Congress

Capitol agenda: Collins loses her foil in Platner

Published

3 months ago

July 9, 2026

Susan Collins’ fight to hold onto her seat just got messier.

Republicans had welcomed Graham Platner as a foil to Collins, who is trying to win a sixth Senate term in a state that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

But now, while Maine Democrats prepare for an intense two week sprint to replace Platner, Collins’ team will have to start from scratch in their strategy against a new nominee — who may not be known until close to the party’s July 27 deadline to declare one.

And according to a person familiar with the campaign’s thinking, Collins’ team had viewed Platner as a uniquely vulnerable opponent whose personal controversies could help offset a big challenge in 2026: running as a Republican in the era of President Donald Trump.

Polling published in late June showed Collins and Platner in an extremely close race.

“She can certainly win, but they didn’t want to change candidates,” the person familiar with the campaign’s thinking said. “The stuff we already knew about Platner was going to propel Collins to overcome the Trump anchor. Now it’s going to be a Democrat with a cleaner record, presumably.”

Collins didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republicans are signaling at least one playbook for moving forward: trying to tar any replacement Democrat with Platner by association. POLITICO reported Monday about an accusation of sexual assault against Platner, which he denies.

“Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said in a statement.

Now all eyes are on Maine’s Democratic Party, which Wednesday approved tentative plans for a nominating convention.

Platner, for his part, did not immediately endorse another candidate, saying in his withdrawal video Wednesday night the process must be “open” and controlled by the “people of Maine.”

Washington Democrats, meanwhile, are turning their focus to Collins while wanting to avoid the appearance of interfering with the selection of a new nominee.

“Democrats are going to defeat Susan Collins, win Maine, and take back the Senate,” posted Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has encouraged a Maine-centric process to replace Platner, according to a person familiar, granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

Top Democratic funding groups have also announced they’re jumping back into the race.

“Susan Collins is more vulnerable than she has ever been after voting with Trump 96 percent of the time, being the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and selling out to the special interests that fund her campaigns after three decades in the Senate,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director Devan Barber said in a statement.

What else we’re watching:

— NO END IN SIGHT FOR HILL’S EPSTEIN PROBE: Nearly one year into House Oversight’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation and neither party sees a reason to stop. Oversight Chair James Comer, who had originally hoped to wrap up interviews by August recess, said “it’s probably going to be hard because it seems like … after every deposition we get another name or two that we need to talk to.” That means the congressional Epstein probe could continue for the foreseeable future regardless of who wins the midterms, not only out of hopes of finding a smoking gun but also because the political incentives to keep investigating — for both parties — are impossible to resist.

— DEMS LOOK TO VOTES, DOLLARS IN IRAN WAR PROTEST: Democratic leadership is eyeing ways to check Trump’s ability to wage war in Iran after a successful vote on the issue last month didn’t slow him down. Democrats could force votes on new war powers measures when the chamber returns next week in an attempt to replicate last month’s politically symbolic win. But the party’s best leverage for stopping the war may be money.

Jordain Carney, Sophia Cai, Hailey Fuchs, Connor O’Brien and Leo Shane III contributed to this report.

Congress

Sanders, Casar introduce ‘superintelligence’ ban

Published

38 minutes ago

September 23, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Two top congressional progressives unveiled their bill Wednesday to ban artificial “superintelligence” and establish a Cabinet-level agency to regulate AI, fleshing out their plans for a crackdown on the industry.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) have advocated for heavy regulation of the rapidly evolving technology, particularly following a string of high-profile cyberattacks and doomsday warnings from industry insiders. Sanders and Casar teased the proposal earlier this month but only officially rolled out their “Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act” on Wednesday.

Casar said the bill would ban “recursive self-improvement,” meaning AI’s ability to build improved and more capable versions of itself. The bill also bars AI models from designing nuclear or biological weapons and would ban models that try to “escape human oversight or deceive humans,” Casar told reporters.

