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Year: 2026

AI boom tests GOP’s midterm affordability pitch as price pain spreads

AI boom tests GOP’s midterm affordability pitch as price pain spreads

Republicans are warning that their ability to deliver on lowering everyday costs, one of their core campaign promises heading into the 2026 midterms, is being tested by an AI-driven chip shortage that has spilled into consumer markets. “When you have a big race like we have with AI, there are secondary effects that we need to be very concerned about,” former Rep. Patrick McHenry, who served as House Financial Services Committee chairman, told Fox News Digital, adding, “It is hurting Republicans.” Tech industry reports have for months been raising alarm over a global chip shortage. In January, a report predicted that this year, 70% of the high-end memory chips produced would go toward data centers, which store AI memory, constraining all other downstream technology and driving up prices, directly undermining Republicans’ affordability agenda. AFFORDABILITY: THE ISSUE THAT BOOSTED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS IN 2024 DEFLATED THEM IN 2025 “We see this from our handheld devices to our computers, to TVs,” McHenry, a North Carolina Republican congressman turned policy advisor, said in an interview. “Even autos are impacted, and even things such as what we think of as average everyday things that aren’t particularly high-tech, like the things we use to manicure our lawns are impacted by rising prices of chips, so there’s a lot of secondary effects across consumer goods and should be a huge concern.” Heading into 2026, President Donald Trump framed the midterms as a referendum on cost of living, saying in a Politico interview the elections “will be about pricing.”  Historically, the party in control loses seats during the midterms. One Republican strategist told Fox News Digital that AI’s well-documented dominance over the chip market should be viewed as hurting voters’ pocketbooks. The strategist called on the three largest chip manufacturing companies to expand production, which he said would help bolster the GOP’s campaign message. “America must win the artificial intelligence race. Companies like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron understand that,” the strategist said. “At the same time, we can’t forget about consumer goods. Memory chip manufacturers need to increase production to boost both American AI and lower the cost of consumer goods. If they don’t, it will undoubtedly hurt Republicans politically in the midterms. How can Republicans campaign on ‘lower costs’ in 2024, but see computer and car prices rise in 2026 due to a lack of chip production?” TRUMP TORCHES DEMS’ ‘FAKE AFFORDABILITY’ PITCH – BUT GOP PANIC IN DEEP RED STATE HINTS VOTERS AREN’T BUYING IT The AI boom is increasing demand for memory chips, which are semiconductor components used in data centers, laptops and smartphones. That chip consumption has rippled across industries. Microsoft this month attributed its rise in laptop prices to “recent increases in memory and component costs.” The smartphone market remained “under pressure,” with shipments down 6% this year, largely because of chip shortages, Counterpoint Research found.  Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, previously a car dealership owner, warned in a letter this month his state was seeing “immediate and severe” consequences of rising chip prices and that automakers have said they could begin halting assembly lines as early as next month. While affordability has been a resounding priority for Republicans seeking to retain control in Washington, AI advancements are also a pillar of Trump’s agenda. The White House declared last year in a sweeping plan that the country was in “a race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence” and cited the need for a “revitalized U.S. chip industry.” Asked about the AI-driven affordability concerns, White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in a statement that the White House was cognizant of the clash and balancing it with a “nuanced” economic plan, which includes Trump’s signature worldwide tariffs, which the president restructured after the Supreme Court struck down his initial plan implementing them in the name of what he said was a global economic emergency. “The fact that semiconductor chips are absolutely critical for everything from cutting-edge AI technology to everyday consumer goods only reinforces the importance of President Trump’s push to reinvigorate America’s semiconductor industry,” Desai said. “Hundreds of billions in semiconductor manufacturing investments reflect how the private sector is enthusiastically responding to the Administration’s nuanced and multi-faceted agenda of tariffs, deregulation and tax cuts.” KEVIN O’LEARY WARNS CHINA ‘KICKING OUR HEINIES’ IN AI RACE AS REGULATORY ROADBLOCKS STALL US The strain on supply is also raising new questions about the effectiveness of the bipartisan CHIPS Act, a Biden administration bill designed to boost domestic production and prevent precisely the kind of shortage markets are now seeing. McHenry, who specializes in fintech policy, said the CHIPS Act, a multibillion-dollar effort to pour federal subsidies and tax incentives into U.S. chip manufacturing, has been a “grave disappointment.” McHenry said both that the White House had “a lot more work” to do to address the supply shortage and that congressional reforms were another way to improve domestic chip production. “Unfortunately for the taxpayer, they paid for the CHIPS Act the first time, and now they’re paying for it a second time with the rising price of consumer goods,” McHenry said. “Republicans need to address this on Capitol Hill. They need to clean up the CHIPS Act, so the president can deploy these tools to incentivize and grow chip manufacturing here in the United States.” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who founded a successful car security company, said he sees a need for chip production expansion, tying it to consumer costs, in a statement to Fox News Digital. “America leads the world in AI — and we stay there by unleashing the nation’s industrial base, ramping up chip production and memory as never before and lowering the consumer costs people pay every day,” he said. The congressman said more chips were “essential” to delivering on the GOP’s promises of “opportunity, prosperity and affordability.” Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron for comment.

