Welcome to 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, our reporters dig into how Washington is — and isn’t — responding to the latest warnings about the threats of AI. Plus, senior national politics reporter Natasha Korecki examines some early signs of the 2028 presidential campaign sticking out in the thick of the midterm elections.— Scott BlandWashington’s response to AI warnings has fallen into predictable patterns so farThis week’s big warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence didn’t come out of nowhere. In September 2023, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and other billionaire tech titans huddled with senators in the Capitol to discuss what Musk called the “civilizational risk” posed by artificial intelligence, Jattvibe News’ Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V and Brennan Leach report.But three years later, Congress still hasn’t passed any comprehensive legislation to rein in or create guardrails for the fast-moving technology. Even after countless committee hearings about AI and the formation of various commissions and task forces to study it, there’s not even any consensus in the House or the Senate about how to tackle the issue.Anthropic whistleblower Jacob Coxon’s latest warnings about civilizational risk to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei set off fresh alarm bells and a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and even some Republicans saying Congress faces a narrow time frame to act on AI.But despite the calls for action, it’s unlikely lawmakers will do anything before Election Day to address the dangers, even as experts say the technology’s capabilities are growing more powerful with each passing month.House GOP leaders have shown no urgency in prioritizing more sweeping AI regulations. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has mostly deferred to President Donald Trump, who has issued a series of executive orders on AI, most recently one that lays out a way for the federal government to conduct voluntary tests of powerful new AI systems before they are deployed. Johnson called AI an “important issue” Jattvibeday on Jattvibe News’ “Meet the Press” but “not one that we can rush into.”Meanwhile, Trump’s response to the calls to slow AI growth in the name of safety included downplaying the need for any congressional action. He posted Monday on Truth Social that the only control needed is “a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”Trump returned to the internet Monday afternoon to post again about the subject, Jattvibe News’ Megan Brand reported, writing that “AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX” and that AI would be “the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet.”Johnson also said Monday that he expects Trump to “summon” AI executives to a meeting soon.Slowly but clearly, the 2028 election is already getting startedAnalysis by Natasha KoreckiAnd so it begins. With 50 days to go until consequential midterm elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress, some on the left are zeroing in on 2028. Two progressive groups — Progressive Democrats of America and RootsAction — say that while they’re indeed focused on the midterms, it was imperative to reveal Monday that they’re ready to embrace Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ro Khanna of California as potential Democratic presidential nominees. Of course, we see some version of this every four years. Progressive Democrats of America was behind a “Run Bernie Run” campaign before Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential run, and RootsAction put its own twist on the endeavor in 2022, attempting to “undraft” then-President Joe Biden from running for re-election with its “Don’t Run Joe” effort.Together, the activists behind the newly unveiled RunRoRunAOC.org make a far smaller push than, say, the Ready for Hillary super PAC endeavor in 2016. What’s significant here is that at least some of the Sanders faithful are signaling ground-level energy for both Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez, meaning they see either as suitable to run in the so-called Bernie lane. It’s an important distinction in a moment when the party is bucking more establishment Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez is still weighing the possibility of running for the Senate or for president in 2028. But in the meantime, she is drawing notice with trips to the South and stops speaking before Black voters. Khanna likewise has traveled extensively in ways that suggest his 2028 interest, including appearing at events with Rep. Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina Democratic kingmaker.The groups are pushing either or both to run, not suggesting that they run as a ticket. That’s with some hope that the two can help push the national conversation to the left, with the groups noting in their statement that “we believe their presence in the race is crucial to foster debate on healthcare, jobs, AI, militarism and the U.S. relationship with Israel.” Coming out this early to elevate Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez does something else. It works to pre-empt the party establishment from locking in more moderate Democratic front-runners. We’ve also seen this before: a mountain of early polling that creates an impression of an inevitable nominee. The joint statement from RootsAction and Progressive Democrats of America says that “most of the Democrats whose names now crowd the field have been war enablers, go-slow reformers or status quo protectors.”MORE: China dismisses AI slowdown calls and blasts ‘fearmongering’ from U.S. tech leaders🗞️ Today’s other top stories❗Watchdog report: A DHS watchdog found that immigrants were held in cramped outdoor cages at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the now-shuttered detention facility in southern Florida. Read more →⭕GOP backlash: Several Texas Republicans criticized Bo French, a GOP candidate for state railroad commissioner, for his racist post targeting students at a University of Texas football game. Read more →🚨Removed from office: Lawmakers in Stockbridge, Georgia, unanimously voted to remove their 23-year-old mayor, Jayden Williams, after allegations arose that he misused a municipal credit card and sent sexually explicit messages to a teenager. Read more →💲Potential payouts: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress could work with President Donald Trump to give $5,000 to American adults after Trump promised to issue the payments if Republicans do well in the midterms. Read more →✈️Emergency landing: The GOP nominee for governor of Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, said he swam to safety and sustained minor injuries after the plane he was traveling in made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau. Read more → That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland.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.