Exclusive: Trump-y IRA ad push targets six GOP senators
Why it matters: The $1.5 million buy — details of which were shared exclusively with Axios — expands the new coalition Built for America's Trump-focused campaign to defend the IRA on MAGA grounds.
Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of incentives are at stake in the Capitol Hill budget fight — and the outcome will steer the pace of low-carbon energy deployment for years.
Driving the news: The group hopes to sway GOP Sens. Todd Young (Ind.), Dave McCormick (Pa.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), John Cornyn (Texas), Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (Idaho), and Thom Tillis (N.C.).
The ads tailored to each state say "Trump country is booming" and tout manufacturing and thousands of jobs, then urge the senators to "keep what works."
They're running on outlets like Fox, Newsmax, Truth Social, conservative talk radio, state newspapers and more.
State of play: The tax-writing Senate Finance Committee released its proposal Monday.
It's softer than the House GOP plan for several technologies, including geothermal and CO2 capture. But it would still greatly restrict IRA credits overall.
Built for America sees the Senate bill as a step forward, but with more work to be done. And tough negotiations loom with the House.
Tillis told reporters he's generally satisfied with the text.
Catch up quick: Built for America launched this month with a $2 million, Trump-focused buy that's similarly focused on conservative media.
It's not disclosing donors, but backers include players in nuclear, carbon capture, hydrogen, critical minerals, storage and more, it said.
The executive director is Mitch Carmichael, a Republican who previously served as West Virginia's lieutenant governor and economic development secretary.
Friction point: Another new ad aimed at Trump and lawmakers says that "President Trump has China on the ropes" as manufacturing comes home. "Now, let's finish the job," it says.
Zoom out: It's part of wider ad and lobbying campaigns to thwart the House-passed plan.
What we're watching: Carmichael is in D.C. Tuesday for meetings with high-level Trump 2.0 officials.
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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise on US-Japan deal hopes, with Tesla and Google on deck
US stock futures popped on Wednesday after the US struck a trade deal with Japan, lifting hopes for further tariff pacts as Wall Street got ready for Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG) earnings. Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) rose roughly 0.5%, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) moved up 0.4%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) nudged up 0.2%, following a mixed day for stocks. The new pact places a 15% tariff on imports from Japan, President Trump said — a step down from the threatened 25% duties set to hit next week. For its part, Tokyo will make $550 billion in US investment. "It's a great deal for everybody," Trump said late Tuesday. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs The major-partner breakthrough lifted optimism that more trade deals will be sealed before Aug. 1, when Trump's sweeping tariffs kick in, even as negotiations with the European Union, India, and other large partners have dragged of late. Economists believe that if tariffs then average out at 15%, that would be manageable for the global economy, limiting damage. The deal's confidence boost for markets after months of tariff uncertainty is likely to fuel this week's record-setting run in the S&P 500 (^GSPC), which eked out another all-time closing high on Tuesday. But the rally faces a big test in Google-parent Alphabet and Tesla's earnings due after the bell, the first of the "Magnificent Seven" to report. Tesla CEO Elon Musk's rocky relationship with Trump is looming large over the EV maker's earnings. With its stock down nearly 18% year-to-date, investors are watching for updates on the company's core auto business and its robotaxi rollout. With Alphabet, investors are looking for signs that AI investments are starting to pay off as the company pours billions into the technology. A federal judge's decision that could force the company to sell Google Chrome will also be in focus. Read more: Full earnings coverage in our live blog Meanwhile, investors will scour Wednesday's flurry of quarterly earnings for more insight into how Corporate America is coping with tariffs, after Texas Instruments' (TXN) soft guidance fed fears. Highlights on the docket include Chipotle (CMG), AT&T (T), IBM (IBM), and Alaska Air (ALK). AT&T subscribers surge, but the stock is sliding premarket AT&T (T) stock fell over 3% in premarket trading despite the telecom provider reporting a huge subscriber beat. Reuters reports: Read more here. How the dropping dollar could scramble Trump's agenda President Trump has said he is "never going to let the dollar slide." But his agenda is making that complicated, Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reports: Read more here. