Welcome to the is the online version of From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the Jattvibe News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, we explore how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is breaking from other top Republicans on AI, as polls reflect the public’s concern with the technology. Plus, Jonathan Allen dives into the Trump administration’s new “war on fraud.”Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Adam WollnerRon DeSantis carves out a distinct GOP lane on AIBy Matt Dixon and Henry J. GomezFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t sold on the massive expansion of AI. And that belief might be his way back to national political relevance. The Republican governor is appealing to a growing number of people who have concerns that AI’s rapid buildup, fueled in part by taxpayer dollars, could displace jobs, increase energy costs and hurt the environment. DeSantis’ positions stand in direct contrast to the embrace of the AI industry by President Donald Trump and the two likeliest potential candidates to snag his 2028 presidential endorsement: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.“We don’t want to see them building a massive data center and then sending you the bill,” DeSantis said this month when asked about AI companies. “Data centers take up the power equivalent of a half-a-million-person city. We feel very, very strongly about protecting the consumer.”For DeSantis, the embrace of AI skepticism is rooted in both personal policy preference and a 2028-focused political calculation as the term-limited governor plots out his political future, according to eight sources, most of whom have either worked in his administration or for his past campaigns at both the state and national levels. “It’s kind of a no-brainer, right? You’ve got JD Vance and Marco Rubio, the top two contenders for 2028 big time in the pro-AI lane,” a longtime DeSantis adviser said. “The infrastructure is lining up behind JD and to some extent Marco. So, DeSantis’ challenge is to stay relevant.”Read more from Matt and Henry →What the polls say about AI: Gallup polling found that 12% of Americans now report using AI daily at work, Adam Noboa notes. While the number seems modest, it represents a threefold increase in just over a year, from 4% in mid-2024.AI usage by white-collar workers is more pronounced than among blue-collar workers, according to Gallup’s polling, but pessimism regarding AI’s impact on the labor market cuts across the typical dividing line for social and cultural issues.An Economist/YouGov poll found 63% of American adults thought that advances in AI would lead to an overall decrease in jobs. There was little difference in opinion based on education: 67% of those with college degrees and 61% of those without degrees shared this concern.This pessimism does appear to be greater than concerns about computers in the workplace at the turn of the century. In 1999, a NPR/Kaiser/Harvard Technology survey found that 32% thought computers would lead to a decrease in jobs, while 43% thought they would lead to an increase and 23% thought computers wouldn’t make a difference.That means today’s anxiety about AI is nearly twice as high as the computer anxiety of the late ’90s, as overall attitudes toward AI seem to resemble the mix of skepticism and curiosity seen during the early rise of the internet. Read more from Adam →A three-level Minnesota brawl opens Trump’s ‘war on fraud’Analysis by Jonathan AllenWhen Vice President JD Vance announced yesterday that the Trump administration would withhold a whopping $259 million in Medicaid reimbursements from Minnesota, he said that he was “quite confident” that federal officials have the legal power to pause the money. He was also announcing his presence as the new White House fraud czar with authority.At a 30,000-foot level, the move is the latest in the Trump administration’s broader argument that the executive branch has the power to impound — or withhold — money appropriated by Congress. President Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 after he held back aid for Ukraine while trying to get that nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to open an investigation into Trump’s leading rival for the presidency, Democrat Joe Biden. In his second term, Trump has shown no signs of slowing down his appetite for using his own discretion to determine when and how to spend legally appropriated money. Congress, of course, has the primary power over the nation’s purse strings. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from freezing money for grants, welfare programs and a tunnel project for New York and New Jersey — as well as pushing to eliminate entire agencies established by Congress. At times, courts have stepped in to countermand his orders.From the height of 15,000 feet, Democrats say the president is abusing his power — and exceeding its legal limits — to overrule Congress and punish his political adversaries.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused the feds of directing “targeted retribution against a state that the president doesn’t like.” Vance and other administration officials say they are trying to spare taxpayers from fraudulent Medicaid payments in the state.At the ground level, the temporary pause in funding is about half the dollar amount that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid threatened to hold back in a January letter to Minnesota.The legal authority, according to CMS, stems from federal regulations that require states to submit, maintain and, upon the direction of the agency, re-adjust plans to combat fraud in the federal-state program.The Supreme Court long gave deference to federal regulations in interpreting the law. But that began to change in 2024, and it will be interesting to see whether CMS’ freeze of Minnesota’s Medicaid reimbursements end up in a courtroom and whether the anti-fraud regulations supersede Congress’ approval of the funding.🗞️ Today’s other top stories🎙️ Split screen: In his State of the Union address, Trump said the U.S. has experienced a “turnaround for the ages,” while peppering his speech with dark reminders of crimes and tragedies, Peter Nicholas writes. Read more →🎤 Clinton deposition: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Oversight Committee she has no new information about Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, criticizing Republicans’ handling of their investigations into the late convicted sex offender. Read more →🇮🇷 Iran update: The U.S. and Iran met in Geneva for high-stakes nuclear talks as Trump pressures Tehran with the threat of military action. Read more →🤝 We meet again: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had a “productive” meeting at the White House with Trump, saying he is looking forward to building more housing” in the city. Read more →🗣️ We need to talk: Top Senate Republicans are skeptical about using a “talking filibuster” to pass the SAVE America Act, despite increased pressure from the right. Read more →🗺️ Redistricting ripple effects: The new congressional map Texas enacted last year is pitting the newest Democrat in Congress against one of his longest-serving colleagues in next week’s primary. Read more →⬅️ The purge: The FBI, at the direction of Director Kash Patel, has fired at least a half-dozen agents tied to the 2022 search of Trump’s home in Florida. Read more →🏒 Off the rink: Hilary Knight, the captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team, said she thought Trump’s joke about being obligated to invite their team to the White House or risk impeachment was “distasteful.” Read more →That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@Jattvibeuni.comAnd if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here.