Congress
Anti-deepfake bill advances to Senate floor
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the NO FAKES Act by voice vote on Thursday.
Introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), it would create new protections against AI-enabled replicas and deepfakes and allow people to sue over the unauthorized use of their likeness. The bill could be included in a package of AI and kids’ safety bills that Blackburn is currently working on with the White House.
The latest version of the bill has earned broad support from Hollywood and the tech industry, receiving endorsements from YouTube, TikTok and OpenAI as well as Disney and the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA. It was originally introduced last Congress.
“It is imperative that we put this national standard in place for voice and visual likeness protection of creators,” the Tennessee Republican said at the markup.
Other bills that could be included in Blackburn’s package are the Kids Online Safety Act and the App Store Accountability Act. Such a package could ultimately block some state laws on AI — though it’s not yet clear how aggressively the measure would preempt state action on narrow issues such as verifying users’ ages on social media.
“I’ve always said America needs one set of rules for AI, and NO FAKES is a critical component of that rulebook,” Blackburn added.
Both the NO FAKES Act and KOSA have come under fire over a number of First Amendment concerns. A coalition of free speech groups including the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation sent a letter to Judiciary Committee leadership on Tuesday urging members not to advance the NO FAKES Act in its current form.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) expressed their issues with the bill’s effects on free speech and looked to address those concerns with the co-sponsors.
As an example, Cruz pointed to former reality television star Spencer Pratt, who ran a series of AI-generated videos — often without a statement disclosing the content was created using AI — during his failed Los Angeles mayoral campaign, including portrayals of himself as Batman and Luke Skywalker. The political deepfakes raised concerns that some of the ads risked misleading voters during campaign season.
“I think of the ad Spencer Pratt ran in the LA campaign, which I thought were hysterical and I think are a good example of what should be protected and not fall within a bill like this,” Cruz said.
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker on Thursday panned the Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump this week, saying the agreement “negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the president’s goals.”
The Mississippi Republican, a vocal defense hawk, has repeatedly warned against negotiating with Tehran, arguing that the country’s leadership can’t be trusted to fulfill any agreement. Wicker has instead urged Trump to end a months-long ceasefire and continue bombing Iran.
In a statement, Wicker criticized the $300 billion fund for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development, even if the money is not supplied by American taxpayers. Administration officials have said the money, coming from regional partners, would be made available only if Iran reaches certain compliance benchmarks.
Wicker said he believes the money will instead be used for terrorist activities, regardless of the guardrails put in place.
“The Iranian regime has not renounced its ultimate goal — ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’” he said. “The regime will invest every penny it receives to further that aim.”
Wicker is among a chorus of influential Republicans to criticize the nascent deal. The Trump administration sent the 14-point document to Congress on Thursday.
Some have expressed concerns about whether the agreement will free up funds for Iran and whether the pact does enough to limit its nuclear ambitions.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who was defeated in a primary after Trump endorsed one of his opponents, assailed the administration’s deal as “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” Cassidy wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) defended the deal as an important preliminary step but also dismissed the $300 billion fund as “not something that’s going to happen.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said the potential end to the war and the resumption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are “a step in the right direction,” though he worries Iran might use the windfall of access to frozen assets to support proxy groups in the Middle East.
“I have more concerns about the release of frozen assets,” Rounds said. “If that’s the case, what stops them from using that to fund Hezbollah and other terrorist activities as they have done in the past?”
Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the New Jersey Republican who has been missing from Capitol Hill since March 5, will return to work later this month — 117 days after his last vote.
Harrison Neely, a spokesperson for Kean, said the 57-year-old lawmaker plans to attend the June 30 House session. It is the first time Kean’s office has provided a specific date for his return. Neely did not disclose any further details about Kean’s extended absence, which his team has attributed to an undisclosed health issue.
“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” Neely said. The New Jersey Globe first reported on the return date.
As Kean was missing scores of votes, House GOP leaders had to contend with an even thinner majority than they already had. He now returns to face a highly competitive race to keep his seat in November, with national groups heavily backing Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett.
The White House sent the “memorandum of understanding” putting hostilities with Iran on hold to Congress on Thursday, after days of complaints from lawmakers of both parties that they didn’t receive the agreement sooner.
The document obtained by POLITICO lays out 14 points the U.S. and Iran reached over at least temporarily ending the nearly four-month military campaign launched by President Donald Trump.
Congress received the agreement after Trump signed it Wednesday night in France and shortly before Vice President JD Vance briefed reporters at the White House on the deal, which sets up 60 days of further negotiations on the fate of the Iran nuclear program.
A swath of GOP senators and some House Republicans were livid Wednesday when a Trump administration official read the memorandum to reporters before sharing the document with lawmakers.
Senior White House officials have held small-group and individual calls with select GOP lawmakers, but an all-member briefing from Trump administration officials on the agreement is not expected until next week.
- Senate Armed Services chair slams Iran peace deal
- Tom Kean Jr. will return June 30 to House, spokesperson says
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- Fewer in new poll say they’re proud of being American
- Trump signs Iran deal amid criticism
- Federal Reserve holds rates steady at Warsh’s first meeting
- Biden, Bush, Clinton slated to attend Obama presidential center opening
- Gottheimer readies AI bill to vet powerful AI models for risk
- White House delivers Iran agreement to Congress
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