Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., was readying a long-shot attempt at regulating an industry that has, in recent weeks, spurred fears and anxiety about human annihilation.

He planned to ram through his bill, which would require artificial intelligence (AI) companies to have a kill switch for rogue AI, on the Senate floor. But his attempt Wednesday night was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. 

Kennedy told Digital he feared there was little desire from Republicans to do anything to regulate AI.

«There’s no appetite in my caucus to do anything that I can say,» Kennedy said.

HAWLEY TAKES AIM AT ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’ AFTER GOP-BACKED TAX BREAK BOOSTED CONTROVERSIAL INDUSTRY

Paul contended the following day that regulating something «so pervasive as AI throughout our economy» would require hearing from people who are involved in the industry and having a debate over the regulatory structure.

«I think it would be crazy to get on the floor one day and regulate an entire industry,» Paul told reporters.

Still, the anxiety over the unfettered evolution of AI has spread like wildfire after reports that rogue bots began acting on their own, but it’s an issue that Congress has had years to address.

Three years ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who was then leading the Senate when Democrats had control under former President Joe Biden, met with lawmakers and Big Tech CEOs to sketch out an AI roadmap. Since then, Congress hasn’t taken legislative action to add guardrails to AI development.

Now, with fears ramping up that AI could wipe out humanity in a decade, and with reports of rogue AI agents scheming privately and attacking other AI, lawmakers are again taking notice.

AI’S MASSIVE APPETITE FOR POWER, WATER IGNITES FIGHT IN HIGH-STAKES TEXAS SENATE RACE

But some wonder whether this time Congress will take action to regulate AI, or if it’s turning a growing problem into another political issue to be debated and ignored.

«It’s already a political issue,» Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told Digital. «Donald Trump has said it’s not a problem, and that is like a dead weight loss on every one of the Republican senators or representatives.

«Thus far, the courage they have demonstrated in standing up to Donald Trump on anything has been somewhere around zero.»

Warren had just left a closed-door meeting led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has pushed for a ban on superintelligent AI, held with lawmakers and with AI experts Geoffrey Hinton, known as the «Godfather of AI»; physicist Max Tegmark; and Ajeya Cotra.

«There is now a growing alarm about the future of humanity and creating technology that human beings cannot control,» Sanders told reporters. «And I’m happy to tell you that I think there is a growing sense of urgency upon members of Congress that this has to be done.»

One of the points the experts impressed on lawmakers was that, at the very least, a kill switch should be implemented to deactivate rogue AI. Kennedy was the lone Republican to attend that meeting.

«I’m just saying they have to have a kill switch to turn the son of a b—- off if it goes wrong,» Kennedy said. «This doesn’t put government in charge in any way. It doesn’t affect innovation. It just says, ‘If you’re gonna sell this thing in America that has the potential to turn into an independent species, like the ‘Terminator,’ you’ve got to have a way to shut it down immediately, as soon as you discover that.’»

TRUMP-BACKED CRYPTO BILL FAILS TO LAUNCH AS DEMS, REPUBLICANS UNITE TO BLOCK IT

But there have been Republicans, like Kennedy, who want to regulate AI sooner rather than later.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been pushing his regulatory bill alongside Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., since 2023. But Thune argued to Digital that it was Democrats standing in the way.

«I think the Democrats, in my view, clearly are trying to politicize this. I mean, all the rhetoric around it and everything else, and stuff like that. But you know, the truth is, the bill, which we have, that addresses the AI issue, which we worked on for a long time, which actually passed the Commerce Committee in 2024, is available with modifications and updates. It reflects what’s happened since the last time they passed it in our committee.

«The obstacle to getting it up and going and getting it filed is Democrats,» he continued. «So, if they’re looking for a legislative vehicle, there is one out there.»

Meanwhile, Warren said she could see herself supporting a kill switch, but that Hinton made the case that the switch would need a human to flip it, «and a smart AI will persuade a human being not to do it.»

