Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls for AI to be developed “as fast as we can”

2026-09-18 7:14 PM EDT / CBS News

The CEO of the world’s largest chipmaker told CBS News that tech companies should push forward with the development of artificial intelligence despite recent warnings from worried industry leaders that there may be a need to pull back due to unease about where the technology could be headed.

“We should go as fast as we can irrespective of anybody else,” Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang told CBS News senior business and technology correspondent Jo Ling Kent in an interview airing this weekend on “Sunday Morning” when asked if AI development needs to slow down.

“We’re going to go as fast as we can, but we would never ever, and never should, ship products before they’re ready, deliver products that are unsafe,” Huang said. “And nobody’s expecting us to do that. But everybody’s expecting us to succeed and help America be as prosperous as possible.”

The Santa Clara-based Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization above $5 trillion, has achieved its growth with the help of the AI boom.

However, concern has grown in recent weeks over the speed at which AI is developing, with some calling for guardrails and government regulation.

The conversation was spurred in part by Jacob Coxon, a researcher at AI giant Anthropic who publicly resigned his position earlier this month, saying that AI companies are rushing to innovate at the expense of proper security protocols. Coxon told CBS News that without such intervention, AI could one day pose a threat to humanity. The Trump administration has so far generally been dismissive of those fears.

Days later, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appeared to echo some of Coxon’s concerns, admitting to Kent in an interview that “for too long the industry lied to people about the fact that this technology had risks,” and saying the technology was developing at an “exponential” rate.

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“It doesn’t mean we need to panic today. It doesn’t mean we need to shut it all down,” Amodei said, but added that it is “a warning sign that we need to slow down.”

Watch Jo Ling Kent’s interview with Jensen Huang on Sept. 20 on “Sunday Morning.”

Trump says US reached Greenland security deal

2026-09-18T22:17:27.891Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/politics/trump-us-greenland-security

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that gives the United States “permanent control” over Greenland’s security and bars any US adversary from having a military presence on the island.

“The United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns. There will be NO COST to the United States!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, going on to call the arrangement “an ‘Infinite Life’ Agreement.

“Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” Trump said.

He added that the US would “immediately begin” building its own “large military presence” and work with the people in Greenland, a Danish territory, on “its development and construction.”

The United States, Greenland and Denmark are expected to sign an agreement on “strengthened security in the Arctic and North Atlantic Area” next week at the UN General Assembly, the Danish prime minister’s office said a statement.

“I am glad that we are about to make a great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, adding that the agreement would be “great for NATO and Europe as well.”

She also said the agreement “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said “the agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in the international cooperation,” adding, “It is to the benefit of us all.”

The signed agreement would still have to go through parliamentary procedures.

A US official said the agreement includes “permanent access, basing, and overflight rights” for the US on the island.

The agreement blocks non-NATO countries, including China and Russia, from having a base or sending troops to Greenland, the official said, adding that it guarantees “the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors.”

Russia has expanded its military footprint in the Arctic for decades, and China has also deepened its presence there.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement the agreement “permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.”

Earlier this year, Trump repeatedly insisted on the importance of the United States obtaining Greenland for national security purposes, but discussion on the matter had largely faded from public view in recent months.

Trump’s repeated claims about seizing Greenland set off a diplomatic crisis within the NATO alliance and a scramble to try to defuse the threat.

In January, after a meeting between Danish and Greenlandic officials and Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, the United States, Denmark and Greenland formed a “high-level working group to explore if we can find a common way forward” amid ongoing disputes around the sovereignty of the island, in the words of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Later that month, at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump said he had secured the “framework of a future deal” on Greenland.

That framework, and the agreement described on Friday, bear strong similarities to an existing 1951 pact between the US and Denmark that allowed broad US military presence in Greenland.

The US official noted that “under the previous status quo, any country, including adversaries, could be allowed to build a military base in Greenland or send troops to Greenland.”

