While President Trump demands a single national framework on AI policy, states are going their own way with hundreds of proposals aimed at setting guardrails for how the technology is used in health care.
Why it matters: That could set up a clash over who determines how AI models and systems can be deployed in insurer reviews, mental health treatment and chatbots that interact with patients.
Joy Reid, whose MSNBC show "The ReidOut" was canceled earlier this year, says leaving corporate media has been "liberating," allowing her to express her voice fully.
Why it matters: Reid is part of a growing wave of Black journalists — from Roland Martin and Jemele Hill to Don Lemon and Tiffany Cross —each creating independent media platforms when pushed out of mainstream media in high-profile clashes over voice, culture or politics.
Who even needs an office bestie anymore? Professionals are increasingly turning to chatbots, instead of humans, for mentorship, advice, chitchat and brainstorming.
Why it matters: The rise of remote work radically shifted how people interact. Now AI, while increasing productivity, is pushing that disruption further.
Wall Street's AI hopium is turning to discernment, with investors punishing Oracle and Broadcom for less-than-stellar earnings this week, bringing Nvidia down alongside them.
Why it matters: It represents a shift in the AI investment thesis: Investors are set to reward efficiency, not spending, in 2026. That could be a big problem for Nvidia, which benefits from record spending from a handful of Big Tech customers.
Oracle missed its quarterly revenue, pushing its bond yields to their highest levels of the year, a sign that investors are demanding greater compensation for the risk of holding its debt.
Why it matters: The spotlight is on Oracle, but the market move underscores a broader shift in how tech giants are perceived: from huge cash generators to companies making enormous AI bets using debt.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Axios that she's betting big on AI as a fix for American classrooms as she carries out President Trump's directive to dismantle her department.
Why it matters: McMahon said she sees AI as a useful tool to both return control of education to the states and engage students, arguing she's already seen evidence that it works.
President Trump says he pardoned Colorado's former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters for her "attempts to expose Voter Fraud" in the 2020 presidential election in a Truth Social post Thursday evening.
The big picture: Trump has been vocal about his intentions to free Peters — one of the nation's most prominent 2020 election deniers — from her prison sentence, despite having no jurisdiction over state-level cases.