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: MBA mortgage applications (July 18); Existing home sales (June) Earnings: Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Tesla (TSLA), Chipotle (CMG), Alaska Airlines (ALK), AT&T (T), Fiserv (FI), Freeport-McMoran (FCX), GE Vernova (GEV), General Dynamics (GD), Hasbro (HAS), IBM (IBM), O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), QuantumScape (QS) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: AT&T stock slides despite subscriber surge; Tesla, Google on deck Trump gets Japan deal, but EU digs in with $100B response How the dollar's drop could scramble Trump's agenda Trump to launch hands-off 'action plan' to win AI race Google earnings on deck: AI results wanted, not just hype The protein boom is only beginning Krispy Kreme, GoPro jump as meme stock rally continues AT&T beats profit estimates as bundled plans boost subscribers Hilton lifts 2025 profit forecast on US demand recovery The protein boom is only beginning Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Enphase stock slides on warning of hit from Trump policies Shares in Enphase Energy (ENPH) fell after its third quarter revenue forecast fell short, as the US solar company pointed to headwinds from President Trump's policies. The solar equipment maker said Trump's import tariffs had hit its gross margin, after the US in April finalized steep duties on solar cells from Southeast Asia. At the same time, Enphase faces the fallout from Trump's cuts to tax incentives in the renewable energy sector. It said it expects the US residential solar market to shrink 20% next year as tax credits for homeowners end under Trump's sweeping budget legislation. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Trending tickers: Krispy Kreme, GoPro and Constellation Energy Corporation Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Krispy Kreme (DNUT)`stock rose 22% before the bell boosted by their names trending on social media a day after retail traders snapped up Kohl's (KSS) shares. Camera maker GoPro (GPRO) shares rose 43%, per Reuters short interest in the stock recently stood at 7.7%. Investor interest in heavily shorted stocks has grown after Kohl's jumped 38% on Tuesday amid heavy retail buying. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) stock rose 4% premarket after PJM Interconnection released results from its 2026-2027 capacity auction. The grid operator set record prices at $329.17 per megawatt-day, raising total capacity costs to $16.1 billion from $14.7 billion last year. Tesla Q2 earnings preview: 3 things to watch Tesla (TSLA) is slated to report second quarter earnings on Wednesday against an uncertain backdrop for its core auto business and robotaxi rollout. Tesla stock pared some of its losses earlier in the year, as tariffs and a volatile relationship between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump weighed on the company. But the stock is still down about 17% year to date. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian previews three key areas to watch when the EV maker reports: Read more here. Meme stocks are on the move again The return of meme stock mania doesn't appear like it will end on Wednesday. Some of the highest-trending ticker pages on Yahoo Finance this morning are meme crowd favorites Kohl's (KSS), Rocket (RKT), and Krispy Kreme (DNUT). As of 6 a.m. ET, Rocket and Krispy Kreme are each up double-digit percentages in premarket. "The phenomenon of meme stocks isn't going away. I feel like the genie's out of the bottle. And it's just become a way for a certain subset of everyday investors to trade, and that's completely fine," Ritholtz Wealth Management strategist Callie Cox said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (watch below). Makes sense! Texas Instruments stock plunges as guidance disappoints Given how hard the stock market has rallied, any company reporting guidance that is perceived as subpar will get punished. A good example of that will play out with Texas Instruments (TXN) in today's session. The stock is getting pounded premarket, down 12% after third quarter guidance on earnings per share that was 14 cents below consensus on the low end. TXN blamed weak demand in the auto market (heard the same in GM's (GM) outlook on Tuesday). Executives at the key chipmaker for producers of cars and factory equipment said they didn't know how much of the second quarter's jump in revenue was down to customers trying to get ahead of tariffs, per Reuters. Whatever the case, TXN's outlook is putting pressure on similar names in the space: Microchip (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and On Semi (ON). Japanese auto stocks surge as US announces lower-than-expected tariffs Shares of Japanese automakers pumped after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, lowering the previously discussed 25% auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15%. Honda (HMC) surged 9.8%, Toyota (TM) jumped 13.9%, Nissan (7222.T) gained over 5%, and Mazda (7261.T) soared 17.7%. Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) rose over 12%. According to Japan's NHK, the revised tariff structure includes a 12.5% cut plus a 2.5% 'Most Favored Nation' base rate. The move comes as Japanese auto exports to the US have suffered, plunging 26.7% in June. Trump hailed the deal as the 'largest Deal ever,' claiming Japan would invest $550 billion in the US and allow greater access to its markets, including for American autos, trucks, and agricultural goods. Trending tickers in after-hours trading Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN) Texas Instruments, a leading chipmaker with the broadest product list in the field, saw its share value drop over 11.6% in after-hours trading. The stock has seen 46% gains in the year to date following a boom in purchases with each wave of tariff announcements. The rapid cooling-off occurred when the executive team announced they were unaware how much of the increase in revenue had been dependent on consumers attempting to circumvent the hike in prices from Trump's tariffs. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) Solar equipment provider Enphase Energy saw a drop of over 7.2% in the company's stock value in extended trading. With 5% of the market share in the solar equipment field Enphase acts as an early indicator for the impact that Trump's removal of tax credits will have upon the industry. Enphase are pointing towards a 20% drop in the residential market. Read more here. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Shares in semiconductor maker Analog Devices saw a drop of over 4.1% after-hours, erasing gains from the month so far. The company specializes in chips that convert real world input into electrical signals, processing sound, light, temperature, pressure and motion. Investors have been eyeing ADI's earnings reports, still not due for another month. AT&T subscribers surge, but the stock is sliding premarket AT&T (T) stock fell over 3% in premarket trading despite the telecom provider reporting a huge subscriber beat. Reuters reports: Read more here. AT&T (T) stock fell over 3% in premarket trading despite the telecom provider reporting a huge subscriber beat. Reuters reports: Read more here. How the dropping dollar could scramble Trump's agenda President Trump has said he is "never going to let the dollar slide." But his agenda is making that complicated, Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reports: Read more here. President Trump has said he is "never going to let the dollar slide." But his agenda is making that complicated, Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reports: Read more here. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: MBA mortgage applications (July 18); Existing home sales (June) Earnings: Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Tesla (TSLA), Chipotle (CMG), Alaska Airlines (ALK), AT&T (T), Fiserv (FI), Freeport-McMoran (FCX), GE Vernova (GEV), General Dynamics (GD), Hasbro (HAS), IBM (IBM), O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), QuantumScape (QS) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: AT&T stock slides despite subscriber surge; Tesla, Google on deck Trump gets Japan deal, but EU digs in with $100B response How the dollar's drop could scramble Trump's agenda Trump to launch hands-off 'action plan' to win AI race Google earnings on deck: AI results wanted, not just hype The protein boom is only beginning Krispy Kreme, GoPro jump as meme stock rally continues AT&T beats profit estimates as bundled plans boost subscribers Hilton lifts 2025 profit forecast on US demand recovery Economic data: MBA mortgage applications (July 18); Existing home sales (June) Earnings: Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Tesla (TSLA), Chipotle (CMG), Alaska Airlines (ALK), AT&T (T), Fiserv (FI), Freeport-McMoran (FCX), GE Vernova (GEV), General Dynamics (GD), Hasbro (HAS), IBM (IBM), O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), QuantumScape (QS) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: AT&T stock slides despite subscriber surge; Tesla, Google on deck Trump gets Japan deal, but EU digs in with $100B response How the dollar's drop could scramble Trump's agenda Trump to launch hands-off 'action plan' to win AI race Google earnings on deck: AI results wanted, not just hype The protein boom is only beginning Krispy Kreme, GoPro jump as meme stock rally continues AT&T beats profit estimates as bundled plans boost subscribers Hilton lifts 2025 profit forecast on US demand recovery The protein boom is only beginning Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Enphase stock slides on warning of hit from Trump policies Shares in Enphase Energy (ENPH) fell after its third quarter revenue forecast fell short, as the US solar company pointed to headwinds from President Trump's policies. The solar equipment maker said Trump's import tariffs had hit its gross margin, after the US in April finalized steep duties on solar cells from Southeast Asia. At the same time, Enphase faces the fallout from Trump's cuts to tax incentives in the renewable energy sector. It said it expects the US residential solar market to shrink 20% next year as tax credits for homeowners end under Trump's sweeping budget legislation. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Shares in Enphase Energy (ENPH) fell after its third quarter revenue forecast fell short, as the US solar company pointed to headwinds from President Trump's policies. The solar equipment maker said Trump's import tariffs had hit its gross margin, after the US in April finalized steep duties on solar cells from Southeast Asia. At the same time, Enphase faces the fallout from Trump's cuts to tax incentives in the renewable energy sector. It said it expects the US residential solar market to shrink 20% next year as tax credits for homeowners end under Trump's sweeping budget legislation. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Trending tickers: Krispy Kreme, GoPro and Constellation Energy Corporation Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Krispy Kreme (DNUT)`stock rose 22% before the bell boosted by their names trending on social media a day after retail traders snapped up Kohl's (KSS) shares. Camera maker GoPro (GPRO) shares rose 43%, per Reuters short interest in the stock recently stood at 7.7%. Investor interest in heavily shorted stocks has grown after Kohl's jumped 38% on Tuesday amid heavy retail buying. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) stock rose 4% premarket after PJM Interconnection released results from its 2026-2027 capacity auction. The grid operator set record prices at $329.17 per megawatt-day, raising total capacity costs to $16.1 billion from $14.7 billion last year. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Krispy Kreme (DNUT)`stock rose 22% before the bell boosted by their names trending on social media a day after retail traders snapped up Kohl's (KSS) shares. Camera maker GoPro (GPRO) shares rose 43%, per Reuters short interest in the stock recently stood at 7.7%. Investor interest in heavily shorted stocks has grown after Kohl's jumped 38% on Tuesday amid heavy retail buying. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) stock rose 4% premarket after PJM Interconnection released results from its 2026-2027 capacity auction. The grid operator set record prices at $329.17 per megawatt-day, raising total capacity costs to $16.1 billion from $14.7 billion last year. Tesla Q2 earnings preview: 3 things to watch Tesla (TSLA) is slated to report second quarter earnings on Wednesday against an uncertain backdrop for its core auto business and robotaxi rollout. Tesla stock pared some of its losses earlier in the year, as tariffs and a volatile relationship between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump weighed on the company. But the stock is still down about 17% year to date. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian previews three key areas to watch when the EV maker reports: Read more here. Tesla (TSLA) is slated to report second quarter earnings on Wednesday against an uncertain backdrop for its core auto business and robotaxi rollout. Tesla stock pared some of its losses earlier in the year, as tariffs and a volatile relationship between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump weighed on the company. But the stock is still down about 17% year to date. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian previews three key areas to watch when the EV maker reports: Read more here. Meme stocks are on the move again The return of meme stock mania doesn't appear like it will end on Wednesday. Some of the highest-trending ticker pages on Yahoo Finance this morning are meme crowd favorites Kohl's (KSS), Rocket (RKT), and Krispy Kreme (DNUT). As of 6 a.m. ET, Rocket and Krispy Kreme are each up double-digit percentages in premarket. "The phenomenon of meme stocks isn't going away. I feel like the genie's out of the bottle. And it's just become a way for a certain subset of everyday investors to trade, and that's completely fine," Ritholtz Wealth Management strategist Callie Cox said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (watch below). Makes sense! The return of meme stock mania doesn't appear like it will end on Wednesday. Some of the highest-trending ticker pages on Yahoo Finance this morning are meme crowd favorites Kohl's (KSS), Rocket (RKT), and Krispy Kreme (DNUT). As of 6 a.m. ET, Rocket and Krispy Kreme are each up double-digit percentages in premarket. "The phenomenon of meme stocks isn't going away. I feel like the genie's out of the bottle. And it's just become a way for a certain subset of everyday investors to trade, and that's completely fine," Ritholtz Wealth Management