Democratic legislative candidates in Virginia have a fundraising edge due in part to donations from a George Soros-linked political action committee and having more nomination contests than their Republican counterparts, a nonprofit found.

The fundraising lead comes as the historically-red state, which has leaned blue in recent years, just elected a Republican governor for the first time since 2009 and the state’s political parties see new opportunities to win additional seats in the legislature.

Candidates for the Virginia Senate and for the House of Delegates collectively raised more than $20 million from April 1 to June 8, with Democratic candidates bringing in about $14 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics.

Virginia’s primary election is next week, Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

Some of the other biggest fundraising totals came from northern Virginia, where a political action committee funded by liberal donor George Soros has shelled out major money for prosecutor races.

The races include backing incumbents in Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties — many of whom won four years ago with a focus on criminal justice reform agendas — who are seeking reelection.

Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has raised $437,775, most of which coming from the Soros-linked Justice and Public Safety PAC.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano has raised $208,468, including a contribution from the Soros-linked PAC.

Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj raised $163,838, although she did not receive money from Soros.

Democrats also led fundraising efforts in the state’s legislature.

Democratic legislative candidates ended it with more cash on hand, according to the nonprofit group’s analysis of campaign finance disclosures, as they had about a collective $2 million advantage in the Senate and a cash advantage of about $400,000 for House races.

All the 10 largest legislative fundraisers were Democratic candidates, the nonprofit found.

Democrats have more than twice as many Senate nomination contests to be settled next week than the Republicans, also contributing to the discrepancy.

Monday’s reporting did not include fundraising hauls for committees like Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia, only candidates seeking an office that’s on the ballot on Election Day in November.

The fundraising haul is not entirely good news for the state’s Democrats as it shows some political in-fighting as lucrative candidates are attempting to oust seasoned incumbents.

Virginia’s campaign finance law allows unlimited contributions, including those from individuals, corporations and special interest groups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. companies that give China artificial intelligence-driven technology to violate the human rights of its citizens need to be punished by Congress with prison terms for U.S. executives, a witness told senators in a hearing Tuesday.

Geoffrey Cain, senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, warned at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing that AI is helping to power China’s growing ‘surveillance state’ and said U.S. companies have contributed to this human rights problem.

‘China built its AI surveillance apparatus with the connivance and complacency of major American technology firms,’ Cain said in his prepared remarks. ‘The science corporation ThermoFisher, for example, was caught selling DNA collection equipment directly to Xinjiang police authorities, who used them for mass gathering of genetic data on the minority Uyghur population.

‘Since the late 1990s, Microsoft has established itself as the training ground for China’s AI elites through its Beijing-based laboratory, Microsoft Research Asia,’ he added. ‘The laboratory has trained many of the AI leaders and developers who went on to found or join the executive leadership of rights-abusing firms, such as Sensetime, Megvii and iFlyTek.’

Cain’s group, the Foundation for American Innovation, said it was founded to ensure technology is ‘aligned to serve human ends: promoting individual freedom, supporting strong institutions, advancing national security, and unleashing economic prosperity. But he said China has so far used AI to inflict human rights abuses on religious minorities in China.

‘The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engineered a vast AI-powered surveillance system literally called ‘Sky Net,’’ he said. ‘It runs AI-powered ‘alarms’ that notify the police and intelligence services when someone unfurls a banner, when a foreign journalist is traveling to certain parts of the country and when someone from an ethnic minority is present.

‘The government accuses entire groups, such as Muslim Uyghurs, of posing a terrorist threat and relentlessly persecutes them with the use of AI tools.’

Cain said that while tech leaders, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, have urged closer cooperation with China, Chinese officials have shown there’s no reason to work with China at all.

‘We must abandon the misguided idealism of working with Chinese companies and government bodies with the hope that AI will change the political system, allow for the opening of democratic discourse, and create safer global AI regulations,’ he said. ‘Rather than helping advance innovation, we will be doing the world a disservice by handing the keys to the CCP.’

Instead of working with China, Congress should be looking to ensure the U.S. remains the leader on AI innovation and is in a position to draw talent and resources away from China.

‘The most advanced American technologies and investments must not be allowed to flow in the direction of China,’ he said. ‘We must work against China’s ambitions to develop advanced AI systems, influence global standards and oppress dissidents around the world.’

The U.S. should also punish companies that help China, he added.