“By contrast, under this agreement, no non-NATO country may build a base in Greenland or maintain a troop presence in Greenland,” they said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Trump says he will demand some childhood vaccines be split into five shots

September 18, 2026 8:22 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago / Reuters

Sept 18 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration plans to demand ​vaccine makers split certain childhood shots into five ‌separate doses, which he believes will result in a massive reduction in autism, an idea repeatedly debunked by scientists.

Trump did not ​provide any scientific evidence linking vaccines and autism. ​Nor did he say which vaccines the administration ⁠plans to split into smaller doses.

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“We’re going to recommend ​that they do five doses … and that they be given ​in six-month intervals so that a small amount of the vaccine gets pumped into the body,” Trump said, speaking at an ​event in the Oval Office.

Item 1 of 4 US President Donald J. Trump makes an announcement on healthcare in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 18, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

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Trump already signed an executive ​order in August calling for fewer childhood vaccinations by limiting the ‌inoculation ⁠schedule to 11 immunizations, which he said would give US children “gold-standard” protection and align the country with peer nations that recommend fewer shots.

That order directed Americans ​to receive separate measles, ​mumps and ⁠rubella vaccines even though none of the individual shots are licensed in the United ​States and experts say it could take ​years before ⁠any become available, if they ever do.

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The order advances a long-standing goal of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ⁠Jr., ​an anti-vaccine activist who has ​promoted a link between vaccines and autism that scientists have repeatedly debunked.

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Reporting ​by Michael Erman; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Spicer

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Sen. Kelly: Trump’s White House ban on CNN, others is an attempt to ‘intimidate’

7:52 PM EDT, Fri September 18, 2026 / CNN Politics

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Sen. Kelly: Trump’s White House ban on CNN, others is an attempt to ‘intimidate’

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Democratic Senator Mark Kelly calls out President Trump’s sudden ban on CNN and other news outlets. Sen. Kelly, who was targeted by the Trump administration after participating in a 2025 video advising troops they can legally refuse unlawful orders, tells Erin Burnett, “I don’t think there are any limits to where this president will go.”

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Book excerpt: “Go and Do Likewise” by Andy Beshear

2026-09-18T16:27:00-0400 / CBS News

St. Martin’s Press

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In “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country” (to be published Tuesday by St. Martin’s Press), Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, writes about how the language of faith, which he believes has been co-opted by some politicians, can be used to bridge the nation’s partisan divide – and how the parable of the Good Samaritan can be viewed as an instruction to show kindness, not cruelty, to one another.

Read an excerpt below, and don’t miss Robert Costa’s interview with Andy Beshear on “CBS Sunday Morning” September 20!

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Like almost any guy who came of age in the ’80s and ’90s, I watched the Indiana Jones movies. The movies are mostly fun adventure stories, but every once in a while, you can find a life lesson. Looking back at it now, I think of a classic scene in the third movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” that to me offers a true understanding of the meaning of faith. At a crucial moment in the film, Dr. Jones is given one chance to select from a large assortment of goblets to find the Holy Grail, the sacred cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Before Jones are a multitude of chalices of incredible splendor—bejeweled, golden cups that seemingly would befit the King of Kings. Another character makes her selection on that basis—she chooses the richest and most splendid and her companion pays the price. But Jones homes in on a very different cup to be the Grail, one that he feels would be used by a carpenter—plain, humble, and simple. The knight who serves as the guardian of the Grail famously tells him, “You have chosen wisely.”

We all know what goblet Donald Trump would have chosen in that circumstance—the gaudier and more self-aggrandizing, the better. Today, he’s turned the Oval Office into a gilded and grotesque cage of excess and bulldozed the historic East Wing of the White House for his ballroom. The president’s adult children hawk gold cell phones, and he is willing to take a corrupt gift so he can sit in a luxury 747 that is a “palace in the sky.” All while he hurts the struggling middle class, as well as the poor and vulnerable, with his tariffs and big, ugly healthcare cuts. He even goes to court to stop SNAP benefits because he believes that starving Americans is “good leverage” for his political fights.