strategist Callie Cox said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (watch below). Makes sense! Texas Instruments stock plunges as guidance disappoints Given how hard the stock market has rallied, any company reporting guidance that is perceived as subpar will get punished. A good example of that will play out with Texas Instruments (TXN) in today's session. The stock is getting pounded premarket, down 12% after third quarter guidance on earnings per share that was 14 cents below consensus on the low end. TXN blamed weak demand in the auto market (heard the same in GM's (GM) outlook on Tuesday). Executives at the key chipmaker for producers of cars and factory equipment said they didn't know how much of the second quarter's jump in revenue was down to customers trying to get ahead of tariffs, per Reuters. Whatever the case, TXN's outlook is putting pressure on similar names in the space: Microchip (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and On Semi (ON). Given how hard the stock market has rallied, any company reporting guidance that is perceived as subpar will get punished. A good example of that will play out with Texas Instruments (TXN) in today's session. The stock is getting pounded premarket, down 12% after third quarter guidance on earnings per share that was 14 cents below consensus on the low end. TXN blamed weak demand in the auto market (heard the same in GM's (GM) outlook on Tuesday). Executives at the key chipmaker for producers of cars and factory equipment said they didn't know how much of the second quarter's jump in revenue was down to customers trying to get ahead of tariffs, per Reuters. Whatever the case, TXN's outlook is putting pressure on similar names in the space: Microchip (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and On Semi (ON). Japanese auto stocks surge as US announces lower-than-expected tariffs Shares of Japanese automakers pumped after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, lowering the previously discussed 25% auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15%. Honda (HMC) surged 9.8%, Toyota (TM) jumped 13.9%, Nissan (7222.T) gained over 5%, and Mazda (7261.T) soared 17.7%. Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) rose over 12%. According to Japan's NHK, the revised tariff structure includes a 12.5% cut plus a 2.5% 'Most Favored Nation' base rate. The move comes as Japanese auto exports to the US have suffered, plunging 26.7% in June. Trump hailed the deal as the 'largest Deal ever,' claiming Japan would invest $550 billion in the US and allow greater access to its markets, including for American autos, trucks, and agricultural goods. Shares of Japanese automakers pumped after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, lowering the previously discussed 25% auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15%. Honda (HMC) surged 9.8%, Toyota (TM) jumped 13.9%, Nissan (7222.T) gained over 5%, and Mazda (7261.T) soared 17.7%. Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) rose over 12%. According to Japan's NHK, the revised tariff structure includes a 12.5% cut plus a 2.5% 'Most Favored Nation' base rate. The move comes as Japanese auto exports to the US have suffered, plunging 26.7% in June. Trump hailed the deal as the 'largest Deal ever,' claiming Japan would invest $550 billion in the US and allow greater access to its markets, including for American autos, trucks, and agricultural goods. Trending tickers in after-hours trading Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN) Texas Instruments, a leading chipmaker with the broadest product list in the field, saw its share value drop over 11.6% in after-hours trading. The stock has seen 46% gains in the year to date following a boom in purchases with each wave of tariff announcements. The rapid cooling-off occurred when the executive team announced they were unaware how much of the increase in revenue had been dependent on consumers attempting to circumvent the hike in prices from Trump's tariffs. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) Solar equipment provider Enphase Energy saw a drop of over 7.2% in the company's stock value in extended trading. With 5% of the market share in the solar equipment field Enphase acts as an early indicator for the impact that Trump's removal of tax credits will have upon the industry. Enphase are pointing towards a 20% drop in the residential market. Read more here. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Shares in semiconductor maker Analog Devices saw a drop of over 4.1% after-hours, erasing gains from the month so far. The company specializes in chips that convert real world input into electrical signals, processing sound, light, temperature, pressure and motion. Investors have been eyeing ADI's earnings reports, still not due for another month. Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN) Texas Instruments, a leading chipmaker with the broadest product list in the field, saw its share value drop over 11.6% in after-hours trading. The stock has seen 46% gains in the year to date following a boom in purchases with each wave of tariff announcements. The rapid cooling-off occurred when the executive team announced they were unaware how much of the increase in revenue had been dependent on consumers attempting to circumvent the hike in prices from Trump's tariffs. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) Solar equipment provider Enphase Energy saw a drop of over 7.2% in the company's stock value in extended trading. With 5% of the market share in the solar equipment field Enphase acts as an early indicator for the impact that Trump's removal of tax credits will have upon the industry. Enphase are pointing towards a 20% drop in the residential market. Read more here. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Shares in semiconductor maker Analog Devices saw a drop of over 4.1% after-hours, erasing gains from the month so far. The company specializes in chips that convert real world input into electrical signals, processing sound, light, temperature, pressure and motion. Investors have been eyeing ADI's earnings reports, still not due for another month.
Los Angeles Times
19 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Palestinians' ‘right to self-determination' needs to be considered too
To the editor: Guest contributor Mark Brilliant makes his opinions clear but fails to convince ('Anti-Zionism is antisemitism — university leaders settle the question,' July 21). His assertion regarding the House testimony ignores how the Trump administration has punished students and researchers at schools that failed to toe its line. Brilliant claims anti-Zionism is 'denying to the Jewish people the right to self-determination.' Here is the question he should ask: Is Zionism a denial of the Palestinians' right to self-determination? Further, were the Palestinian people treated fairly by the partition of their land? Should we continue to support Israel's 70 years of gradual seizure of more Palestinian land in the West Bank, its intention in the long run to prevent the Palestinians from ever having a state of their own and the violence that has ensued as both side's extremists fight for their 'rights'? Is the revulsion many of us feel about how Israel is slaughtering civilians in Gaza 'anti-Zionism' or human decency? Few Americans question Israel's right to exist, but many question the senseless violence of its government in response to the senseless violence of Hamas. Michael Snare, San Diego .. To the editor: Brilliant takes an affirmative response to a gotcha question ('Is denying the Jewish people their rights to self-determination … antisemitism? Yes or no?') and leaps to his desired conclusion: that the university officials agreed that anti-Zionism is antisemitic. But he is wrong when he says that the Jewish right to self-determination is the textbook definition of Zionism. In fact, Zionism is the movement to establish a Jewish state in biblical Israel. I believe everyone has a right to self-determination, so I might have answered the gotcha question affirmatively too. But no one has the 'right' to occupy land where others live just as no one has a right to seize homes and orchards, to tell people where they must live and that they can't leave or to deny others their right to self-determination by basing democratic rights such as the right to vote or the right to travel on one's ethnicity. And, of course, no one has a 'right' to bomb hospitals and starve children. It is not antisemitic of me to say so. Clyde Leland, Berkeley .. To the editor: In response to Brilliant's op-ed that equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, I would like to point out that people who criticize Zionism probably don't object to Jewish rights to self-determination or statehood. The problem is real estate. The Bible may have promised the land of Israel to the Jews, but if you look at things from a strictly historical perspective, a lot more non-Jews have lived on the land in question than Jews. Many of the people who established the state of Israel came from Europe (for admittedly good reasons) and pushed the native Arab population into refugee camps where it's lived for the last 70-odd years. Now government officials in Israel and the U.S. are talking openly about completely removing this population. That's ethnic cleansing, and as uncomfortable as it is for many to admit, it's hard to see that ethnic cleansing is not intrinsic to Zionism. You can't establish a Jewish state in a place where other people already live without kicking those people out. That's what people don't like about Zionism. If you could take away the mandatory Arab eviction part, I don't think anybody would have a problem with it. William Griffith, Oxnard
Chicago Tribune
19 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
From tech podcasts to policy: President Donald Trump's new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley industry 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 Donald Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign. Trump on Wednesday is planning to reveal an 'AI Action Plan' he ordered after returning to the White House in January. He gave his tech advisers six months to come up with new AI policies after revoking President Joe Biden's signature AI guardrails on his first day in office. The unveiling is co-hosted by the bipartisan Hill and Valley Forum and the All-In Podcast, a business and technology show hosted by four tech investors and entrepreneurs who include Trump's AI czar, David Sacks. The plan and related executive orders are expected to include some familiar tech lobby pitches. That includes 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. Countering the liberal bias they see in AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Google's Gemini has long been a rallying point for the tech industry's loudest Trump backers. 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. 'The AI's incapable of giving you accurate answers because it's been so programmed with diversity and inclusion,' Sacks said at the time. 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 administration's latest push against 'woke AI' comes a week after the Pentagon announced new $200 million contracts with four leading AI companies, including Google, to address 'critical national security challenges.' Also receiving one of the contracts was Musk's xAI, which has been pitched as an alternative to 'woke AI' companies. The company has faced its own challenges: Earlier this month, xAI had to scramble to remove posts made by its Grok chatbot that made antisemitic comments and praised Adolf Hitler. Trump has paired AI's need for huge amounts of electricity with his own push to tap into U.S. energy sources, including gas, coal and nuclear. 'Everything we aspire to and hope for means the demand and supply of energy in America has to go up,' said Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a video posted Tuesday. Many tech giants are already well on their way toward building new data centers in the U.S. and around the world. OpenAI announced this week that it has switched on the first phase of a massive data center complex in Abilene, Texas, part of an Oracle-backed project known as Stargate that Trump promoted earlier this year. Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and xAI also have major projects underway. The tech industry has pushed for easier permitting rules to get their computing facilities connected to power, but the AI building boom has also contributed to spiking demand for fossil fuel production that will contribute to global warming. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on the world's major tech firms to power data centers completely with renewables by 2030. 'A typical AI data center eats up as much electricity as 100,000 homes,' Guterres said. 'By 2030, data centers could consume as much electricity as all of Japan does today.' It's long been White House policy under Republican and Democratic administrations to curtail certain technology exports to China and other adversaries on national security grounds. But much of the tech industry argued that Biden went too far at the end of his term in trying to restrict the exports of specialized AI computer chips to more than 100 other countries, including close allies. Part of the Biden administration's motivation was to stop China from acquiring coveted AI chips in third-party locations such as Southeast Asia or the Middle East, but critics said the measures would end up encouraging more countries to turn to China's fast-growing AI industry instead of the U.S. as their technology supplier. It remains to be seen how the Trump administration aims to accelerate the export of U.S.-made AI technologies while countering China's AI ambitions. California chipmakers Nvidia and AMD both announced last week that they won approval from the Trump administration to sell to China some of their advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence. AMD CEO Lisa Su is among the guests planning to attend Trump's event Wednesday. There are sharp debates on how to regulate AI, even among the influential venture capitalists who have been debating it on their favorite medium: the podcast. While some Trump backers, particularly Andreessen, have advocated an 'accelerationist' approach that aims to speed up AI advancement with minimal regulation, Sacks has described himself as taking a middle road of techno-realism. 'Technology is going to happen. Trying to stop it is like ordering the tides to stop. If we don't do it, somebody else will,' Sacks said on the All-In podcast. 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 in a call with reporters Tuesday. She said Americans should reject the White House's argument that the industry is overregulated and fight to preserve 'baseline protections for the public' as AI technology advances.