‘So far, American technology giants have faced no punishment for their involvement in China’s surveillance state,’ Cain said. ‘This subcommittee may consider drafting a bill that requires public corporations to publish their due diligence reports on their activities in China and the risks they have encountered with regards to human rights there.

‘The subcommittee may also consider drafting a bill that criminalizes specific American business activities in China that are likely to support, directly or indirectly, human rights abuses by the CCP,’ he added. ‘This would include prison time for American business executives involved in helping develop any form of AI in partnership with a Chinese entity if the CCP will likely use that technology for the oppression of human rights and democratic values.’

Congress has taken an active interest in regulating AI this year, but so far has yet to pass anything close to a comprehensive bill that addresses various issues raised by companies and interest groups.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has been meeting with companies as he considers a broad AI bill in the Senate but has yet to introduce anything.

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The next generation is trusting their news-gathering and fact-checking to TikTok and Instagram personalities rather than mainstream media and journalists, according to a report.

A study conducted for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, part of Britain’s University of Oxford, found 55% of TikTok users and 52% of Instagram users get their news from ‘personalities’ on the respective platforms.

The figure of those who get their news from mainstream media and journalists on those same platforms falls to just 33% on TikTok and 42% on Instagram, per the 2023 Digital News Report.

Nic Newman, a senior research associate at the Reuters Institute, wrote in the report: ‘Perhaps the most striking findings in this year’s report relate to the changing nature of social media, partly characterized by declining engagement with traditional networks such as Facebook and the rise of TikTok and a range of other video-led networks.’

According to Newman, young people are now, more than ever, more influenced by ‘influencers’ on the platform for trends, advice and now even news.

‘Our data show, more clearly than ever, how this shift is strongly influenced by habits of the youngest generations, who have grown up with social media and nowadays often pay more attention to influencers or celebrities than they do to journalists, even when it comes to news,’ he wrote.

This trend did not reflect on older platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where those who access those platforms chose to follow mainstream news outlets over personalities for their news, 43-38 and 55-42, respectively.

TikTok also uniquely stood out among the list of social media platforms, including YouTube and Snapchat, as more users (44%) are trusting ‘ordinary people’ for getting their news. No other platform was above 37%.

The 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report also found more young people are choosing social media to serve them the news over directly accessing news websites or apps.

In 2018, nearly 1-in-3 young people (32%) chose mainstream media websites or apps to receive their news online. This figure has fallen to just over 1-in-5 (22%) in 2023.

Conversely, the number of young people choosing social media to get their news in 2018 was 23%, jumping to 30% this year.

For comparison, most adults over 35 years old (52%) chose to access online news by going directly to a news website or app. Only 24% of people ages 18-24 did the same.

The report concluded that young people have grown increasingly critical of the news media, which is widely driven by politicians and others.

Reuters Institute director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen said in a forward that these shifts present ‘a much more fundamental change’ for broadcast news and digital platforms.

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, defended himself on Twitter after a fact-checker claimed he was wrong about former President Obama, Iran and its ‘right’ to have nuclear technology during a speech he gave last month.

In a series of tweets, Cruz described the fact-checkers as ‘partisan, left-wing liars’ and said their fact-check of a speech he gave to the Hudson Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, last month was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘self-refuting.’

The Texas Republican then claimed the fact-checker misrepresented his words about the former president and then falsely rated his remarks.

‘Of course, I didn’t say Obama said Iran had a ‘right’ to nuclear weapons… they laughably rate my statement ‘mostly false’ because Obama didn’t say…what I didn’t say he said,’ the senator tweeted.

The disagreement seems to stem from the use of the phrases ‘nuclear technology’ and ‘nuclear weapons.’

Speaking at the Hudson Institute on May 17, Cruz said Obama ‘gave a speech where he said Iran has a right to nuclear technology.’ The comment appears to reference an address the former president gave at the University of Cairo on June 4, 2009.

Later in his speech, no longer quoting Obama, Cruz added in his own words: ‘I gotta say, that’s utterly imbecilic. I’m familiar with the right to life, with the right to liberty, or the right to pursuit of happiness. I’m not familiar with the right to nuclear weapons. Only a fool would want the Ayatollah to have nuclear weapons.’

PolitiFact addressed the comments and determined his line about Obama’s speech was ‘mostly false’ as the former president did not support Iran having ‘nuclear weapons.’

