Spark Press

09/18/2026

Senate just blocked an AI “kill switch” bill.

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy (R) tried Wednesday to pass a bill that would have required AI companies to build a shutoff so advanced models couldn’t go rogue.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) killed it.

Kennedy offered it by unanimous consent — meaning any one senator can stop it. Paul did.

Kennedy’s pitch: he doesn’t claim to have every answer, but AI has real risks and Congress shouldn’t ignore them.

Paul’s pushback: would companies have to redesign search engines overnight and put kill switches in them? Would doctors need a kill switch in drug-prescription software?

Paul suggested a panel to study safeguards first. Kennedy called that the “weenie way out,” then said if they went that route they might as well let Leonardo DiCaprio chair it.

Same week the House passed a bipartisan bill on data-center power bills and consumer electric rates. In the Senate, AI rules are still stuck on whether to regulate at all — and how.

Source: Washington Examiner.

09/15/2026

The Netherlands woke to transport chaos Tuesday after suspected coordinated sabotage crippled major railway routes, exposing just how easily critical infrastructure can be thrown into disarray while Dutch and European leaders increasingly focus their attention on threats from abroad.

Read the rest of the story, link in the comments.

09/15/2026

Great analysis!

What if some behaviors seen as problems are actually signs of giftedness? The Waterbury Times examines AbleChild’s perspective on identifying gifted children

09/14/2026

Was the Secret Service incompetent, or was there a deeper reason for the cover-up? Evidence points to Iran, known for assassination attempts on President Trump, as the primary suspect. This threat was real, leading to security measures at his rallies.

09/11/2026

**Florida’s Loudest AI Critics Seize on Researcher Resignation**
*By The Spark Free Press*
September 11, 2026

Florida’s two most prominent AI skeptics — Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier — seized this week on the public resignation of a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher who warned that unchecked AI models could pose catastrophic risks within a few years.

The researcher, Jacob Coxon, said leading labs are racing toward “superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.” The warning has rippled through Washington and given new am******on to Florida officials who have spent months arguing the technology is moving faster than the law.

DeSantis wrote that the mere possibility of technologies eluding human control is alarming. “Technology should enhance the human experience; it should never supplant it,” he said. Uthmeier compared the situation to Frankenstein, arguing that creators cannot simply disclaim responsibility for what they build.

Anthropic responded that it has always been transparent about both the benefits and the unprecedented risks of AI. The company pointed to an early policy dedicated to mitigating catastrophic risks and said it aggressively tests models for dangerous capabilities in areas such as cybersecurity and biology.

Florida’s next regular legislative session does not begin until March, and DeSantis will no longer be governor when it opens. His proposed AI “bill of rights” was killed this year in the state House. Uthmeier, meanwhile, continues to pursue subpoenas and a lawsuit against OpenAI.

The resignation has not produced new legislation yet. It has, however, sharpened a fight already underway in Tallahassee over whether Florida should try to regulate frontier AI on its own while Congress remains largely stalled.

09/09/2026