Congress

Capitol agenda: Dems want Schumer silent on Maine

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2026

Nobody understands the stakes of finding a replacement for Graham Platner quite like Chuck Schumer.

But nobody in his party is suggesting he should have anything to do with it.

The anti-establishment fervor energizing Democrats’ voter base is putting Schumer and other party leaders in a delicate spot. They are aching to ensure whomever may take Platner’s place on the ballot is better vetted after POLITICO’s exclusive reporting on allegations of sexual assault against him, which Platner denies.

Still, even the appearance of the Senate minority leader controlling voters’ choice is stoking fears of deflated turnout and internal fighting that could risk the chance to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins and snatch the chamber’s majority.

“The opposite of maximally participatory is any version of events where Chuck Schumer and out-of-step party leaders in D.C. are calling the shots for Maine Democratic Party leaders,” Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green said in an interview. Green’s group had backed Platner before pulling their support Monday and pushing for another progressive pick.

“This can’t happen as a party insider backroom deal,” Sen. Chris Murphy posted on X. “Voters are sick of the status quo and they need to have a say here – or our party will squander whatever credibility we have left.”

To be clear: Platner has not dropped out of the race, despite the vast majority of Democratic senators Schumer leads calling for him to step aside. He has until July 13 to make a decision, and the Maine Democratic Party would need to name his replacement by July 27.

Meanwhile, that group Tuesday night accused Platner’s team itself of attempting to “put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” according to a press release. The organization tried to assure voters it was committed to an “open, inclusive, transparent, and fair,” path forward.

Platner’s campaign responded to the claim by saying it had reached out to the state party to discuss the possible process of replacing him.

“While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment,” a spokesperson said.

Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, a group aligned with Schumer, said “this should be a Maine-centric decision.”

But as high as the stakes are for the party, the stakes are similarly high for Schumer, whose leadership has been challenged across the Democratic Senate map, including in Maine as his handpicked candidate Gov. Janet Mills struggled mightily before suspending her campaign in April.

“[Schumer] knows it’s important in their calculus to win the Senate so I don’t see him turning a blind eye to this,” said one veteran Democratic strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “But yes if people think he’s tipping the scales or something there’s going to be more fighting.”

Spokespeople for Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not respond to a request for comment.

In another sign of the toxicity of showing establishment ties at this moment, one potential Maine candidate expressed doubt about supporting Schumer as leader if elected.

“I think that’s a question to be determined,” Nirav Shah, who said he is “evaluating” jumping in the race, told Alec Hernandez in an interview. “I’ve got concerns, as do many, with his leadership, but that’s not a question I want to go to right now.”

What else we’re watching:

— MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE COMPLICATES PENTAGON BUDGET BOOST PLANS: Sen. Mitch McConnell’s uncertain health status threatens to upend Trump’s defense budget plans at a critical moment for the Iran war and midterms. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was admitted to a Washington hospital June 14 for undisclosed medical issues, and his staff has not offered any information on when he will return to Capitol Hill. McConnell — who chairs the Senate Appropriations panel that controls Pentagon spending — will be key in moving any of the multiple funding plans forward that Trump is pushing.

— FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: JOHNSON EYES PREGNANT TOURIST MEASURE: Speaker Mike Johnson is exploring whether to put legislation on the House floor that would end the ability of pregnant women to enter the United States legally to gain citizenship for their children. The possible vote, described by four people granted anonymity to share details of private conversations, would be a way for Johnson to appease hard-liners who are demanding action on birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled against Trump administration efforts to undermine it.

Leo Shane III, Connor O’Brien, Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.

Congress

Sanders, Casar introduce ‘superintelligence’ ban

Published

2 hours 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

2 hours 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

3 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.