{"id":710,"date":"2026-07-06T09:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=710"},"modified":"2026-07-06T09:48:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:48:02","slug":"trump-puts-ai-industry-on-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=710","title":{"rendered":"Trump puts AI industry on edge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><i>With help from Cheyenne Haslett, Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Happy Friday!<\/b> This is <b>Brendan Bordelon<\/b>, POLITICO\u2019s AI and tech influence reporter, wishing everyone a happy Juneteenth from the nation\u2019s capital \u2014 and wondering whether I can convince my family that checking out the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CBSNews\/status\/2067733618596987032?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">reflecting pool drama<\/a> counts as a fun holiday weekend activity. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#3f5d5d504d5b5a5350517f4f5053564b565c50115c5052\" target=\"_blank\">Get in touch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>In today\u2019s Playbook \u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> The White House-Anthropic spat threatens bad blood between the industry and Washington.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> How Trump\u2019s Iran deal highlights the biggest blind spot of his second term.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span><b> The Boldfaces: Jason Kwon, Andy Jassy, JD Vance, Bill Pulte, Laura Swett, John Ratcliffe, Howard Lutnick, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jack Schlossberg<\/b> <i>and more.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>WAITING FOR A PROMPT:<\/b> Negotiations between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/18\/white-house-talks-with-anthropic-shift-to-setting-ai-security-rules-00967758\" target=\"_blank\">the White House and Anthropic<\/a> over the government blockade against the company\u2019s new artificial intelligence models slide into their <i>second<\/i> week today. And the tech industry is quietly freaking out.<\/p>\n<p><b>Last Friday\u2019s last-minute restrictions<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/13\/inside-the-whirlwind-24-hours-that-led-the-white-house-to-slap-export-controls-on-anthropic-00961519\" target=\"_blank\">against Anthropic\u2019s Fable and Mythos AI models<\/a> \u2014 supposedly over concerns that bad actors could overcome their cyber safeguards (<a href=\"https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/newsletter\/2026\/06\/unpacking-anthropics-fable-fallout-00581185\" target=\"_blank\">security experts are skeptical<\/a>) \u2014 forced the company to abruptly yank its new products from global markets.<\/p>\n<p><b>The move came just months<\/b> after a spat between Anthropic and the Pentagon prompted the government to label the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/03\/05\/pentagon-tells-anthropic-it-has-designated-the-company-a-supply-chain-risk-00814758\" target=\"_blank\">a supply chain risk<\/a>. And while spring brought a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/23\/trump-picked-a-fight-with-anthropic-now-the-administration-is-backing-off-00889241\" target=\"_blank\">thaw between the two sides<\/a> (thanks in part to federal agencies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/14\/anthropic-mythos-federal-agency-testing-00872439\" target=\"_blank\">skirting the restrictions<\/a> anyway), <i>this time feels different<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Industry advocates across Washington worry<\/b> the White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/15\/trumps-newest-fight-with-anthropic-00962858\" target=\"_blank\">seems intent on targeting Anthropic<\/a>, which voices in and around the Trump administration paint as hopelessly left-leaning.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cYou can\u2019t tell everyone that your product<\/b> might destroy the world and then not expect the government to be involved,\u201d one administration official told POLITICO\u2019s <b>Cheyenne Haslett<\/b> this week.<\/p>\n<p><b>And as the dispute drags into <i>week two<\/i>,<\/b> many fear the White House vendetta will harm the industry writ-large.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cI had assumed this episode <\/b>would just blow over as cooler heads figured out a path forward, as they did in February,\u201d <b>Ryan Fedasiuk<\/b>, a tech and national security researcher at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RyanFedasiuk\/status\/2067350468200718561?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">posted on X<\/a> Wednesday. But by \u201cdigging in their heels,\u201d he said parts of the Trump administration have become \u201cfar more safety-obsessed and anti-innovation\u201d than the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles0\">\n<p>Health plans are advocates for affordability, employing clinically guided professionals who use advanced technologies and data-driven insights to improve quality and lower costs. <a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645108603;451668945;q;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>The broader tech lobby is largely frozen <\/b>in a defensive crouch, hoping the issue will go away before it\u2019s forced to stick its neck out. But in background conversations this week, officials at AI companies and trade groups fretted the sudden sledgehammering of a top firm\u2019s product line could choke off new investments and chill US exports of the technology.