But, as Cruz points out in his tweets, he said ‘nuclear technology’ when quoting Obama — not ‘nuclear weapons,’ which he personally added later.

‘I said Obama said Iran had a ‘right’ to ‘nuclear technology,’’ Cruz wrote on Twitter. ‘He DID say that—as PolitiFact ADMITS—but they laughably rate my statement ‘mostly false’ because Obama didn’t say…what I didn’t say he said.’

The Texan added: ‘And, of course, they ignore my broader point: Iran doesn’t want nuclear technology bc they need electricity—they have tons of oil—the want nukes only to carry out their genocidal, theocratic war cry of ‘Death to America! and Death to Israel!’’

Fox News Digital reached out to Cruz’s office for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.

In the 2009 address, Obama supported Iran’s use of nuclear power but condemned any country from having nuclear weapons.

Obama said in 2009 that ‘any nation — including Iran — should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,’ according to an excerpt from the White House.

The former president went on to say he wanted ‘a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.’

His full quotation reads (emphasis added): ‘I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons. And that’s why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation — including Iran — should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I’m hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.’

Later in the speech, Obama applauded ‘nuclear energy’ that is ‘used for peaceful purposes.’

Cruz’s speech at the Washington, D.C. think tank addressed Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which is nearing 500 days, its cooperation with Iran, the Biden administration’s response to the invasion and the events of the Obama administration which proceeded it.

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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is pushing back against the Biden administration’s regulations targeting popular home appliances including natural gas-powered furnaces and stoves.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Manchin criticized the Department of Energy (DOE) for its aggressive energy efficiency rulemakings, arguing the agency should allow the free market to improve product technology rather than force such changes through regulation. Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, expressed concern with rules aimed at electrifying gas appliances. 

‘It absolutely shows you how disconnected the [DOE] is with the facts and reality of what’s happening to the grid system,’ Manchin told Fox News Digital. ‘We’ve had so many warnings from [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] and [North American Electric Reliability Corporation] and everybody else that the grid is strained to say the least.’ 

‘And we’re taking more dispatchable power off the grid. That means 24/7, mostly fossil — because of the movement of this administration. It is putting us in the danger zone, the grid,’ he continued. ‘With all the movement and demand for more electric appliances that would take the place of gas whether it be a stove or furnace. It absolutely makes no sense and is not in check with reality. Absolutely not.’

Over the last several months, the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has unveiled new standards for a wide variety of appliances including clothes washers, refrigerators, air conditioners and dishwashers. The administration boasted in December that it had taken 110 actions on energy efficiency rules in 2022 alone as part of its climate agenda.

The agency has taken particular aim at gas-powered appliances in an effort to curb carbon emissions and tackle global warming. Climate activists have argued that electrification, banning natural gas hookups and implementing strict energy efficiency standards could reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but experts have expressed concern such a shift could strain the power grid and lead to increased consumer costs.

In February, the DOE proposed gas stove rules that would, if implemented, eliminate an estimated 50% of the current stove models on the market. And the agency is expected to soon finalize gas furnace regulations that are expected to wipe out 60% of current models. 

‘You cannot eliminate your way to a cleaner environment,’ Manchin said. ‘It’s not going to work. It’s not feasible. It won’t be done. The rest of the world won’t follow and Asia is going to produce about 90% of all pollution in the next ten years. It’s where all the pollution is coming from. Innovation is the only way to go. If you want a clean environment, then you have to do it through technology and innovation.’

‘People want efficiency, but they also want reliability,’ the West Virginia senator added. ‘If I can buy something that I’ve been using to replace it and it’ll do the same, if not better, and do it cleaner and cheaper, there’s not a bit of problem there. The market will change. But forcing it, thinking you’re going to penalize and force people before the technology is in place — I said if it’s not feasible, it’s not reasonable.’

In February, Manchin and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act which would prevent new federal regulations restricting which gas stoves Americans are able to purchase. Manchin said he expects the bill to ultimately receive a vote with Democratic support.

‘Telling me I can’t buy something because you want the market to change and switch to something different and it’s not going to have a relevant change in the environment is absolutely ridiculous,’ Manchin continued. ‘That’s when you’re going to get all the pushback. I’m going to be pushing back.’ 

‘I can assure you in our committee, we’re not supporting any of the craziness.’

House Democrats this week dismissed allegations President Biden improperly accepted money from a Ukrainian company during the Obama administration, but defended his administration for charging his likely 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump, with crimes.