It is unthinkable that we as a country and the Democratic Party in particular have all but ceded faith and basic morality to a modern-day Pharisee, who condemns those who are different and who says his favorite verse of Scripture (when he can remember any at all) is “an eye for an eye.” That’s how he sees the world. Vengeful and angry. But that’s not how I see it.

As the grandson and great-grandson of Baptist lay ministers, I was taught the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s a wonderful story, and you don’t need to be a religious person to appreciate its wisdom. In the story, a man walking from Jerusalem to Jericho is ambushed, stripped, beaten, robbed, and left half-dead on the side of the road. A number of people pass by and see this poor man lying in the dirt, naked and bleeding, but they do nothing to help him. Instead, they cross over to the other side of the road and keep walking. But one person, a Samaritan, stops and renders lifesaving aid. He even goes the extra mile and carries the man on his back to a nearby town and pays for his care. Who, Jesus asked, is the true neighbor to this man? The one who helped him, of course.

Many sermons mistakenly stop here. They shouldn’t. Because after telling this story, Jesus doesn’t pause or move on to another topic. He looks directly at the crowd and says, “Now go and do likewise.” The parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t just a story—it’s an instruction. It is Jesus’s command to go out and show kindness, not cruelty, to one another and to the world. It means that if you claim to be a Christian, it’s your job to be good to your fellow human being, especially when it’s hard.

I wonder if Donald Trump has ever heard the story of the Good Samaritan. If he has, he failed to learn its central lesson. “Now go and do likewise” means seeing the humanity in one another. It means giving people a hand up when they need it, even if they are different from you. It does not mean punishing people who depend on SNAP benefits to feed their babies or Medicaid to cover the cost of healthcare. “Now go and do likewise” means treating all people as people of God—not dividing the country by party, race, ethnicity, or even sexual orientation. “Now go and do likewise” means welcoming people to a country that once welcomed our own ancestors, not defying court orders and expelling people who do not look the same as you. At its simplest level, “now go and do likewise” means treating one another with kindness, not wielding the power of the United States government to do cruel things.

For more than a decade, Trump has told us he is going to make America great again. I don’t think he understands what greatness looks like. To him, it is about power, about appearing strong or tough. He misses the truth that Jesus was tougher than the nails that pinned Him to the cross; that He was tempted to become the Prince of Power but chose to be the Prince of Peace; that even after being crucified and speared, Jesus did not smite his enemies. He forgave them.

America shows her greatness not through political bluster or military parades but when her people live out the words of Jesus when He said, “Now go and do likewise.” This is real patriotism: caring for my neighbor even when they are very different from me, even when they are a member of the “wrong” group, even when people like Donald Trump tell me I should hate them. America is at her best when we commit ourselves to love that is inclusive, to being patient, not judgmental, to embracing our diversity as a source of strength, to seeing every human being as a child of God who deserves dignity and respect. These principles are neither liberal nor conservative, and they certainly aren’t woke—a word that has become a pejorative to some people. These are the principles and values that flow out of our best selves and the good that dwells in all of us.

During my time serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky as Governor, I have tapped into those values to instill a sense of community spirit and a love for one another. Love, patience, diversity, and respect have helped me unite a population that for many years was torn apart by those who sowed division to gain money or votes. These values and my faith have also inspired me to find new approaches to problems that aren’t based on pitting one group against another but on drawing out the best within us. I believe we can translate this approach from my home in Kentucky to other communities—and to our nation as a whole. I believe that all of us, from federal, state, and local governments to each one of us individually, can heed the example of the Good Samaritan, to go and do likewise.

In this book, I will share how my faith shapes how I see the world and why I still have hope in these divisive times. I will talk about how my faith has helped me console the hurting after natural disasters. How it has given me strength to stand up to and defeat a divisive Governor who was Trump before Trump. How it has brought me a level of peace after tragic losses. And even how it was tested but not broken after a mass shooting took the life of a close friend.