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cThere are countries and foreign governments<\/b> and companies that want to be building on American tech,\u201d said one top lobbyist, granted anonymity to discuss the situation without attracting the White House\u2019s ire. \u201cBut they need reliability, and they need to trust that the software that they want to build on is going to be available and not be pulled out from under them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Tech lobbyists and company executives<\/b> are particularly worried the White House\u2019s newfound willingness to block foreigners from accessing cutting-edge AI will cause an industry-wide brain drain. That fear is palpable at OpenAI, Anthropic\u2019s industry arch-rival and one of many firms where foreign nationals make up a massive chunk of the research team.<\/p>\n<p><b>OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer<\/b> <b>Jason Kwon<\/b> told staff in a Slack message over the weekend that the company \u201cstrongly\u201d informed the U.S. government that developing advanced AI \u201crequires the best talent from around the world,\u201d according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/articles\/anthropic-ban-stirs-concerns-openai-beyond-crackdown-foreign-ai-talent?utm_campaign=Editorial&amp;utm_content=Article&amp;utm_medium=organic_social&amp;utm_source=bluesky%2Cthreads%2Ctwitter\" target=\"_blank\">report from The Information<\/a>. A person familiar with internal communications at OpenAI, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed the company raised concerns about attracting and retaining foreign talent with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p><b>Asked about the broader economic impact<\/b> of the restrictions this week, White House spokesperson <b>Kush Desai<\/b> told POLITICO the government is \u201ccollaborating with AI industry leaders to balance cutting-edge innovation with national security concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>One of the most chilling aspects <\/b>of the restrictions, at least from the industry\u2019s perspective, was how arbitrarily the White House deployed them.<\/p>\n<p><b>Despite an executive order<\/b> less than three weeks old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/trump-signs-downsized-ai-order-00946389\" target=\"_blank\">laying out a voluntary 30-day vetting process<\/a> for new AI models, the White House decision to block Anthropic was sparked by still-nebulous concerns from Amazon CEO <b>Andy Jassy<\/b>. And according to Anthropic, the company had 90 minutes to address them or face the government\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cIt is helpful to have predictability,<\/b> and when you have rules and guidelines, to know what the parameters are,\u201d the lobbyist told your author. \u201cAnd this seems to be a case where that wasn\u2019t what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>In a Thursday letter, <\/b>a bipartisan group of House lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/article\/2026\/06\/lawmakers-want-answers-from-commerce-on-anthropic-export-controls-00968444?site=pro&amp;prod=alert&amp;prodname=alertmail&amp;linktype=headline&amp;source=email\" target=\"_blank\">asked the administration<\/a> for clarity on the Anthropic restrictions \u2014 and whether other AI companies could be next.<\/p>\n<p><b>The ongoing chaos lit a fire <\/b>under Congress to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/white-houses-anthropic-move-jolts-congress-back-into-the-ai-debate-00964614?utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_source=dlvr.it\" target=\"_blank\">lay out clear guardrails<\/a> on cutting-edge AI. But the only viable vehicle so far \u2014 a bipartisan House proposal that would place safety and transparency rules on top AI companies \u2014 lacks administration support, and generally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/house-ai-deal-00951217\" target=\"_blank\">landed like a lead balloon<\/a> in Washington.<\/p>\n<p><b>It\u2019s not too late<\/b> for the White House or Capitol Hill to impose order, the lobbyist said, but \u201cthe longer anything like this continues, the bigger of a potential impact it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>And on the energy side of the AI debate<\/b>, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted unanimously yesterday to move toward cleaning up the giant mess keeping data centers off the power grid and frustrating American voters with rising utility bills. \u201cThis FERC is not the old sleepy agency that it has been in the past. We can\u2019t afford to be, and our country cannot afford for us to be,\u201d FERC Chair <b>Laura Swett<\/b> told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/18\/ferc-regulato-fight-data-center-connections-00968621\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Kelsey Tamborrino and Joel Kirkland<\/a> afterwards. \u201cWe are unified in protecting the American ratepayer.