Sen. Booker accuses Republicans of 'gaslighting' the public by perpetuating the lie that Trump won the 2020 election
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., accused his GOP colleagues of "gaslighting" the American public by “continuing to perpetuate the big lie in America that Donald Trump was somehow cheated out of the 2020 election.”
"This is gaslighting the American people. It has been going on for eight years, 30 days before an election, when people are demanding their gas prices go down," Booker said.
"We are using precious time of one of the most vaunted committees in American history, the Judiciary Committee, to perpetrate one of the biggest gaslighting attempts we have ever seen in our 250 years as a country," he continued. "This is an eight-year attempt to lie to the American people, and this is their closing argument. Everybody, right before an election, this is what they want to spend their time on: perpetrating a lie."
Booker added, "This committee’s Republicans are more concerned with Trump than the truth, more concerned with Trump’s crimes than the Constitution."
Sen. Klobuchar rips Sen. Schmitt, says he confused basketball teams in accusing Smith of perjury over game attendance
The hearing became tense after Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., presented a text message to Smith that he suggested showed the former special counsel was in Atlanta for a basketball game in 2024.
Schmitt asserted the game was between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks, and it was around the time that a romantic relationship was revealed between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and another prosecutor involved in the Georgia election interference case.
Smith, looking confused, repeatedly said he believed he didn't attend a basketball game in Atlanta and said he had never seen the text message before, which Schmitt had only briefly displayed on the dais.
Schmitt then accused Smith of perjuring himself and called him a "dirtbag."
When it was Klobuchar's turn to begin her questioning, she asked that the text message be presented again for Smith to view.
Smith then remembered: "I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing right around that time, and the Marshals Service was there with me. You could check if that was the exact date. It was Maryland playing Iowa. I think February of 2024. But again, you could check that out if that’s what we’re talking about."
Klobuchar then said, "That might be the confusion over the names of the team," telling Schmitt, "But perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully."
As she wrapped up her questioning, Klobuchar confirmed the details of the game Smith said he attended.
"We have confirmed that, in fact, you are right, Mr. Smith," she said. "Iowa, the Iowa Hawkeyes, played Maryland on Feb. 3, 2024. The final score was 93-85. Iowa won, and Caitlin Clark scored over, scored 30 points. So it must have been a pretty good game. The game was in fact in Maryland, Mr. Smith."
"And I would just say, for a U.S. senator to have false information and imply based on a confusion about the name of a team, which I knew, knowing my Midwestern sports, and imply that you were in another city, that you were somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia, and then call you a dirtbag is something that deserves an apology," Klobuchar said.
Asked outside the hearing room whether he still thought Smith had perjured himself after learning the details of the game the former special prosecutor had attended, Schmitt told NBC News, “We’ll find out. That’s going to be up to a prosecutor to determine. My job here today was to ask questions and get answers.”
Trump signs 'very powerful' executive order on AI-powered site
The president capped off his remarks by signing what he called a "very powerful" executive order involving the new government website powered by artificial intelligence, which he said should be called "super intelligence."
"That's the official name in the United States," he said ahead of the signing.
"When you say artificial intelligence, it’s artificial. This isn’t. This is extreme intelligence. It’s superior intelligence. It’s supreme also intelligence. But the word 'super' is the best word of all, and it’s the simplest. And so we’re going to be naming it SI, super intelligence," he said.
"We don’t want to hear artificial because it’s not artificial. It’s very powerful. It’s very brilliant. It’s going to mostly be put to great use, and we’ll stop the bad use. But we’re changing the name to 'super intelligence,' and so far, I mean, everybody likes it. Artificial intelligence is like the news, fake news," he said, also pushing back on calls for more regulation on the industry and data centers.
"We’re leading now over China and everyone else, and I want to keep it that way. I want to keep it that way. The only way you can keep it that way is to do exactly what we’re doing right now. We don’t want to stifle growth," Trump said.
