Axios

American Priorities, which has devoted itself to countering the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, is preparing to challenge nine House Democrats in 2028, the group told Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: The super PAC helped power the primary victories of democratic socialists and progressives across the country, including New York's Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert denies allegations she had sexual relationships with three congressional staffers she supervised, calling recent claims from an anti-Boebert group whose super PAC terminated last year "filthy garbage."

The latest: David Wheeler, who leads American Muckrakers, sent a sworn complaint to the House Ethics Committee on Sept. 17, but committee rules bar it from being accepted within 60 days of an election.

Ryan Baasch, a White House AI adviser and top deputy to National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, is leaving the White House for a private-sector job.

Why it matters: Baasch served as an aide to former AI and crypto czar David Sacks and played a lead tech policy role at the National Economic Council under Hassett.

Zoom in: The council touches the major pillars of the U.S. economy — tax, finance, banking, technology, competition policy, agriculture, energy, housing, infrastructure, transportation, economic security, foreign investments and export controls.

• Under Sacks, Baasch played a critical role devising the White House's National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.
• He worked closely with the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, and across the federal government to advance President Trump's priorities on consumer protection and competition policy.
• Baasch leaves his official posts — Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council — at the end of the month.

Zoom out: Baasch's departure follows numerous others in the administration as Trump faces his final midterm and last two years in office.

What they're saying: Sacks called Baasch "a generational talent" who "has been instrumental in delivering on President Trump's plans for American AI dominance."

• "I'm confident he will continue to be an absolute rock star in his next endeavor," Sacks said.
• Hassett praised his "deep well of legal experience in the area of technology policy" and said he's "been an invaluable asset to the President and the NEC team since the beginning of this administration. From space policy to spectrum to antitrust, there is hardly any area that hasn't been touched by his steady hands."

Executives from leading artificial intelligence organizations urged global cooperation Wednesday to address risks from increasingly autonomous AI systems during a UN Security Council meeting.

The big picture: AI capabilities are advancing faster than governments are developing safeguards, raising concerns about whether humans can maintain control over increasingly autonomous systems.

President Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami later this year.

Why it matters: If Putin accepts, it would be his first visit to the lower 48 states since 2015.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he doesn't believe President Trump is "really dug in" against guardrails for AI, despite Trump's public campaign against restricting the technology.

Why it matters: Thune told Axios he spoke privately with Trump as the AI issue was getting "pretty hot" a few weeks ago and believes some of Trump's strong pushback is against public "paranoia and noise around the subject."

The left's push to rein in AI is taking shape on two fronts: slowing advanced development at home, and weakening China's progress abroad.

Why it matters: The nation is locked in a moment of mass anxiety about runaway AI, but the range of views on how to regulate it are as varied as the what-ifs about social, economic and security impacts.

Senate races in Georgia, Kansas and South Carolina were reclassified with a nudge toward Democrats in the latest analysis from the closely watched Cook Political Report.

The big picture: To win the Senate, Democrats must net four seats in November.

• Tighter races in Republican strongholds like Kansas and South Carolina could force the GOP to devote resources beyond the core battlegrounds.

Chicago could halt new data center development within city limits for a year.

Why it matters: Data centers' growing demand for electricity and water could affect residents' utility bills and the environment, and city leaders want more time to study those impacts.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian forcefully rejected President Trump's portrayal of Iran as a source of terrorism at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, insisting instead that Iranians are "victims of terrorism."

Why it matters: Pezeshkian used one of the world's biggest diplomatic stages to directly challenge Trump on U.S. soil — as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran rages on.