This book should also be an invitation to people of all faiths or simply strong values who believe we should spend less time judging and more time supporting each other. For anyone who wants to Make America Kind Again.

Oh, and the Good Samaritan is real. I met her in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

From “Go and Do Likewise” by Andy Beshear. Copyright © 2026 by the author, and reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

Unsealed FBI interviews reveal Obama, Emanuel’s discussions about Blagojevich Senate seat deal

2026-09-18T18:07:39-04:00 / Fox News

Newly obtained FD-302s reveal fresh information

By Michael Tobin Fox News

Published September 18, 2026 6:07pm EDT

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich among 11 individuals granted clemency by President Trump.

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Anyone who has a conversation with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is likely to hear his claim that he was never going to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former President Barack Obama in 2008, insisting his innocence in the high-profile case that led to him serving nearly eight years in federal prison.

Blagojevich has repeated for years that he was closing in on a deal to appoint Lisa Madigan to the U.S. Senate.

Hers is a name that has largely dropped out of the public arena. At the time of the scandal, Madigan served as Illinois attorney general. More relevant to this case, she is the daughter of the very powerful and entrenched then-Speaker of the Illinois House Mike Madigan.

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The former speaker has since gone to prison for a separate corruption case. (Welcome to Illinois.) Blagojevich claims he would have appointed Lisa to the Senate in exchange for the father supporting his healthcare package and budget.

Shortly after the arrest of Gov. Blagojevich in December 2009, both President-elect Obama and his incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, were interviewed by the FBI. Obama was interviewed Dec. 18, nine days after the governor was arrested. Emanuel was interviewed on the 20th. The records of those interviews were kept out of both criminal trials and away from the public, until now. Fox News has obtained the partially redacted FBI FD-302s of those interviews.

The Obama interview notes, “Obama was asked whether he was aware of Emanuel having a conversation with the Blagojevich administration regarding Lisa Madigan being considered for the Senate seat in exchange for legislation being passed.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks to the press outside his home in Chicago Feb. 10, 2025, after being pardoned by President Donald Trump. Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on corruption charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“Emanuel would have been aware that Lisa Madigan was an acceptable candidate to Obama. Emanuel had an open line of conversation with the Blagojevich administration.”

The Emanuel interview notes that, on Dec. 8, 2008, “(David) Axelrod and Emanuel went to see (U.S. Senator Dick) Durbin, D-Ill. In this meeting, they all agreed that Lisa Madigan would be a good candidate.

“As a result of this conversation, Emanuel contacted (Blagojevich Chief of staff, John) Harris and told him the merits of appointing Lisa Madigan as Senator.”

The next morning, Dec. 9, 2009, just after 6 a.m., Blagojevich was arrested at his home in Chicago.

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Then-U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald said, “Governor Blagojevich was arrested in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree. We acted to stop that crime spree.”

“That just proves the Madigan deal was very much front and center. It was something I was about to do,” Blagojevich said in light of the newly unsealed information. “There never was a crime spree that Mr. Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney, said he was stopping to justify arresting a sitting governor in his home.”

Other interesting notes from the interviews: President Obama initially wanted Valerie Jarrett to succeed him in the Senate. But he reversed his thinking early in the process, deciding “that he would like Jarrett to join him at the White House as a senior advisor.”

However, “Emanuel was still interested in Jarrett taking the Senate seat rather than working in the White House.”

Rahm Emanuel speaks during the Inaugural Events Of The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library July 3, 2026, in Medora, N.D.(Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library)

Because, according to the Emanuel interview, “the fact that she is the president-elect’s best friend, having her on the White House staff would be awkward.”

“Rahm’s a crafty, political, crafty, cunning and very effective political operator,” Blagojevich chimed in. “He was interested in being closer to the king.”