Trump indicated in his remarks that the order had to do at least in part with the "super intelligence" name change, but the text later posted on the White House website shows it was focused on the America.gov site.
It directs that the site “will be a secure, intelligent, and service-oriented point of entry through which an individual may sign in, communicate in plain language, receive accurate answers, and, where authorized and technically available, complete Government transactions without being required to navigate the websites of multiple agencies.”
Trump uses new website America.gov to promote SAVE Act
Speaking at an event for the launch of the new America.gov website, the president said the AI-powered site will make it easy to get replacement Social Security cards and passports — and therefore Congress should pass the SAVE Act.
The legislation, which has stalled in Congress, would require voter ID at polls for federal elections and proof of citizenship to register to vote.
"With this nobody can any longer complain about providing proof of citizenship or voter ID. They're always saying it's too complicated. It's not complicated anymore," Trump said, adding that in light of this Congress should pass the SAVE Act.
"It's easy. You can get everything you need in one simple swipe," he said — although that does not appear to be how the site works at all.
A query on how to get a replacement Social Security card, for example, leads to links to forms from the Social Security Administration, where users have to create an account and follow prompts on that site. The site says it can take two weeks to get a replacement card.
"Nobody will have any excuses. We now can pass" the legislation, Trump said. "It takes the No. 1 excuse away."
Smith says Trump's firing of career prosecutors and federal agents makes the U.S. less safe
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., asked Smith about the career prosecutors and FBI agents who worked on his investigation into Trump and what happened to their jobs under the current administration.
"Many of them had expertise in investigating complex criminal matters," Smith said. "Those people, as I think we all know, have been fired illegally for doing their jobs, and their firing is something that, in my view, makes, is unfair to them, but it makes our country less safe."
Smith said those who were removed included experts in national security, corruption investigations and were "simply fired because they worked on the wrong case."
"That has never happened in my career," Smith continued. "I have never seen anything remotely like it in any Republican or Democratic administration."
Smith asserts he won't speak about his family as Sen. Kennedy tries to attack his wife
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., tried to attack Smith's wife in his line of questioning by asking if she is an "ardent supporter" of the Obamas.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Nathan Posner / Anadolu via Getty Images file
"I’m not going to talk about my family here today. I’m here to talk about my work as special counsel," Smith said.
Kennedy noted that Smith's wife, a filmmaker, had made what the senator characterized as a "glowing" documentary about former first lady Michelle Obama, suggesting a political bias.
"I’m not going to speak about my family here today," Smith said. "I’m happy though to answer any questions you have about my actual work as special counsel," Smith said.
Asked if he had desired to be special counsel, Smith said, "I accepted the position as special counsel because I had spent 30 years as a nonpartisan prosecutor. I had investigated every sort of criminal case you could possibly imagine, and I thought I was qualified to do the job. I knew that I would do it independently, and I would conduct it the same way whether a Republican or a Democrat."
Smith challenges GOP attacks on his office obtaining lawmakers' phone records
Smith responded to attacks from Chuck Grassley and other Republicans about the special counsel's office, under his leadership, obtaining lawmakers' phone records as part of the 2020 election investigation.
Durbin said the records have been characterized as a wiretap, and asked Smith if he initiated any wiretaps of members of Congress.
"No, the records that we’re talking about are non-content records," Smith. "The toll records are non-content records that we sought to corroborate evidence we had, and also to assist us in questioning witnesses about these events, among other things."
Smith explained that the phone records were important and relevant to the probe because they helped corroborate other records the special counsel's office had in the 2020 investigation.
Grassley had criticized Smith in his opening statement for seeking the phone records of 16 lawmakers.
Smith explained that the records were relevant, in part, because on Jan. 6, 2021, some members of Congress reached out to the White House to ask for help and stop the attack on the Capitol.
Smith says Trump election case investigated 'one of the most serious crimes that's ever happened in our nation's history'
At his hearing, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Smith if the special counsel's office obtained possession of donor data and other financial information.