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--img-only  ad-slot\" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645250348;451668900;l;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"intext-ad__img\" align=\"ad-slot\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:500px\" width=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/35\/5c\/43e125da4fffa2efff7635312738\/cost-connection-politico-playbook-banners-500x125.png\" title=\"Advertisement Image\" alt=\"Advertisement Image\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>THE ART OF THE DEAL: <\/b>The next phase of U.S.-Iran negotiations could begin as soon as today, though the timing remains unclear, especially after Israel\u2019s military launched deadly strikes across Lebanon overnight, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-israel-lebanon-oil-june-19-2026-635ad6f41610df8355d24cc301a75fc4\" target=\"_blank\">per the AP<\/a>. VP <b>JD Vance <\/b>\u2014 whose high-profile role here <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/18\/vance-iran-negotiations-gamble-00967956\" target=\"_blank\">amounts to a high-stakes political dice roll<\/a> \u2014 said he may travel to Switzerland this weekend, but his departure was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ElizLanders\/status\/2067777723150250386?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">delayed as of last night<\/a>. The road ahead looks dicey, as both sides navigate secret proposals, including unwritten \u201cgentlemen\u2019s agreements,\u201d for implementation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/18\/politics\/secret-us-iran-proposals\" target=\"_blank\">CNN\u2019s Katie Bo Lillis and colleagues report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The step back: <\/b>Trump in his second term has suffered a significant blind spot in failing to see the strength of nationalism in other countries, from Iran to Canada, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2026\/06\/19\/trump-mistake-nationalism-brexit-column-00963265\">Alex Burns writes for the newly relaunched POLITICO Magazine today<\/a>: \u201cPerhaps most damaging to Trump, his expectation that he could decapitate Iran\u2019s leadership, blast the country into submission and install a compliant proxy \u2014 all without using ground troops \u2014 led to a monthslong stalemate that spiked energy prices and sapped the global economy. It should not surprise any nationalist leader that Iran\u2019s generals and clerics preferred months of American bombing over quick subjugation.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><b>Sticks and stones:<\/b> But Trump remains psychologically immune to the barrage of criticism he\u2019s received for the provisional peace deal: On the contrary, the war showed that \u201cthere are no limits\u201d to his power, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/18\/trump-iran-war-power-no-limits\">he told Axios\u2019 Marc Caputo<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>SPY GAMES: Bill Pulte <\/b>adds acting DNI to his resume today, taking the helm of the nation\u2019s intelligence apparatus that critics fear he\u2019ll weaponize. Trump maneuvered to ensure Pulte could take over so that he can execute mass firings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/im-the-president-and-youre-not-trump-tests-his-power-and-frustrates-the-gop-871732c9\" target=\"_blank\">WSJ\u2019s Brian Schwartz and colleagues report<\/a>. So there\u2019s no quick resolution in sight to Washington\u2019s gridlock over the role and FISA\u2019s Section 702. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/19\/trump-is-shaking-up-intel-leadership-his-cia-director-is-coming-out-on-top-00968684\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s John Sakellariadis writes<\/a> that it\u2019s CIA Director <b>John Ratcliffe<\/b> who could emerge with more power as a result of Pulte\u2019s ascension.<\/p>\n<p><b>BOOK CLUB: <\/b>Trump privately called Commerce Secretary <b>Howard Lutnick<\/b> a \u201cpussy\u201d after Lutnick pushed back on Trump\u2019s obsession with tariffs at the height of the \u201cLiberation Day\u201d chaos, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan write in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Regime-Change\/Maggie-Haberman\/9781668067246\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming book<\/a> \u201cRegime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump\u201d obtained by POLITICO\u2019s <b>Daniel Lippman<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c\u2018I remember when you were thirty-five,<\/b> you were a killer,\u201d Trump said, according to the book. \u201cAnd now, you\u2019ve got your beautiful wife, and your big house, and you\u2019re just soft. And you\u2019re a pussy. You know what you are? You\u2019re a pussy.