News Coverage
Pentagon asked to probe SpaceX for potential Chinese ownership
Democratic U.S. senators on Thursday urged the Pentagon to conduct an immediate review of SpaceX amid allegations that Chinese investors have secretly acquired stakes in the closely held rocket maker, citing potential national security risks, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, expressing concern that Chinese investment in SpaceX could present "a national security threat, potentially jeopardizing key military, … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Sen. Warren wants to know what Google Gemini’s built-in checkout means for user privacy
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pressing Google for more information about its plans to build a checkout feature into its Gemini AI chatbot. In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Warren expresses concerns that the integration could allow Google and retailers “to exploit sensitive user data” or “manipulate consumers into spending more and paying higher prices.” Last month, Google announced that it will soon allow users to buy products directly within Gemini through the Universal Commerce … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Sen. Warren, others urge FTC, DOJ to scrutinize tech AI ‘acquihire’ deals for antitrust violations
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Richard Blumenthal called on federal agencies to scrutinize AI deals from Nvidia, Meta and Google for potential antitrust violations, in a letter shared with CNBC. The three Democrats addressed the letter on Wednesday to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, urging the agencies to review recent deals in which tech companies have paid to pluck specific employees from startups without acquiring the companies entirely. The senators … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
Democrats Call on ICE Watchdog to Speed Up Use of Force Inquiry
The Department of Homeland Security’s independent watchdog is reviewing the use of force by federal immigration agents, according to a letter sent Monday night by congressional Democrats, who called on the inspector general to expedite his report amid the crackdown in Minneapolis. A spokesman for the department’s inspector general, Joseph V. Cuffari, confirmed that he began investigating last month whether Immigrations and Customs Enforcement properly scrutinizes complaints that its agents … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
Warren, Sanders, Wyden warn Equifax over profiting off Medicaid work requirements
A trio of Senate Democrats are warning the consumer credit reporting agency Equifax against price gouging for its services as a significant number of Medicaid beneficiaries are expected to go into the job market to find employment in order to keep receiving benefits under the new requirements passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). In a letter first shared with The Hill, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) warned Equifax CEO Max Begor … Continue Reading
February 02, 2026
Why Mass. is about to face a health care staffing crisis. And how that will affect your family
Health care leaders across the Bay State have spent weeks bracing for a Tuesday deadline ending the special protected status for the thousands of Haitian immigrants who are the industry’s backbone. And now three Massachusetts politicians are asking those same leaders for in-depth data on the breadth and scope of an expected staffing shortage for an industry that’s already stretched thin. … Read the full story … Continue Reading
February 02, 2026
A new report shows how Trump's sweeping student-loan changes are poised to reshape repayment for borrowers and private lenders
The private lenders have spoken — and they're expecting a good year ahead in the student-loan industry. That has Democratic lawmakers concerned. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a group of her colleagues released the first congressional analysis of the impact of the coming changes to federal student loans on the private lending market. The report — exclusively viewed by Business Insider — compiled new information provided by six lenders, detailing how they are preparing for an anticipated influx of … Continue Reading
January 29, 2026
Warren Presses FTC, Pepsi on Dismissal of Pricing Bias Lawsuit
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pushing OpenAI for assurances it won’t seek a government bailout if it doesn’t turn a profit. In a letter to CEO Sam Altman, Warren says she is concerned that the company is preparing to fall back “on the classic strategy of privatizing profits and socializing losses” amid soaring spending and growing fears of an AI bubble popping. Warren writes that she is worried OpenAI “has committed to more than a trillion dollars in spending despite not yet turning a … Continue Reading
January 26, 2026
US Senate Dems probe effect of Trump administration child care cutbacks on rural families
Several U.S. Senate Democrats launched an investigation into how the Trump administration's child care funding cuts and policy changes are affecting rural families, in a Sunday letter provided exclusively to States Newsroom. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts led five of her colleagues in urging the respective heads of Rural Development at the Department of Agriculture and the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services to offer up more … Continue Reading
January 23, 2026
Big tech is increasingly promising to pay for spiking power costs. But there’s not much to enforce it
As an electricity crunch drives bills higher around the country, big tech companies building power-hungry data centers are increasingly offering to pay for more of the energy they consume, so everyday people don’t get stuck with the bill. At least, that is the message from seven large tech companies in new letters responding to three Senate Democrats’ investigation into how data center buildout nationwide is impacting electricity prices. But while these companies can make commitments, there … Continue Reading
January 23, 2026
Democratic Senators Sound the Alarm on Pentagon Backing Firms Linked to Donald Trump Jr.
Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm about lucrative contracts and loans the Pentagon provided to companies linked to Donald Trump Jr. In a letter sent Thursday to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers - Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim and Richard Blumenthal - requested information on whether DoD decisions to hand out loans and contracts to companies “associated with the president’s son may have been affected by conflicts of interest.” … Read the full story … Continue Reading
January 23, 2026
Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump of letting white-collar criminals ‘off the hook’
Senator Elizabeth Warren and fellow Democrats have accused Donald Trump of letting white collar criminals “off the hook” by diverting crucial resources to his sweeping immigration crackdown. In a letter to federal watchdogs, the Democrats demand an investigation into the US president for shifting more than 25,000 personnel away from investigating fraud, tax evasion and money laundering in favour of his immigration enforcement agenda. … Read the full story … Continue Reading
January 15, 2026
Democratic lawmakers urge FTC to investigate Trump phone
A group of Democratic lawmakers asked the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday to investigate a mobile phone venture started by President Donald Trump’s two older sons for “potential violations of consumer protection law,” alleging that the advertising and sale of a supposedly “Made in the USA” phone may be deceptive. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and 10 other Democratic members of the House and the Senate asked regulators to investigate Trump Mobile’s “T1” phone, which was announced in … Continue Reading
January 12, 2026
Trump’s fundraisers asked Microsoft for its White House ballroom donation
The Trump administration approached Microsoft for its donation to fund the White House’s $300 million ballroom, documents released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) office reveal. In response to a Democrat-led letter questioning Big Tech’s involvement in the ballroom’s construction, Microsoft counsel Karen Christian writes that the company “was contacted by a fundraiser for the effort regarding a possible donation” around two months after President Donald Trump announced plans to replace the … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Elizabeth Warren targets Sean Duffy over airline passenger protections
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wants air travelers to get more from the airlines this holiday season. The senator said she's concerned that the Department of Transportation is giving gifts to airlines rather than to passengers who rely on them. "Instead of lowering the cost of air travel, former airline lobbyist Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ended a rule that would've forced airlines to compensate Americans for expenses when flights are canceled. Who does Sean Duffy think he is helping … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Pentagon will cough up summaries of three years of safety investigations, per NDAA
The Pentagon will have to provide summaries of nearly three years' worth of internal safety investigations under the annual defense policy bill, a provision inserted to force transparency amid a rise in military aviation mishaps. The provision, contained in a committee report attached to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, would give the Pentagon's Joint Safety Council and the military services an April 1 deadline to give the Senate Armed Services Committee "executive summaries for … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Compass-Anywhere brokerage deal would hurt homebuyers, US Senators say
U.S. antitrust enforcers should consider blocking a bid by Compass, the nation's largest residential real estate broker, to acquire rival Anywhere Real Estate, amid a housing shortage, two Democratic U.S. Senators said. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a letter to antitrust officials at the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday that the deal could contribute to high broker fees and limit access to home listings, hurting … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Lawmakers raise concerns about Echostar deals to sell wireless spectrum to AT&T, SpaceX
Two Democratic lawmakers on Thursday raised concerns about EchoStar's deals to sell key spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX for $40 billion, saying it could shrink competition in wireless and satellite markets. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Greg Casar urged the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department to closely scrutinize the $23 billion AT&T deal and $17 billion SpaceX deal. "AT&T's proposed acquisition of spectrum from EchoStar threatens to further … Continue Reading
December 17, 2025
Defense world braces for Trump EO
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent late Tuesday asking whether he stands by his comments in October about limiting defense contractor stock buybacks. The two Democrats also questioned whether Bessent would support inclusion of that sort of language in national security contracts. “Americans deserve a defense industry that prioritizes innovation and competition to help the U.S. military protect Americans, rather than … Continue Reading
December 17, 2025
Senators demand AG Pam Bondi recuse herself from Warner Bros. antitrust review
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Wednesday that the regulatory review of Warner’s deal with Netflix has begun, even as Paramount mounts a hostile takeover bid. Two senators are now coming forward and pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself from the review of the deal. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal say the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent, has been “surrounded by a cesspool of corruption and political favoritism.” And … Continue Reading