«They will create enough evidence, enough of a narrative, that no one will ever throw the kill switch,» Warren said. «Which is back to the point I was raising. So, where are the places that you act?»

She argued that Congress needed to find the «pinch points» where humans could still have agency to stop rogue AI. But, for now, there wasn’t a real desire to find a new regulatory and enforcement tool to do so.

«There are things we say are illegal. We have a mechanism for how to enforce the laws that say, ‘Don’t do that,’» Warren said. «It’s not perfect, but we have it. We need a whole new enforcement device now, and nobody seems to be thinking through what that looks like.»

politics, artificial intelligence, chuck schumer, rand paul, elizabeth warren, senate

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico, who has repeatedly accused his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, of corruption, is now facing Republican accusations of «blatant corruption» over consulting work he performed for a progressive firm while serving on the Texas House’s influential Public Education Committee. Talarico’s campaign has denied the allegation as a «lie.»

The Lone Star State’s Senate race is entering its final stretch, with Talarico leading Paxton in recent polling. A Republican loss could damage the GOP’s chances of retaining its Senate majority.

Paxton has projected confidence that, after emerging from a particularly bitter primary race, Texans will respond to his campaign once they hear his message. Talarico, meanwhile, has continued targeting Paxton through major ad buys, including one in which the Democrat calls him «the most corrupt politician in Texas.»

Republicans are now responding with allegations of their own, characterizing Talarico’s past arrangement with the consulting firm as a «textbook pay-to-play scheme.»

SHOCK POLL: TALARICO TIES PAXTON IN TEXAS SENATE RACE, THREATENING GOP STRONGHOLD

They are pointing to paychecks Talarico received from a firm called MAYA Consulting that simultaneously drew in millions in state contracts awarded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which he helped provide oversight to as a member of the Public Education Committee.

Talarico announced he was joining MAYA Consulting in a 2019 Facebook post. In the post, he stated that as a consultant he would be «working with districts, nonprofits, and communities to build excellent and equitable educational opportunities for all our students.»

According to a Senate campaign financial disclosure filed in 2025, Talarico worked with MAYA Consulting, which has since been rebranded as VIDA Collaborative, from 2019 until 2025.

During those same years, official legislative records show that Talarico served as a voting member of the Texas House’s Public Education Committee from 2019 to 2025. Among its responsibilities, the committee oversees the Texas Education Agency, which awards government contracts to firms for services, including then-MAYA Consulting.

TED CRUZ, CONSERVATIVES RESPOND AFTER TALARICO CRITICIZES BIBLE-RELATED EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS AS ‘PROPAGANDA’

TEA registers from 2021 and 2022 show that the agency awarded MAYA two contracts worth $3.578 million and $1.635 million, respectively. The contracts were related to priorities Talarico was pushing in the Texas House at the time, including addressing learning loss due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Talarico’s disclosure shows that he earned $83,333.40 from the nonprofit in 2025, in addition to his $13,904.92 part-time salary as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Kassi Longoria, CEO of VIDA Collaborative, confirmed with Digital that Talarico served as an «independent contractor consultant» with the group from 2019 to 2025. She said that Talarico «has no current role with our organization» and clarified that «during his time at VIDA, his consulting work was structured, specifically to remain separate from his role as a Texas state legislator.»

She said that Talarico «never worked under, received compensation from, or was involved in securing any state- or federally-funded contracts.» She noted that «as a matter of standard practice, VIDA discloses any outside employment or potential conflicts of interest for our staff — including Rep. Talarico’s legislative role — in our proposals when we apply for publicly-funded opportunities» and that «similarly, Rep. Talarico’s relationship with VIDA was disclosed in his required public financial disclosure filings.»

However, Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft accused Talarico of wrongdoing, calling the Democrat’s involvement with MAYA an example of «blatant corruption.»

