Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Capitol Monday evening for his first vote in three months, Punchbowl News reports.
McConnell spoke to reporters from a wheelchair and said it’s “time to get back to work.”
His speech was slow and he looked frail.
GOP Candidate Calls Himself a ‘Reverse Coconut’
Colorado gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx (R) explained on unearthed audio why he’s comfortable around minorities.
Said Marx: “My background, my father was a drug dealer and a pimp… I tell people I’m a reverse coconut. Brown on the inside, white on the outside. I’m very comfortable around people of color.”
U.S. Sanctions Russian Bank for Iran Ties
“The Treasury Department on Monday identified Russia’s second-largest financial institution, VTB Bank, as a key financial node for Iran’s Islamic Republic and put further sanctions on the bank,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The new sanctions on VTB are a bid to pressure international partners to cut off dealings with it… Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has repeatedly threatened secondary sanctions against foreign companies that help Iran to evade U.S. economic restrictions.”
Wall Street Is Blowing Off Fears of an AI Apocalypse
“Equity investors largely yawned Monday at warnings about AI wiping out humanity, suggesting traders aren’t pricing in an existential threat,” Axios reports.
It’s odd when a technology supposedly capable of wiping out humanity is also one of Wall Street’s favorite investments. Either investors think the warnings are wildly overstated — or this is one risk markets have no idea how to price.
Trump Calls AI Warnings a ‘Hoax’
“President Donald Trump unexpectedly called into a business and technology conference through Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s cell phone and dismissed urgent warnings from those inside the artificial intelligence industry as a ‘hoax,'” the Washington Sun reports.
Said Trump, on speakerphone: “The robots will not be taking over. The AI will not be taking over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax.”
Bloomberg: Nvidia CEO puts Trump on speakerphone while downplaying AI risks.
Trump Picks Wesley Hunt as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
“President Donald Trump nominated Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) to be the next U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Monday, part of a spate of nominations sent to the Senate less than two months before the midterms decides the fate of the GOP’s control of the chamber,” Politico reports.
Democratic Candidate Defends Resurfaced Explicit Photos
“A Democrat running for a U.S. House seat representing Long Island said he is ‘not embarrassed or ashamed’ after explicit photos resurfaced over the weekend,” the Washington Sun reports.
Said Chris Gallant: “I have always been unapologetically me. These attacks on my identity have just made me stronger in my values and convictions.”
“The photos, which circulated as advertisements for a sex store in San Francisco up until 2020, depict Gallant modeling in a leather posture collar and metal chains.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“While it adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement, we’d make it even smaller if we could.”
— Alex Lanfranconi, an aide to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), talking to NBC News about the small cages used to hold immigrants at Alligator Alcatraz.
GOP Candidate Doubles Down On Racist Post
“Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, stood by a series of racist social media posts he sent targeting Asian students at the University of Texas, dismissing criticism from fellow Republicans as he campaigns for a seat that oversees the state’s oil and gas industry,” the Washington Sun reports.
“French dismissed the backlash he garnered over his post on X showing a photograph of students celebrating Texas’ football victory over Ohio State, and suggested the students pictured benefitted from discriminatory admissions practices designed to exclude American-born students.”
Wrote French: “Social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine.”
Gavin Newsom Won’t Run if Kamala Harris Does
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would not run for president in 2028 if Kamala Harris is a candidate, CNN reports.
Newsom may have just given Harris enormous leverage without giving up much himself. If she runs, he avoids a tough primary against a fellow Californian. If she doesn’t, he becomes a possible heir to her donor network.
Andy Beshear Confronts a Latino Revolt
“Andy Beshear has a simmering Latino revolt on his hands. Quelling it could come down to Texas,” Politico reports.
“A group of Latino Democratic officials — including operatives, local and congressional leaders — are pushing the Kentucky Governor, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association, to pounce on late-breaking momentum in the Texas gubernatorial race, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa is vying to unseat incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.”
“The effort to get Beshear to expand the map comes as the DGA eyes several swing states — like Michigan, Arizona, Georgia or Nevada — where the party is focused on keeping or flipping governors’ mansions. But underlying it all is the Democratic Party’s fight to stanch the hemorrhaging of Latino voters from their ranks, and Texas sits at the center of their losses.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“We do not want to jump in. The reflex of legislative bodies is to cover things up with red tape and hyper-regulation. If you do that, then you lose your edge, and that is a national security concern for the American people.”
— House Speaker Mike Johnson, quoted by the Washington Sun, on calls to regulate artificial intelligence.
Mitch McConnell Expected to Return to Senate This Week
“GOP lawmakers believe Sen. Mitch McConnell will return to the Capitol this week, ending a three-month health-related absence,” Politico reports.
“McConnell’s office is keeping silent about the 84-year-old former Republican leader’s intentions since disclosing last month that he had returned home following weeks in the hospital and rehab. But expectations about a return to the Senate have grown among fellow Kentucky Republicans and his GOP colleagues in the Senate.”
Al Green to Force House Vote to Impeach Trump
“Longtime Rep. Al Green (D-TX) announced on Monday that he intends to force a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump, citing federal immigration officers’ killing of two U.S. citizens earlier this year,” Fox News reports.
Impeachment may be more useful to Trump than to Democrats right now. A failed vote lets him portray himself as under siege again.
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U.S. Has Put ‘Space Control Weapons’ in Orbit
“The U.S. military has deployed weapons into orbit, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday, publicly acknowledging a capability in space that the Pentagon had kept largely secret,” the Washington Sun reports.
Said Meink: “Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary actions.”
Trump Shows Why AI Regulation Is Dead for Now
Punchbowl News: “Trump might be putting a damper not just on congressional talks but on his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. The two global leaders were due to talk about AI, and some AI safety leaders have pinned their hopes on international agreement starting there, not just regulation in one economy.”
“For what it’s worth, Vice President JD Vance said today that regulation should come as a result of ‘a consensus between both Congress and the administration.'”
“If there’s any chance Congress will enact comprehensive AI regulation, it will require presidential leadership. And clearly Trump doesn’t believe there’s any role for lawmakers in the AI department.”
JD Vance to Campaign in Kansas
“Vice President JD Vance is beginning the final stretch of his midterm campaigning with a trip to red America,” the New York Times reports.
“On the heels of his party’s unusual midterm convention, Mr. Vance, who is one of Republicans’ most valuable surrogates, is deploying to the Kansas City area on Monday to campaign alongside Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, a Republican.”
“Mr. Vance’s visit could suggest that Republicans are worried about yet another state that President Trump won in 2024, as the party steels itself for tougher-than-expected Senate races in places like Texas, Iowa and Ohio.”
MS NOW: Where is JD Vance 50 days from Election Day? Ruby-red Kansas.
If Vance is spending precious time in Kansas, the GOP’s definition of a safe state may be changing.
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