Backed by Anthropic, a Super PAC Group Begins an Ad Blitz in Support of A.I. Regulation; The New York Times, February 23, 2026

 Cecilia Kang, The New York Times ; Backed by Anthropic, a Super PAC Group Begins an Ad Blitz in Support of A.I. Regulation

The ads by Public First Action, which started airing on Monday, are part of an escalating political war over artificial intelligence before the midterm elections.

"A new ad campaign on Monday warned northern New Jersey residents that Congress could leave them vulnerable to harm by artificial intelligence.

The ad, which opens with photos of A.I.-generated women smiling on social media alongside A.I.-generated headlines, urged voters to tell their House representative to vote against a bill that would block states from creating protections against A.I. scams.

“He can make sure A.I. serves us, not the other way around,” the ad said of Josh Gottheimer, the Democratic co-chair of the House’s new A.I. commission, which is expected to heavily influence legislation on the topic. “New Jersey families come before Big Tech’s bottom line.”

The $300,000 ad campaign was paid for by Public First Action, a super PAC operation backed by the A.I. start-up Anthropic. Focused on New Jersey, the campaign is likely to run several weeks — part of several similar initiatives by the group nationally."

Stephen Colbert says CBS lawyers pulled James Talarico interview as early voting begins in Texas; AP, February 17, 2026

MEG KINNARD, JIM VERTUNO AND JOHN HANNA, AP; Stephen Colbert says CBS lawyers pulled James Talarico interview as early voting begins in Texas

"Late-night host Stephen Colbert said his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was pulled from Monday night’s broadcast over network fears it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration on giving equal time to political candidates.

The issue came just hours before early voting opened Tuesday in Texas’ primary elections, which feature hotly contested Senate nomination races in both parties. 

“He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said on his program, ”The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

“Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”"

DOJ outlines Russia’s disinformation campaigns designed to interfere with U.S. election; PBS News, September 4, 2024

Amna Nawaz, Kyle Midura , PBS News; DOJ outlines Russia’s disinformation campaigns designed to interfere with U.S. election

"Attorney General Merrick Garland outlined sophisticated disinformation campaigns undertaken by Russia to interfere with the U.S. presidential election. He warned that Russia is pumping lies into the U.S. via fake news outlets and real social media influencers. Amna Nawaz discussed more with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby."

Trump campaign ordered to stop using classic R&B song; Associated Press via Politico, September 3, 2024

Associated Press via Politico; Trump campaign ordered to stop using classic R&B song; Associated Press via Politico

"A federal judge in Atlanta ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump and his campaign must stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” while the family of one of the song’s co-writers pursues a lawsuit against the former president over its use.

The estate of Isaac Hayes Jr. filed a lawsuit last month alleging that Trump, his campaign and several of his allies had infringed its copyright and should pay damages. After a hearing on the estate’s request for an emergency preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that Trump must stop using the song, but he denied a request to force the campaign to take down any existing videos that include the song."

How AI-generated memes are changing the 2024 election; NPR, August 30, 2024

 Shannon Bond, NPR; How AI-generated memes are changing the 2024 election

"There's a lack of consensus among the companies behind AI generators over what guardrails should be in place. OpenAI, the maker of DALL-E and ChatGPT, prohibits users from creating images of public figures, including political candidates and celebrities. But the recently launched AI image generator on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, appears to have fewer limits. When NPR tested it in mid-August, the tool produced depictions that appear to show Trump and Harris holding firearms and ballot drop boxes being stuffed."