"Yes, we acquired financial information," Smith said. "As I sit here right now, I cannot recite to you every subpoena we issued. I can tell you why we issued subpoenas, and it was to conduct a criminal investigation of one of the most serious crimes that’s ever happened in our nation’s history," referring to the president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Smith alleges Trump 'engaged in serious crimes against our nation'
Smith said in his opening statement that he stands by his decision to bring federal charges against Trump in the 2020 election interference case and the classified documents case.
"I made those decisions without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election," he said in his testimony.
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation," Smith alleged.
Smith argued that as special counsel, he followed the principles of not allowing "status, power, prominence, or political affiliation of the subject of an investigation" to play a role in the investigation or prosecution.
"The charges against President Trump were the result of the evidence," he said.
Smith referred to personal attacks and threats against prosecutors and other public servants.
"I myself have been threatened with jail by the president of the United States," he said. "However, I remain confident that the rule of law will endure because so many continue to uphold it faithfully each day throughout our legal system. Public servants have remained faithful to their oaths despite extraordinary pressure to do otherwise."
Durbin says GOP has spread 'baseless conspiracy theories' about Jack Smith's Trump probes
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in his opening statement that the GOP has spent months "spreading baseless conspiracy theories about Mr. Smith’s investigation instead of hearing from him directly," referring to the 2020 election probe.
"Mr. Smith was tasked with investigating President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his unlawful retention and distribution of sensitive, classified documents after President Trump left office," said Durbin, the ranking member of the committee.
Sen. Dick Durbin at the hearing today. Win McNamee / Getty Images
Durbin said that after Trump lost the election, he tried to "subvert the will of the people and steal the presidency."
"How do we know this? The president said it. He called the election official in Georgia and asked him to find — find was his word — 11,780 votes," Durbin said, referring to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Durbin added, "It is sad to see my Republican colleagues contort themselves to support President Trump’s lies. I expect that will continue today."
Sen. Grassley alleges Jack Smith ran a 'corrupt operation' that 'undermined the rule of law'
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, alleged in his opening statement at his hearing with Jack Smith that the former special counsel ran a “corrupt operation” that “undermined the rule of law and threatened our very political institutions.”
Grassley suggested that Smith’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which led to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, was not just about those issues, but also a partisan effort to target the Republican Party.
Sen. Chuck Grassley waits to hear testimony today. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Grassley said Smith’s team subpoenaed records on GOP groups as early as 2019 and as late as 2023.
“You see, that’s what you must do if your case is designed to map out and target the entire Republican Party,” he said. “In the end, Smith indicted one person — President Trump — but in the process, successfully mapped out the Republican apparatus, a fact he didn’t put in his report.”
Democrats ask AI companies to provide information about AI agents gaining unauthorized access to outside systems
Three Democratic lawmakers penned a letter to the leaders of AI companies asking them to provide a list of times their AI agents tried to gain access to systems outside of their company.
The letter, first reported by Politico, was signed by Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Ted Lieu of California and Valerie Foushee of North Carolina, and it was addressed to Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Elon Musk of SpaceX, Sundar Pichai of Google and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta.
"We are writing about the growing number of incidents in which AI agents developed by each of your companies gained unauthorized access to the systems of real organizations," the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers pointed to the companies disclosing instances of their AI models improperly gaining access to outside organizations' systems.
"In nearly every case, your companies alarmingly disclosed the incident weeks or even months after it occurred," they wrote. "These are incidents that would constitute serious cyber crimes if a human was responsible. That is deeply concerning."
The lawmakers asked that the companies detail times when models tried to or successfully gained access to outside systems, the impact of the breach and the timeline of the AI company notifying the impacted group, among other information. They also asked companies to provide information about how they will "safeguard against future breaches."
One of the most prominent examples of an AI agent accessing an outside company was the July hack of Hugging Face. Hundreds of OpenAI agents allegedly hacked Hugging Face, and some of the AIs tried to cover up their involvement.
