PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about recent attacks in Russia and Crimea, cautioning that peace in Ukraine is not imminent, while also discussing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, Russia, and Iran.
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📍 Where & When: A phone call lasting one hour and 15 minutes, announced by Trump on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
💬Key Quote: “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” Trump stated.
⚠️ Impact: Trump’s engagement with Putin signals his America First approach to global conflicts, addressing Ukraine and Iran while prioritizing U.S. security interests against nuclear proliferation.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump has confirmed he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin following a series of high-profile attacks in Russia and Russian-annexed Crimea in recent days, and that, based on their conversation, he does not see peace in Ukraine as imminent.
“I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes,” President Trump announced Wednesday.
“We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” Trump cautioned, adding: “President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.”
A recent Ukrainian raid on Russian Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft and strategic bombers may have resulted in significant damage to the air portion of Russia’s air, sea, and land-based triad of nuclear weaponry. However, there are conflicting reports as to how much of the Russian air fleet was destroyed. Technically speaking, Russian military doctrine regards attempts to destroy its nuclear armaments as grounds for a nuclear first response, although this would be an extreme reaction.
“We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!” Trump continued. “I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement.”
“President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!”
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) admitted she did not read President Donald J. Trump’s budget reconciliation bill before voting for it and would have opposed it had she known about an AI-related provision. The Georgia Republican also appears not to understand the purpose of the ban on state-level AI regulation, a provision likely intended to prevent Democrat state lawmakers in California from setting regulatory standards for the whole country.
👥 Who’s Involved: Marjorie Taylor Greene, President Trump, national Democratic lawmakers, including Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Mark Pocan, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), and the California state legislature.
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📍 Where & When: U.S. House of Representatives; Greene’s admission was posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years,” Greene wrote on X.
⚠️ Impact: Critics contend that the AI provision would block states from regulating AI systems for a decade, potentially nullifying existing state laws. However, Greene also seems unaware that the provision is actually an assertion of federal authority over AI regulation, meant to effectively prevent far-left state-level Democrats in California from dictating AI regulatory policy for the whole country.
IN FULL:
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has acknowledged that she did not thoroughly read President Donald J. Trump‘s tax and spending bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), before voting in favor of it. Greene admitted she was unaware of a provision in the bill that would prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) systems for 10 years.
Posting on X, Greene wrote, “Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there.”
The AI provision, added just two days before the markup, would prohibit state and local governments from enacting laws or regulations targeting AI models, facial recognition systems, and other automated decision tools. While critics make over-the-top claims that the provision removes safeguards or is an infringement on state rights, the section appears more aimed at preventing California from setting AI regulatory standards for the entire country.
Most technology companies working on AI development are either located in California or have a nexus to the state, meaning far-left Democrats in Sacramento can enact regulation directly on most of the industry. Additionally, as has happened with other industries, when California passes sweeping regulatory standards, companies in that sector will often change their policies nationwide to comply with California law rather than creating policies and adjusting consumer or user experiences for Californians alone. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has already signed several new laws regulating AI.
Under the former Biden government, the lack of federal intervention allowed California to set emissions standards for the automotive industry and regulations on electric vehicles. The provision that Greene didn’t read in Trump’s budget reconciliation bill would prevent the very situation that the Trump White House had to correct by intervening against California on emissions standards.
Notably, Democratic lawmakers, who unanimously opposed the bill, responded sharply to Greene’s admission. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) posted, “You have one job. To. Read. The. F***ing. Bill.” Similarly, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) noted that he had read the provision and cited it as a reason for his opposition, advising, “PRO TIP: It’s helpful to read stuff before voting on it.”
As it is currently written, the AI provision is unlikely to survive the Byrd Rule in the U.S. Senate, though some lawmakers say they are working to alter the section to be Byrd Rule compliant.
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