WEEKLY POINTS
This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes
Editor’s Note: Good Monday morning. Don’t forget to register for our upcoming AI event in Los Angeles. Details below.
I DATA CENTERS IN SPACE
Google will launch an experimental data center into space on Thursday. The launch is part of Google’s Project Suncatcher, which aims to put AI data centers into space and use solar energy to power them. Known as MVP, the data center Google is launching won’t be a full data center. It’s an experimental test to help Google get real-world data on engineering challenges, including withstanding radiation in space and protecting potential data centers during launch.
>> Dig deeper into the debate on data centers on Earth here.
I BIPARTISAN BILL TARGETS AI-POWERED SCAMS
A bipartisan duo of lawmakers will introduce a bill to combat online fraud, with a special focus on AI-powered scams. The Stopping Abuse and Fraud Enabled By Platforms Act (SAFE Act) would penalize platforms that knowingly spread fraudulent content and require them to make design changes to prevent misleading advertising and the creation of fraudulent accounts. As part of those requirements, it would limit Section 230, a provision in the Communications Decency Act that shields platforms from liability for content users post.
>> Find out more about AI-powered scams here.
I STUDENT DEATHS PUT KRATOM IN SPOTLIGHT
Officials in Mississippi are warning residents and students to avoid taking kratom after two University of Mississippi students died last week. The students were found in different locations, both with packages of kratom. The state warns that, while toxicology reports for the two students are not complete, they suspect kratom may have played a role in the deaths. Kratom is legal at the federal level, but 11 states have banned it. Other states, including Mississippi, have regulated it, including requiring someone to be at least 21 years old to purchase kratom products.
>> See how state governments are approaching kratom here.
I SUPREME COURT ALLOWS FEDERAL VOTER SCREENING TOOL AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can deploy an online system that combines citizenship information, Social Security, and other sensitive information and that the federal government and states can use that system to hunt for ineligible voters. The ruling came in response to an emergency appeal and offered no reasoning. The court’s three liberal justices joined in a dissent, arguing the ruling created conditions for states to cancel voter registrations of recently naturalized citizens.
>> Understand state efforts to secure elections here.
I SENATE INVESTIGATES FLOCK CAMERAS
A bipartisan group of senators expressed alarm over the use of AI-powered surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers (ALPRs), such as Flock cameras, during a hearing last week. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he was concerned that creating billions of AI-searchable images could affect the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy, while Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted differences between systems such as Flock and cameras previously used for toll and traffic enforcement. House lawmakers have introduced at least four bills on AI surveillance cameras, including one that would ban federal agencies from purchasing or operating systems that track people through ALPRs, facial recognition, or biometric identification, and another that would require a warrant for federal officers to access information from state- or locally controlled Flock camera systems.
>> Explore the debate about Flock cameras here.
Join ASP & Reuters in Los Angeles on October 26, 2026 for a conversation about how advancements in AI are changing the workforce, from jobs and media to the economy and beyond.
ASP’s Mark Kassen and Ken Li, Reuters Global Technology Editor, will dig into how AI is shaping jobs and the economy, how businesses are approaching the changing economic landscape, and how policymakers can respond.
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UNDERSTANDING AI-DRIVEN UNEMPLOYMENT
Technology-driven job loss is not new, but is this time different? How does AI-driven unemployment compare to past technological shifts, and what can history tell us about what comes next?
TALKING POINTS
Stay ahead of the stories driving national conversations
I EXPLAINER
RECESS ISN’T A BREAK FOR CONGRESS
Find out what your lawmakers are doing when Congress isn’t in session
I EXPLAINER
SNAIL MAIL
The Government Accountability Office has a theory on why your mail’s so slow 🐌
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