Sanders and Casar had previously outlined their plans to draft legislation banning “superintelligence” and to pause advanced AI development until a “Department of Artificial Intelligence” with a Senate-confirmed secretary is capable of monitoring model capabilities and identifying risks.

The legislation would set penalties for any entity that attempts to circumvent federal oversight, including the “corporate death penalty” for companies and up to 20 years in prison for individuals — on par with the punishment for illegally developing nuclear weapons.

The duo is bullish about both chambers swiftly taking up their legislation, even as Democratic leaders entertain much smaller-bore regulatory actions and some Republican leaders reject the need to advance AI safety legislation entirely. Casar said he believed the bill “will be considered the commonsense proposal in the coming weeks” as public pressure on Congress to enact AI guardrails mounts.

“In my view, we cannot simply sit by idly and wait for advanced AI to cause the next 9/11 or Chernobyl or a global pandemic or a financial crisis before we take action to protect the American people and, of course, the people of the world,” Sanders told reporters.

Congress

Troy Carter launches bid to run Congressional Black Caucus

Published

1 hour ago

September 23, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) launched a run to head the Congressional Black Caucus, making official his long-anticipated and heavily favored bid to take over the powerful group.

Carter announced his plans in a letter to colleagues sent Tuesday and obtained by Blue Light News, saying, “I will listen carefully. I will work hard. I will act when action is needed.”

Carter has support from much of the CBC and has positioned himself as a fierce ally of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Next term, the CBC is anticipating an influx of prospective ultraprogressive members. In his letter, Carter signaled he welcomes ideological diversity in the caucus.

“As Chair, I will respect the tremendous diversity of talent, experience, geography, ideology, and perspective within our Caucus,” Carter said in the letter. “Every Member should know that their voice matters, that they have a seat at the table, and that when they need their Caucus, their Caucus will be there.”

In a July interview with POLITICO, Carter previewed how he would lead the caucus, whose membership has been threatened by Republican-led redistricting in the South in the wake of an April Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais that limited the Voting Rights Act .

“If those who are out there banking on us being quieted, going away, not fighting for the rights of individuals, and providing resources to those that have been historically left behind, they are sadly mistaken,” he said at the time.

On other matters that the CBC will have to consider next term, he said he’s not keen on carving up majority-minority districts in blue states to create new Democratic seats, but he struck a softer note on seniority rights for committee assignments, saying: “I have never believed that a person that comes in with superior expertise in a subject matter should be told to wait.”

Congress

Senate Republican seeks to fast-track AI whistleblower bill

Published

2 hours ago

September 23, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley is trying to pass a bill before the midterms that would protect whistleblowers who disclose information about the risks involved in artificial intelligence development, according to two people granted anonymity to disclose nonpublic information.

The Iowa Republican is seeking to move it through unanimous consent — a way to expedite passage on the Senate floor that hinges on an agreement from all 100 senators to let the measure through.

Only one senator has to object in order to doom the effort. Grassley is in the process of privately checking with colleagues to see if someone will register opposition, according to the two people with knowledge of his efforts. He likely has until the end of this week to seal the deal, as senators are eager to begin their lengthy recess to campaign ahead of the November elections.

Even if someone indicates privately they oppose the bill, Grassley may go to the Senate floor and try to pass the bill anyways, one of the people said — a way to force a colleague to go on the record publicly blocking the measure and defend their position.

A longtime champion of whistleblower protections, Grassley introduced this specific legislation in May 2025. Original cosponsors included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Democratic Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Brian Schatz of Hawaii. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, as well as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), have more recently signed onto the bill.

The push for passage now comes as a flurry of current and former employees of leading AI labs have emerged to share alarm over the rapid pace of AI advancements and its potential for catastrophic consequences if left unchecked.

And while it wouldn’t come close to the kind of AI regulatory framework some lawmakers are clamoring for Congress to enact, it would represent a step toward bringing some accountability to AI development practices that some critics worry lacks necessary transparency.