‘I’ve seen a lot of allegations against President Biden by MAGA Republicans, but the truth is they’ve amounted to nothing. … I don’t think they have a lot of credibility. But, look, they can knock themselves out,’ Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said when asked about whether there should be an investigation into the Biden allegations.

‘All I want them to do is pay America’s bills, fund the government and keep Ukraine in the fight. And if they want to waste their time on worthless investigations, they’ll have to answer to the American people for why they chose to do that.’

But he defended Biden’s Justice Department for indicting Trump for allegedly mishandling of classified documents and attempts to obstruct officials’ attempts to get them back.

‘I think the former president put the Department of Justice in an impossible position. I think if they wanted the documents back when it was clear that, not only would he not get them back, but he was going to have others lie on his behalf. There was really no alternative,’ Swalwell said. ‘I think if you take the politics out, you see, you can’t have top secret documents that protect our troops outside of a protected area.’

Republicans in Congress have seized on an FBI document they say shows Biden took $5 million from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that gave his son Hunter a seat on its board when he was vice president. A whistleblower has also allegedly come forward to congressional Republicans claiming audio recordings exist of a Burisma executive bribing Biden.

Those allegations come as Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination to face Biden in 2024, entered a not guilty plea in a Miami court while facing 37 criminal counts. A grand jury voted on the charges after a months-long investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Both Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Jason Crow, D-Colo., had little to say about the Biden allegations while sounding off about Trump.

‘I have no reason to think that any of that is true,’  Torres said when asked if the Biden bribery claims have merit and should be investigated. However, he backed Garland’s appointment of Smith as an ‘apolitical decision.’

‘The attorney general followed an apolitical process of appointing a special prosecutor who made the decision to indict former President Trump independently of the president,’ Torres said. ‘If former President Trump had never obstructed justice and had simply handed over the documents upon request, then there never would have been an indictment.’

Crow said he does not ‘believe there’s merit’ to the Biden bribery allegations before pivoting to Trump.

‘You know, there’s a lot of counter facts that people try to generate on their own. But the fact of the matter is, you know, I’ve spent my adult life serving this country and promoting U.S. national security,’ Crow, a former Army ranger, said. ‘And I was completely appalled when I saw these pictures of boxes of documents sitting in Donald Trump’s bathroom. You know, I had to spend my life getting security clearances, being very careful about it.

‘Now, I’m on the Intel Committee. I understand the risk that our intelligence officials, that our servicemen and women, face every single day if information gets leaked,’ he added. ‘And just the very cavalier way in which President Trump treated that, and even admitted on record and in recordings that he wasn’t supposed to be showing stuff to certain people that weren’t cleared. It’s really appalling to me.’

He also pointed out that Trump had been indicted by a jury of Americans.

‘That’s how it works in America. It’s not a political process, and we just have to let it play it out,’ Crow said.

Massachusetts is launching what Gov. Maura Healey described Tuesday as the nation’s ‘first green bank dedicated to affordable housing’ — an effort to address two of the state’s top challenges: grappling with the effects of climate change and easing a dire housing market.

The goal of the $50 million Massachusetts Community Climate Bank is to increase investment in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector, focused in large part on affordable and public housing developments, said Healey, a Democrat.

‘Other states have started climate banks. Ours, though, is the country’s first climate bank that is dedicated to housing — affordable housing in particular. That is the primary focus,’ she said at a Statehouse press conference. ‘We’re centering environmental justice for folks hit hardest by the climate impacts and high energy costs.’

In Massachusetts, buildings account for more than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions — a number that rises to about 70% in the state’s larger, densely-populated cities, Healey said.

The goal of the fund is to help ‘decarbonize’ buildings using a number of strategies, from adding heat pumps and high efficiency appliances to rehabbing older housing complexes by upgrading windows and walls and adding solar panels.

Healey, who has said reducing the state’s carbon emissions is one of her administration’s priorities, said the initial $50 million will help the state to attract additional federal and private funds and could help generate thousands of jobs.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, also a Democrat, said it’s important not to address climate change in isolation, but to see it as part of a range of challenges facing Boston and the state in general.

‘Fossil fuel-free housing is one of those critical intersections where climate, quality of life, health equity and economic justice meet,’ Wu said, adding that Boston is one of the cities where buildings account for about 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.

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