\u2019\u201d But after billions of dollars of tariff revenue started getting paid to the government and fears of a financial crisis had gone away, Lutnick flipped Trump\u2019s critique on him and would tell Trump he was \u201cyour twenty-five-billion-dollar-a-month pussy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Asked about the incident,<\/b> the White House\u2019s Desai said in a statement: \u201cThe President has always sought the best and brightest individuals for his Administration, and Secretary Lutnick and President Trump continue to work closely together to deliver trillions of dollars in investments for the American people.\u201d A Commerce Department spokesperson declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>DISPATCH FROM CHICAGO:<\/b><\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2026\/06\/19\/obamas-unfinished-legacy-democrats-library-00968647\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Jonathan Martin was on hand<\/a> to take in the official opening of <b>Barack Obama\u2019s<\/b> Presidential Center yesterday, where <b>Joe Biden<\/b> jokingly stood behind the lectern after Obama spoke as if he too was going to make remarks \u2014 \u201can almost too-perfect metaphor for how Obama will be remembered, as much for what came after as his own presidency,\u201d JMart writes. But Obama also nodded to the next generation, with a host of potential 2028ers in the crowd to honor the former president, including <b>JB Pritzker, Rahm Emanuel, Pete Buttigieg, Mark Kelly, Josh Shapiro<\/b> and <b>Gavin Newsom<\/b>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/18\/obama-presidential-center-chicago-trump-00967699\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>More from POLITICO\u2019s Shia Kapos<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>WEAPONIZATION WATCH:<\/b><\/span> Newsom\u2019s orbit has been rattled by federal investigations, with staffers wondering about their legal exposure to the Trump administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/18\/newsom-orbit-war-trump-doj-00968115\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Melanie Mason and Jeremy White report<\/a>. Newsom world maintains the probes, whose nature remains unclear, are politicized dirt-digging. But they\u2019re gearing up for a fight.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>LISTEN TO THIS:<\/b><\/span> For \u201cThe Conversation\u201d this week, Dasha spoke with <b>Jack Schlossberg,<\/b> the grandson of JFK and Democratic candidate for New York\u2019s 12th District, whose online presence has become a defining part of his campaign. Has he ever regretted anything he\u2019s posted? \u201cNot once,\u201d he told Dasha. \u201cNever. No regrets.\u201d <b><i>Listen and subscribe on <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/democrats-need-to-stop-being-boring-with-jack-schlossberg\/id1111319839?i=1000773388164\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Apple<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> or <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/0tPlJedY3OphzLgKBpMnuk?si=R8KDe690Tvy3Je1-QLq5Sg\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Spotify<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--img-only  ad-slot\" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645023324;451668846;m;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"intext-ad__img\" align=\"ad-slot\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:500px\" width=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/6f\/ce\/b05f479f40d09c7b072afb49a288\/cost-connection-politico-playbook-banners-500x500.png\" title=\"Advertisement Image\" alt=\"Advertisement Image\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>1. <\/b><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>MAINE LINE:<\/b><\/span> The <b>Susan Collins<\/b>-aligned Pine Tree Results PAC is launching the next phase of a seven-figure general election ad campaign targeting Democrat <b>Graham Platner<\/b> in Maine. The ad is set to air statewide during today\u2019s U.S. Men\u2019s National Team World Cup match against Australia, Playbook\u2019s <b>Adam Wren<\/b> scoops, and accuses Platner of not respecting veterans and blaming \u201chis Nazi tattoo on military culture.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rK12ClvhIP0\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Watch it here<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>2. IMMIGRATION FILES: Kristi Noem\u2019s <\/b>warehouse plan for immigration detention is being quickly unwound, as DHS looks to jettison seven of the facilities it bought for more than $700 million, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/18\/us\/politics\/ice-warehouses-immigration.html\" target=\"_blank\">NYT\u2019s Hamed Aleaziz reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>3. DOWN TO A SCIENCE: <\/b>An HHS policy document provided scientific backup for expanded Medicaid work requirements. Just one problem, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/health-science\/hhs-mischaracterized-citations-medicaid-work-requirements\" target=\"_blank\">NOTUS\u2019 Margaret Manto and Emily Kennard report<\/a>: Some of the scientists whose research is cited say their work was spun, cherry-picked or misinterpreted, in \u201ca stark departure from the usual quality of work\u201d from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.