TEXAS DEM CANDIDATE TO HOLD HIGH-DOLLAR HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER WHILE GOP GATHERS IN DALLAS: ‘FAKE COWBOY’

«We are looking at a textbook pay-to-play scheme with James Talarico steering millions in taxpayer funds to his DEI consulting agency under the condition he gets commission through a scam no-show job,» Kraft told Digital.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

As a member of the Texas House’s Public Education Committee, Talarico was not involved in TEA’s process for awarding outside contracts and did not vote on the contracts. Digital is also not aware of any evidence that Talarico received a commission for contracts awarded to MAYA, a claim that both the organization and Talarico’s campaign denied.

Kraft alleged that Talarico is «one of the most morally bankrupt individuals to ever run for public office in Texas.»

JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, pushed back, saying, «This is a lie.»

Ennis said that «James’ relationship to MAYA was fully disclosed in compliance with Texas House rules» and that «James had no involvement in MAYA Consulting securing any public contracts and his contract with MAYA barred him from representing MAYA before the Texas Legislature or education agencies.»

«Ken Paxton is making up lies about James to distract from the fact that he’s been impeached by his own party for bribery, reported to the FBI by his own staff, and indicted for investment fraud for scamming his own friends,» Ennis alleged, while adding, «Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas, and this November, Republicans, Democrats, and independents will come together to reject Ken Paxton’s corruption and stand up to this broken, corrupt political system.»

In July 2015, Paxton was indicted on charges that he misled and defrauded tech startup investors and failed to disclose that the startup was paying him to promote its stock. Prosecutors agreed in 2024 to drop the charges under a deal requiring Paxton to pay about $271,000 in restitution, perform 100 hours of community service and complete 15 hours of legal ethics courses. Paxton did not enter a plea under the agreement and was never convicted.

Meanwhile, Madison Cercy, a spokeswoman for Paxton’s campaign, told Digital, «It couldn’t be clearer: James Talarico sees Texans tax dollars as his own personal slush fund.»

Digital is not aware of any evidence that Talarico has misused tax dollars.

Cercy called Talarico a «taxpayer-funded DEI consultant whose employer receives millions of dollars from Texans while pushing radical ideology in our schools.»

elections, corruption, midterm elections, texas, democratic party, woke, education

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden.

Advertisement

Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday, during a ceremony that coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Lambeth Palace announced the reversal Thursday after previous comments by Ashrafi had «come to light,» causing it to reconsider the award.

«It is a longstanding principle of interfaith dialogue and co-operation that we must engage with one another across deeply-held differences, and that remains the case,» Lambeth Palace said in a statement.

Advertisement

BUSH REVIVES ‘ISLAM IS PEACE’ MESSAGE WITH FRESH FOCUS ON POST-9/11 MOSQUE VISIT

Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally presented Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace before the honor was later withdrawn. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)

«However, previous comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn,» the statement continued. «We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision.»

Advertisement

Lambeth Palace added that it continues «to pray for the Christian community in Pakistan, and for all those working for interfaith dialogue and harmony in Pakistan and around the world.»

According to Lambeth Palace, the award was given to Ashrafi because of his «longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community.»

SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RECALLS 9/11 MOMENT THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE: ‘WELCOME TO MY WORLD’

Advertisement

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office withdrew an interfaith award given to Pakistani cleric Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi following scrutiny of his past remarks. (Neil Turner / Lambeth Palace)

According to the BBC, Ashrafi said in 2007 that bin Laden — the architect of the 9/11 attacks — had «been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British.»

The BBC also reported that Ashrafi said he would give bin Laden the title «Saifullah,» meaning «Sword of God.»

Ashrafi told the BBC that his remarks had been «totally taken out of context» and described the backlash against him as an «unfair campaign.»

Advertisement

He said he made the remarks about bin Laden in 2007 in response to «the hurt felt by many Muslims» over the British government’s decision to knight «The Satanic Verses» author Salman Rushdie.

Britain’s new Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Sarah Mullally, speaks following the announcement of her posting, at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England on Oct. 3, 2025. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

During the award presentation last week, the Archbishop’s office said Ashrafi was being honored for «his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance.»

world, religion, faith values, pakistan, honors, controversies religion