 Technology |
Technology |
|
|
Senate confirms Musk ally Isaacman to lead NASA |
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jason Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after a contentious and winding road. |
© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein |
Senators voted 67 to 30 on Isaacman, who was nominated for a second time to the post in early November, The Hill's Al Weaver reported Wednesday. His nomination to the same position was pulled in late May amid President Trump's public feud with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, is a top ally of Musk, who also owns SpaceX and social platform X. His confirmation puts him atop an agency that is expected to try and follow through with one of Trump's goals: returning humans to the moon before China. "This is not the time for delay but a time for action because if we fall behind — if we make a mistake — we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth," Isaacman said in his confirmation hearing earlier this month. He has pitched a plan of increasing competition among private sector entities as part of the effort to return to the moon. Isaacman will replace Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as interim administrator since the summer. He is the first Senate-confirmed head of NASA since former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). |
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, I'm Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. |
|
|
How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
Earth would have 3 days to avoid satellite catastrophe from solar storm |
|
|
(NewsNation) — A new science paper calculated a solar storm could bring down the planet’s satellite system in just three days, wreaking havoc on infrastructure. Low-earth orbit is home to around 14,000 satellites, a dramatic increase from around 4,000 in 2018. One major force behind the increased space congestion is tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink. Satellite operators perform a delicate dance to avoid having … |
| |
|
Blackburn, Blumenthal raise alarms over AI toys |
|
|
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are pressing several companies about the sale of AI-powered toys following reports of such items engaging in inappropriate conversations. "These AI toys — specifically those powered by chatbots embedded in everyday children's toys like plushies, dolls, and other beloved toys — pose risks to children's healthy development," the senators … |
| |
|
Democrats press tech giants on data center energy use, rising electricity bills |
|
|
Three Senate Democrats said Tuesday that they are investigating the impact of data centers on consumer electricity bills amid concerns that the expansion of energy-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is driving up costs. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and several other tech … |
| |
|
News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
- OpenAI in talks with Amazon about investment that could exceed $10 billion (CNBC)
- Amazon names new AI chief amid battle to take on tech rivals (Bloomberg)
|
|
|
Senators meet with crypto, traditional finance players after pushing markup to next year |
Bipartisan senators met with key players in the crypto and traditional finance worlds Wednesday after delaying a markup of crypto market structure legislation to early next year. Despite a push last week to finalize the bill text and move to a markup before the holidays, Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Monday that the committee was still negotiating and looking to hold a markup in early 2026. "We're making steady, bipartisan progress on digital asset market structure legislation," Scott said in a statement following Wednesday's meeting. "Members on both sides of the aisle are engaging constructively and working through the text in a thoughtful, deliberate way." The crypto industry left the meeting optimistic about the propsect of market structure legislation in the new year. The Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone called it a "productive meeting" that "reinforces my confidence that market structure is still making progress." "We're going into January with a bang not a whimper," added Kara Calvert, vice president of U.S. policy at Coinbase. |
Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. |
|
|
Branch out with other reads on The Hill: |
3 big questions facing the changing banking industry |
The banking sector is changing fast, with policymakers, industry leaders and consumers figuring out how to grapple with the benefits and risks of an increasingly interconnected financial system. Lawmakers and banking experts joined The Hill's "Modern Money" event, sponsored by the Bank Policy Institute, on Tuesday to discuss how to strengthen consumer protections, particularly amid the rise of open banking, and how emerging … |
|
|
Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: |
|
|
You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 |
Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.
No comments:
Post a Comment