<\/p>\n<p><b>4. ANTI-VAXX IN ACTION: <\/b>Defense Secretary <b>Pete Hegseth <\/b>ended mandatory flu shots for troops. Now a flu outbreak at an Air Force base in Texas has left almost 160 of them ill, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/18\/us\/flu-outbreak-air-force-base.html\" target=\"_blank\">NYT\u2019s Greg Jaffe and Maggie Haberman scooped<\/a>. One trainee died last week, though it\u2019s not clear if that was from the flu. The Air Force has since reinstated the requirement at this base.<\/p>\n<p><b>5. VALLEY TALK: <\/b>Meta proposed language to Congress that would shield the company from a wave of lawsuits claiming children were harmed by platforms like Instagram, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/meta-lobbies-congress-protection-child-harm-lawsuits-2026-06-18\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reuters\u2019 Jody Godoy scooped<\/a>. The company wants to get their liability provision included in the Kids Online Safety Act, which it would stop opposing in return. But the office of sponsor Sen. <b>Marsha Blackburn <\/b>(R-Tenn.) said they \u201cwould never consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>THE WEEKEND AHEAD<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>FRIDAY PROGRAMS \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>C-SPAN<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cCeasefire\u201d:<\/b> Jamil Jaffer and Daniel Baer \u2026 Kevin Walling and Alex Stroman.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>PBS<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cWashington Week\u201d: <\/b>Jonathan Karl, Karim Sadjadpour, David Sanger and Nancy Youssef.<\/p>\n<p><b>SUNDAY SO FAR \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>CNN<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cState of the Union,\u201d <\/b>with \u201cA Look at Fatherhood\u201d: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) \u2026 Mitt Romney \u2026 Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>MS NOW<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cPoliticsNation\u201d: <\/b>Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) \u2026 Evanston, Illinois, Mayor Daniel Biss \u2026 Valerie Jarrett.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>FOX<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cFox News Sunday\u201d: <\/b>Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) \u2026 Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). <b>Legal panel: <\/b>Tom Dupree and Jonathan Turley. <b>Panel: <\/b>Richard Fowler, Mary Katharine Ham and Tiffany Smiley.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>CBS<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cFace the Nation\u201d: <\/b>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) \u2026 Kevin Book \u2026 Amos Hochstein.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>NBC<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cMeet the Press\u201d: <\/b>Pete Buttigieg. <b>Panel: <\/b>Sara Fagen, Susan Glasser, Nia-Malika Henderson and Jeh Johnson.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>NewsNation<\/b><\/span><b> \u201cThe Hill Sunday\u201d: <\/b>Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.). <b>Panel: <\/b>Nicholas Wu, Kate Andrews and Julie Mason.<\/p>\n<p><b>THE MYSTERIOUS MISSING CONGRESSMAN \u2014 <\/b>Rep. <b>Tom Kean Jr. <\/b>(R-N.J.) will be back in Congress on June 30 after disappearing for three months with an undisclosed health issue, <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/congress\/tom-kean-will-return-to-congress-on-june-30\/\" target=\"_blank\">the New Jersey Globe\u2019s David Wildstein scooped<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>WHAT\u2019S IN A NAME \u2014 <\/b>NOTUS agreed to resolve The Washington Star\u2019s trademark lawsuit, and the upshot is that <b>Robert Allbritton\u2019s <\/b>growing publication <i>won\u2019t <\/i>rebrand as The Star, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/18\/business\/media\/notus-washington-star-lawsuit.html\" target=\"_blank\">per NYT\u2019s Katie Robertson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>WE BOTH GET SO BLUE \u2014 <\/b>It\u2019s not just the green algae: Some of the new blue material in the repainted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is already peeling off the bottom, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/18\/politics\/blue-material-reflecting-pool-renovation\" target=\"_blank\">CNN\u2019s Abigail Roedersheimer and colleagues report<\/a>. The cost of the pool\u2019s contract rose again, to $14.7 million, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/5930934-reflecting-pool-algae-lincoln-memorial\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Hill\u2019s Rachel Frazin scooped<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>IT WAS ALL AN ACT \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/story\/nick-adams-usa-tourism-trump\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cA Wild Jaunt Across Europe With Trump\u2019s Tourism Czar, the Aussie Expat Formerly Known as \u2018Nick Adams, Alpha Male,\u2019\u201d<\/b><\/a> by Vanity Fair\u2019s Aidan McLaughlin: \u201cHe was a local politician in Australia, then a MAGA mover-and-shaker thanks to outrageous tweets that he now says were part of a WWE-style persona. But through it all, Nick Adams has been a loyal digital soldier for President Trump, who\u2019s now rewarded him with perhaps the hardest job around: convincing tourists to visit Trump\u2019s America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>TRANSITIONS \u2014 Adeline DeYoung<\/b> is now director of public policy at the National Ski Areas Association. She most recently worked at Treefera and is a Teresa Leger Fernandez alum. \u2026 <b>Stephen Cha-Kim<\/b> is now a principal at Free and Fair Litigation Group. He previously worked at Arnold &amp; Porter.