In recent weeks, industry insiders have warned about potentially catastrophic impacts of rapid AI development, prompting calls from AI critics to implement guardrails on the technology.
Media outlets ask judge to extend his temporary block of Trump's efforts to ban their journalists from the White House
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a motion late last night asking a judge to extend his temporary block of the Trump administration's effort to ban the three outlets from the White House.
The outlets requested that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly set a hearing on their request for Oct. 8.
The administration has argued that White House access is a “privilege, not a right” and alleges certain reporting from the outlets has compromised national security.
The outlets pushed back on the White House's arguments in their filing, arguing they were not banned for national security reasons.
"Even after the White House Press Office letters and Defendants’ opposition brief invoked national security, President Trump has continued to justify the ban on the ground that he dislikes Plaintiffs’ coverage of him and his administration without even mentioning national security," the filing said.
The three outlets also argued in the filing that they would "suffer irreparable injury to their constitutionally protected newsgathering and reporting" if the administration was able to reinstitute the ban.
The judge gave the Trump administration a Friday deadline to file its response.
“President Trump is the most accessible President in history — holding open press events, regular gaggles and interviews, taking questions nearly every day, and speaking directly to the American people through social media," a White House spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News. "But if a reporter walks into an interview with their headline and narrative already decided, why do they need to be in the room? They can write their garbage from anywhere. Even after outlets were given access to the White House, they declined to cover various events proving this isn’t about access. It’s performative and dishonest.”
Trump announced his ban on the outlets on Truth Social earlier this month, saying it was “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
In his temporary restraining order last week, Kelly wrote that Trump’s ban was likely unconstitutional and the plaintiffs' lawsuit would likely succeed on due process grounds.
Democrats face a staggering spending disadvantage in Georgia’s tight race for governor
In Georgia’s closely watched race for governor, Democrats always expected uber-wealthy Republican businessman Rick Jackson to flood the airwaves with tens of millions of dollars in ads, outspending their nominee, Keisha Lance Bottoms.
They didn’t expect her to go practically dark on the airwaves for the better part of September — a key stretch of the campaign — in the critical battleground state.
Trump ‘surprised’ after U.K. releases men detained near base used by U.S. forces
Trump has said he was surprised after U.K. police released on bail five men who had been arrested in connection with a huge security operation near an air base used by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate strikes on Iran.
Later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor” — an allegation that British officials have not confirmed.
“I would have said, ‘Don’t let them have bail,’” Trump said in the Oval Office Monday. “I’m surprised that they released them, I wouldn’t have done that.”
Trump also indicated U.S. officials were cooperating well with their British counterparts on the case.
“Look, they’ve been very good. They are working with us very closely,” he said, adding that the U.S. knew “everything” about the bailed suspects.
Police man a roadblock Sunday outside RAF Fairford. Justin Tallis / AFP via Getty Images
Senate GOP to press Jack Smith on Trump Jan. 6 probe as DOJ targets investigators
Former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two since-dismissed federal criminal cases against Trump, is expected to face questions on Tuesday from the president’s allies in the Senate about his handling of his investigation into the president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Smith is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee amid the Justice Department’s push to target law enforcement officials involved with Smith’s investigation into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results as well as the probe into his handling of classified documents after he left office in January 2021.
Trump to host summit with top AI leaders in Washington
As he brushes aside artificial intelligence doomsday warnings as a “hoax,” President Donald Trump will host tech leaders for lunch Tuesday to discuss the rapidly advancing technology.
Also Tuesday, Trump will unveil America.gov, a website that will feature an AI-powered tool meant to help Americans navigate government services.
In recent weeks, tech executives on the AI frontier, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, have sounded the alarm about the potential dangers of AI, calling for greater government oversight and global cooperation in regulating the technology.
Amodei will attend the lunch with Trump on Tuesday, as will Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, said company and White House sources who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will also be there.
