Congress
Shapiro backs Brooks in primary for top Dem target
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is endorsing firefighter union head Bob Brooks in the state’s 7th Congressional District — the potential 2028 presidential contender putting his thumb on the scale in a crowded primary for a seat that’s among Democrats’ top targets to flip in the midterms.
Shapiro’s endorsement, shared first with Blue Light News, comes as the governor is plotting an aggressive push to help his party wrest back control of the House by turning as many as four Pennsylvania districts blue — throwing his weight behind candidates as other governors attempt to nab seats for their parties via redistricting. It’s a strategy that will serve as a major test of Shapiro’s coattails in a critical swing state in 2026, when he’s also up for reelection. And if successful, it could give him a launchpad for a 2028 White House bid.
Shapiro helped recruit Brooks into the race and is headlining a fundraiser for Brooks’ campaign Thursday in Philadelphia. Brooks is competing in a five-way primary as Democrats attempt to unseat GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who flipped the Lehigh Valley district last year by one of the narrowest margins in the country.
“[Brooks] is the fighter our friends and neighbors all across the Lehigh Valley deserve in Washington. Throughout his career, Bob has worked hard for the men and women of organized labor — standing up for higher wages, better healthcare, and safer working conditions,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Bob has always had my back — and I am proud to endorse him in this race and stand with him in the fight to make life more affordable and get stuff done for our communities.”
Brooks called Shapiro’s support “a powerful vote of confidence in our campaign.” Brooks, the head of the statewide Pennsylvania firefighters union, backed Shapiro early in his 2022 gubernatorial bid.
It’s part of a broader undertaking by Shapiro to remake the state Democratic Party and spearhead its midterms efforts. Shapiro has installed allies atop the state party and funneled cash into its coffers. He’s already endorsed Janelle Stelson in her repeat bid to unseat GOP Rep. Scott Perry in the state’s 10th District, after she lost by barely a percentage point last year. Formal endorsements of Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie against vulnerable GOP Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Brian Fitzpatrick, respectively, are expected in the new year.
Brooks has racked up endorsements from across the political spectrum — from the moderate Shapiro to progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
But Shapiro’s endorsement is unlikely to clear a field that has divided Democratic special interest groups and where another candidate, Ryan Crosswell, has so far been the fundraising leader.
President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson will meet at the White House Tuesday with the executives of top artificial intelligence companies, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private plans.
The meeting comes as Congress is coming under increasing pressure to put federal guardrails on AI development, as fears mount that technological advancements could soon spiral beyond human control.
Responding to some warnings that AI development was on track to cause human extinction by the end of the decade, Johnson has said he wants Trump and AI CEOs to “go in a big room, close the door and sort this out.” He has yet to endorse major legislative action to address the issue, as Trump has resisted calls for government regulations, citing concerns about lagging behind China.
The president and speaker were in attendance at the State Dinner on Thursday night in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, as were OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. It was not immediately clear which of these executives would be invited to next week’s meeting, and who will be participating.
News that the meeting had been scheduled was first reported by Axios.
A group of 10 Democrats has signed on to Rep. Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) bill that would ban superintelligence and pause advanced AI development until a vetting regime could be stood up.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), both of whom are mulling a 2028 presidential run, are cosponsoring the bill, named the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act.
Khanna, in a statement, noted that he convened a hearing this week on AI safety cooperation between the U.S. and China as ranking member of the House China Select Committee with AI experts who underscored the need for a verifiable pause on superintelligence.
AI superintelligence is an as-yet hypothetical form of the advanced technology that surpasses humans’ cognitive capabilities, but exactly when AI crosses the threshold into superintelligence remains contested. The bill would subject violators to a 20-year prison sentence.
The support from prominent progressives in the Democratic caucus comes as the party is navigating how they would approach AI regulation should they retake control of one or both chambers in November.
Other cosponsors include Reps. Analilia Mejia of New Jersey, Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, Val Hoyle of Oregon, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Chuy García of Illinois, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Nydia Velázquez of New York.
“We absolutely have to slow down and regulate the advancement of dangerous AI technologies that have the potential to spiral out-of-control and threaten humanity,” Ansari said.
To Lynch, a string of recent AI-led cyberbreaches has “shown us that the advanced forms of this are out of control,” he said in an interview. “We haven’t really solved that control problem yet, nor have we got the alignment problem right yet.”
Casar’s bill, introduced this week with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is among the most stringent AI regulations proposed by either party.
Rather than focusing on bans as Casar and his progressive allies have done, centrist Democrats are looking to legislative proposals they say can address the technology’s risks without stifling innovation.
Senate Republicans are discussing whether to call up a data center utility costs bill as they make plans to stay in Washington next week rather than beat an early exit before the midterms.
Two GOP aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the Senate will remain in town amid pressure from some corners of the party to send members home early to campaign.
Asked if the Senate will stay next week, Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday it’s “looking that way.”
While some lawmakers had hoped to move a long-brewing bipartisan energy permitting deal, those hopes have evaporated, and GOP leaders are instead eyeing votes on the Ratepayer Protection Act — a top priority of endangered Ohio Sen. Jon Husted.
Thune said Thursday moving to the data-center-focused bill next week “is an option.” The Senate is also expected to take up a Democratic resolution condemning the Iran war and several presidential nominations.
The Ratepayer Protection Act easily passed the House earlier this month, but some Senate Democrats are arguing it does not go far enough and party leaders could be motivated to deny Husted a pre-election win.
Josh Siegel contributed to this report.
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