<\/p>\n<p><b>WEDDING \u2014 Becca Arbacher, <\/b>deputy director for Western Europe and the Balkans on the Pentagon\u2019s Joint Staff, and <b>Marcus Thaw, <\/b>senior associate for infrastructure and engineering at Alvarez and Marsal, got married May 30 at the Pennsylvanian in Pittsburgh. They met playing Ultimate Frisbee (in which both are competing internationally this summer). <a href=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/62\/72\/87fb1ca3433dba88534d7941f9ec\/1000032529.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Pic, by Dawn Derbyshire<\/i><\/b><\/a> \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/a4\/cf\/ab78f89b45b799c835b3e7cdef88\/1000032531.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Another pic<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>WELCOME TO THE WORLD \u2014 Meg McGaughey,<\/b> senior director of federal affairs at FanDuel, and <b>Tyler McGaughey, <\/b>chief administrative officer and general counsel at Source Code and a SubCom board member, welcomed Abigail Grace on June 7. She joins big sisters Honora and Mary. <a href=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/8d\/70\/6fcf84934cc99fc2ffc6e45d6bea\/img-3233.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Pic<\/i><\/b><\/a> \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/dc\/19\/21ed989d4e7e9cdbaeb64dc6eac5\/img-9479.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Another pic<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY:<\/b> Reps. <b>Pete Aguilar<\/b> (D-Calif.) and <b>Josh Brecheen<\/b> (R-Okla.) \u2026 Bloomberg\u2019s <b>Jeff Mason<\/b> \u2026 <b>Anne Gearan<\/b> \u2026 <b>Alex Kisling <\/b>of the Center for Strategic and International Studies \u2026 <b>Marcus Brauchli<\/b> \u2026 <b>Aimee Strudwick Gilroy<\/b> \u2026 Axios\u2019 <b>Alex Isenstadt <\/b>\u2026 POLITICO\u2019s <b>Laura Maggi <\/b>\u2026 <b>Michael Akin<\/b> \u2026 <b>Christina Ruffini<\/b> \u2026 CyberScoop\u2019s <b>Tim Starks<\/b> \u2026 <b>David Di Martino<\/b> \u2026 <b>Patrick Rooney <\/b>\u2026 <b>Ben Castagnetti <\/b>of Wine &amp; Spirits Wholesalers of America Inc. \u2026 <b>Hodan Omaar<\/b> \u2026 <b>Mary Dalrymple <\/b>of Eagle Hill Consulting \u2026 <b>Mike Naple <\/b>\u2026 former Rep. <b>Jim Cooper<\/b> (D-Tenn.) \u2026 former SEC Chair<b> Mary Schapiro<\/b> \u2026 <b>Michael Robbins<\/b> \u2026 <b>Zac Rutherford<\/b> of Crossroads Treatment Centers \u2026 <b>Michelle Ringuette<\/b> \u2026 Actum\u2019s <b>Alexander Rauda <\/b>\u2026 <b>Julia Palomino-Causey<\/b> and <b>Daniel Causey <\/b>\u2026 <b>Mary Carpenter<\/b> of the Nuclear Energy Institute \u2026 Treasury\u2019s <b>Rebecca Karabus <\/b>\u2026<b> Tate Mitchell<\/b> of Sen. Tim Sheehy\u2019s (R-Mont.) office \u2026 <b>Roberto Lugones<\/b> of Rep. Carlos Gimenez\u2019s (R-Fla.) office \u2026 <b>Jennifer Hazelton<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>Send Playbookers tips to <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#354559544c575a5a5e75455a595c415c565a1b565a58\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"03736f627a616c6c6843736c6f6a776a606c2d606c6e\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/i><\/a><i> or <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/signal.me\/#eu\/Y_J-vxijzCPSLbXEtVrVH0ZLVZVBqr8iBbfikL2lBrl5QgVVODxM47rLk6iFu6EM\" target=\"_blank\"><i>text us on Signal here<\/i><\/a><i>. Playbook couldn\u2019t happen without our editor <\/i><b><i>Giuseppe Macri<\/i><\/b><i> and deputy editor <\/i><b><i>Garrett Ross<\/i><\/b><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from AHIP:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles3\">\n<p>Health plans negotiate lower prices from providers and drugmakers, protect consumers from fraud, and support common-sense solutions to tackle the drivers of high and rising costs. <a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/645023282;451668891;p;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<ul class=\"twitter-authors\">\n<div class=\"twitter-authors__content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/hosted\/icon_x_gray.png\" class=\"twitter-authors__icon\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With help from Cheyenne Haslett, Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Happy Friday! This is Brendan Bordelon, POLITICO\u2019s AI and tech influence reporter, wishing everyone a happy Juneteenth from the nation\u2019s capital \u2014 and wondering whether I can convince my family that checking out the reflecting pool drama counts as a fun holiday weekend&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/3d\/ee\/f4d549cf4e548af6712990ce5b9e\/politico-cms-shared-graphic-1120x629.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}