Eventually, according to the Emanuel interview, Obama became resolute.

“Obama told Emanuel he made a decision that Jarrett was going to the White House, and he was not going to reconsider this decision.”

After that, a gaggle of familiar names entered the ring for consideration: Tammy Duckworth, and Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who also went to prison for a separate case.

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Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. speaks at a Library of Congress rally.(Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

Then Obama, busy with establishing a new administration, stated, “He did not want to put his thumb on the scale.”

Still, he dispatched Emanuel to communicate with the governor’s office that “Obama was interested in someone who he thought would be a good senator for the people of Illinois and who could also hold the seat in the 2010 election.”

Blagojevich ended up appointing Roland Burris to Obama’s vacated seat. Burris did not run for re-election.

Republican Mark Kirk won the seat in 2010 and was defeated by Tammy Duckworth in 2016.

Blagojevich served 7 years, 11 months in prison until President Trump commuted his sentence in 2020. Blagojevich received a full pardon in 2025.

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Fox News reached out to both former President Obama and Rahm Emanuel. They did not respond.

Michael Tobin joined FOX News Channel (FNC) in 2001 and currently serves as a Chicago-based correspondent.

Behind the Scenes with Kaitlan Collins: Trump pushes back on AI guardrails as Kennedy Center votes to close amid name dispute

7:08 PM EDT, Fri September 18, 2026 / By Sebastian Alvarez, CNN

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Behind the Scenes with Kaitlan Collins: Trump pushes back on AI guardrails as Kennedy Center votes to close amid name dispute

President Trump resists AI regulations amid calls for greater oversight. The Kennedy Center board votes to close after chaotic call with Trump. Rep. Thomas Massie introduces articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports on the week at the White House.

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Trump signs Russia sanctions bill into law

September 18, 2026 10:09 PM UTC / Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump on Friday signed the sweeping Russia ​sanctions bill into law, the White ‌House said in a statement, paving the way for increased economic pressure on Russia over its ​invasion of Ukraine.

The legislation targets ​Russia’s energy and defense industries, as well ⁠as its “shadow fleet” of tankers that evade ​existing sanctions, in order to deprive Moscow ​of funds used to pay for its war with Ukraine.

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Critics say the legislation, which also levies tariffs ​on Russia’s biggest trading partners, could herald ​trouble for other countries as well if they find ‌themselves ⁠in Trump’s crosshairs in the future because it also authorizes the president to impose tariffs that could last well beyond his presidency.

The ​bill, now ​called the “Lindsey ⁠O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” to honor ​the South Carolina Republican who died in ​July, ⁠passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the Senate last month. Graham, a ⁠longtime ​Russia hawk, was a staunch ​backer of the legislation.

Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Daphne ​Psaledakis; Editing by Sergio Non and David Gaffen

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

RFK Jr. tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump’s White House

2026-09-18T16:28:11-0400 / AP

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave the keynote address Thursday at a conference of an anti-vaccine activist group he once chaired, telling the hundreds in attendance that they had a friend in President Donald Trump’s White House.

It was Kennedy’s first time appearing at the Children’s Health Defense conference since he became secretary. Kennedy took leave from the group when he launched his bid to become president in 2023, but his speech Thursday served as a sort of homecoming, offering him a platform from which to hail the administration’s steps to scale back vaccine guidance and reassure the activists in attendance that he was working to turn their priorities into policy.

“Let me be clear: You have a strong and steadfast friend in the White House. We’ve accomplished in 19 months things that would have seemed unthinkable two years ago,” he said.

The speech, peppered with questions about long-established vaccine safety, also highlighted how once fringe views on vaccines have been given a prominent pulpit under the Trump administration.

Kennedy boasted about the administration’s moves to downsize the childhood vaccination schedule and reshape a key vaccine advisory board — steps that have since been halted by a judge.

Kennedy lauded Trump for pushing ahead with attempts to overhaul vaccine guidance, including an executive order last month calling for spacing out the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, against medical groups’ recommendations.