14 killed in South Sudan plane crash near capital Juba

14 killed in South Sudan plane crash near capital Juba

NewsFeed A passenger plane crashed southwest of South Sudan’s capital Juba, killing all 14 people on board. The aircraft was flying from Yei when it went down, reportedly due to low visibility. Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)

Italy extradites alleged Chinese cyber-espionage suspect to US

Italy extradites alleged Chinese cyber-espionage suspect to US

US prosecutors say 34-year-old Xu Zewei hacked into universities to steal vaccine research during COVID-19 pandemic.  Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026 Italy has extradited an accused Chinese hacker wanted in the United States for allegedly stealing vaccine research at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italian authorities handed over the “dangerous foreign hacker” to the US following his arrest in Milan last July on suspicion of conducting cyberattacks against universities and other institutions engaged in COVID-related research, the Italian National Police said in a statement on Monday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The suspect and his co-conspirators allegedly exploited cybersecurity flaws in email software to target thousands of computers in a Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign dubbed “Hafnium”, Italian police said. The US Department of Justice said the suspect, 34-year-old Xu Zewei, had targeted universities, immunologists, and virologists under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security while employed at the “enabling” company Shanghai Powerock Network. Prosecutors said the targeted institutions included a university in southern Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, DC, and worldwide. Xu appeared in the US District Court in Houston, Texas, on Monday to face nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to obtain information by unauthorised access to protected computers, according to US prosecutors. “The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from US businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said in a statement. Advertisement “I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court,” Eisenberg said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has previously denied conducting hacking operations in the US and elsewhere around the world, branding such claims as “groundless accusations” and “smears”. Xu’s lawyers in Italy and the US, Simona Candido and Dan Cogdell, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. If convicted, Xu could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of the most serious charges against him. Adblock test (Why?)

Suspect in press gala shooting charged with attempting to kill Trump

Suspect in press gala shooting charged with attempting to kill Trump

NewsFeed Cole Tomas Allen was officially charged with trying to assassinate US President Donald Trump in what is considered the third attempt on his life since 2024. Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)

Newsom’s wife lashes out at Trump after he rips ’60 Minutes’ host: ‘Internalized misogyny’

Newsom’s wife lashes out at Trump after he rips ’60 Minutes’ host: ‘Internalized misogyny’

California’s “First Partner,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, ripped into President Donald Trump after his contentious “60 Minutes” interview with the female host, slamming the president for “speak[ing] to a woman journalist with that level of contempt.” The interview included a contentious back-and-forth between Trump and Norah O’Donnell over her questions about the shooter from this past weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, with President Trump calling O’Donnell a “disgrace” and “disgraceful” amid the interview. Trump’s comments came after O’Donnell was reading excerpts from the shooter’s alleged manifesto, which described the president as a “rapist,” “pedophile” and “traitor,” O’Donnell recounted during her talk with the president Sunday evening. “My family and I watched the 60 Minutes interview with Donald Trump and Norah O’Donnell last night, and we were shocked. Seeing a president speak to a woman journalist with that level of contempt — and a clear allergy to facts — is disturbing, though at this point not unexpected given his pattern of behavior,” California Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife said in a scathing X post on Monday. TRUMP REVEALS A ‘BIG POLITICIAN ON THE OTHER SIDE’ ASKED TO HUG HIM AFTER DINNER SHOOTING “But that is the problem,” she continued. “Because when that level of disrespect from the highest office in the country repeats itself, it starts to trickle down into our culture and define what power looks like, shaping how boys and plenty of men see women and girls and what they come to accept as normal behavior.” Fox News digital reached out to the White House and to representatives for Governor Newsom and his wife, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Trump’s “60 Minutes interview came Sunday evening after authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen, of Torrance, Calif. Authorities indicated Allen had prepared a manifesto outlining his intent, which included anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on social media. O’Donnell, during the interview, read alleged portions of the document that alluded to concerns about Trump being a sexual abuser and a traitor, leading to a defensive reaction from Trump. “I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people,” Trump answered. “Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.” UNEARTHED CLIP EXPOSES SHOCKING CLAIM BY NEWSOM’S WIFE ABOUT INMATES AT VIOLENT CALIFORNIA PRISON “Do you think he was referring to you?” O’Donnell asked. “I’m not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all…stuff that has nothing to do with me,” Trump continued. “I was totally exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, Epstein or other things. But I said to myself, ‘You know, I’ll do this interview and they’ll probably…’ I read the manifesto. You know, he’s a sick person. But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things.” O’Donnell interrupted to argue that she was quoting the alleged gunman’s words, but Trump continued to call her “disgraceful.” “You shouldn’t be reading that on ’60 Minutes.’ You’re a disgrace. But go ahead. Let’s finish the interview,” Trump said. NEWSOM TRIES TO GIVE TRUMP THE BIDEN TREATMENT, SAYS HE’S ‘NOT ALL THERE’ Trump’s “disgrace” comments garnered widespread attention online, including from Siebel Newsom, who said after the interview that the “culture of misogyny” exhibited by Trump “is on all of us, and it has to end.” “Add in rhetoric rooted in political division, amplified by a digital ecosystem that rewards outrage and misinformation, and this cultural norm of hate, othering, and misogyny becomes pervasive,” Siebel Newsom continued. “Behavior that should be challenged gets normalized; what should raise concern is amplified and cheered on. It’s no wonder we have a culture that normalizes dominance and aggression toward women and girls, which not only silences them but also leads to internalized misogyny in others.” However, conservatives rallied around Trump. “What’s really disgusting about this clip is Norah O’Donnell’s fake innocent surprise: ