Happy Tuesday! Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, the past week’s top stories from the intersection of technology and politics.
Trump’s AI obsession
Donald Trump is once again trying to resuscitate one of his more unpopular proposals. The president announced Monday that he will sign an executive order to prohibit states from regulating artificial intelligence tools, after failing twice – including just last week – to attach such a ban to federal legislation. It seems Trump really wants to insulate Big Tech companies – many of which are led by people who have showered him with money and gifts.
It’s worth noting, however, that it’s highly questionable whether such an executive order is even legal or enforceable. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is already saying that Trump’s impending order can’t stop states from passing their own laws.
Read more at USA Today.
ICEBlock creator fights back
The creator of ICEBlock, an app used to help track U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity amid Trump’s racist anti-immigration crackdown, is suing the Trump administration after the Justice Department pressured Apple to remove ICEBlock from its app store. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that such apps endanger law enforcement officers, though no evidence has been provided to support that claim.
Read more at NBC News.
Cities seek surveillance partners
A new report from Truthout warns that city leaders in Nashville, Tennessee, are leveraging a local nonprofit to build a powerful infrastructure for police surveillance, adding to a disturbing trend of cities relying on private — and often controversial —entities for such efforts.
Read more at Truthout.
The mad men of Palantir
I just wrote about how recent public outbursts have revealed the violent, hypermasculine ethos that appears to be the driving force behind the founders of Palantir, a tech company that’s aiding Trump’s anti-immigration agenda.
Read more at MS NOW.
Trump lets China dip into the U.S. chip supply
Trump announced Monday that his administration is reversing course on a Biden-era policy restricting sales of powerful computer chips to China. Citing national security concerns, the Biden administration had restricted companies’ ability to sell the chips, which are used to construct artificial intelligence tools. Rush Doshi, who served on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council, warned that the reversal stands to “increase the odds the world runs on Chinese AI.”
Conservative cash clash
Pro-Trump influencer Alex Bruesewitz is teaming up with a pro-Trump online marketplace to launch a digital fundraising platform called Impact that will compete with WinRed, a fundraising platform that helps raise money for conservative candidates and causes.
Read more at Axios.
DHS launches site to help its spin
The Department of Homeland Security has launched a website purportedly targeting the “worst of the worst” immigrants, in response to data showing that many of the people swept up in the Trump administration’s crackdown had no criminal record when arrested.
Read more at Louisiana’s WWL-TV.
Epstein’s Silicon Valley allies
Years after he pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution, the late financier Jeffrey Epstein exchanged disturbing ideas about society with AI researchers known to promote racist pseudoscience and eugenics, according to emails turned over to the House Oversight Committee.
Read more at MS NOW.
Hegseth’s AI announcement
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans for the Defense Department to team up with Google on an AI-based platform that will be used by its employees.
“At the click of a button, AI models on GenAI can be utilized to conduct deep research, format documents and even analyze video or imagery at unprecedented speed,” Hegseth said in a video posted Tuesday.
The announcement comes as Hegseth and the Trump administration defend themselves against allegations that the U.S.’ bombings of alleged drug boats off the coast of South America constitute war crimes.