That executive order and now Kennedy’s keynote speech at the Children’s Health Defense conference mark a pivot by the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, who earlier this year had appeared to be moving beyond vaccine efforts and toward a less contentious agenda on healthy food ahead of November’s midterm elections. HHS promoted the speech on its social media channels.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, chaired Children’s Health Defense for years. He served as the group’s chief legal counsel and expanded it. After becoming health secretary last year, Kennedy moved at a blistering pace to overhaul public health guidance and revamp long-held precedents in vaccine policymaking.

Critics, among them many of the country’s top medical associations, have said the moves risk stoking vaccine hesitancy and sowing confusion among Americans who endured a crisis of trust in their public health agencies following the COVID-19 pandemic. That public confidence continues to erode.

“We have not taken vaccines away from anybody. We have preserved access. But we have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years,” Kennedy told the group.

Mary Holland, the CEO of Children’s Health Defense, referred to Kennedy as “Bobby” and said the group has “gratitude beyond words” to the HHS secretary for “recognizing there are real consequential issues around childhood vaccinations.”

Kennedy’s appearance Thursday comes as the country faces its worst year for measles since 1991 and has seen seven reported measles-associated deaths in the last two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.

Pennsylvania officials have reported four measles-associated deaths this year. None of the four were vaccinated, according to the state health department. When state officials last month announced the first two of those deaths, it ignited a public feud between Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kennedy.

Shapiro blasted Kennedy’s appearance on the social media site X Thursday, saying Kennedy “chose to spend his time today addressing the premier vaccine-denial conference in America.”

Shapiro said the HHS secretary should have encouraged people to get vaccinated for measles, “yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he pushed a narrative that continues to stoke fear and mistrust.”

A representative from the White House did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment on Kennedy’s appearance at the event.

Following Kennedy onstage Thursday was Andrew Wakefield, an author of a since-discredited study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism, which has fueled the anti-vaccine movement even though it was retracted.

Widespread scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link between vaccines and autism.

Shaughnessy Naughton, founder of 314 Action, a group that recruits scientists to run for public office, said Kennedy’s decision to give a speech at the conference shows “the lack of seriousness he brings to HHS.”

“With a deadly measles outbreak killing people in Pennsylvania, the best thing Kennedy can do for Americans is step aside.”

Trump is talking with Senate’s Thune about bill to cut data-center electricity costs

2026-09-18T21:22:35.603Z / Reuters

By Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh

September 18, 2026 9:22 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks with reporters following the Republican weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump ​said on Friday he is engaging with Republican Senate Majority ​Leader John Thune about bringing to the floor a bill aimed at protecting households from electricity cost increases tied to the expansion of data centers.

“Well, ​I’m talking to him about it. We’ll see what happens,” ​Trump told reporters on Friday.

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Lawmakers from both parties have ⁠faced growing constituent concerns over rising electricity costs associated with the ​industry’s surging power demand.

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Earlier this week, the Republican-majority House of Representatives ​voted 417 to 3 in favor of the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require state utility regulators to consider whether large electricity users, including data centers, should ​bear the incremental costs of power infrastructure built to serve ​them.

An attempt by Senate Republicans to get the bill quickly passed failed on ‌Thursday.

Senator ⁠Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, blocked the proposal, after its sponsor, Republican Senator Jon Husted, requested unanimous consent for a vote without a roll ​call.

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Heinrich said the bill ​did not ⁠go far enough by relying on voluntary commitments from states and data center developers.

Trump strongly backs data ​center development as critical to leadership in artificial ​intelligence. Trump ⁠said this week data centers make people and states wealthy, calling them the “oil of the next 20, 25 years.”

Just 11% of Americans ⁠would support ​construction of an AI data center ​in their community, according to a recent poll by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/fca7154d-7fc6-47d3-a771-17fdd743b518

Reporting by ​Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by David Gaffen

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.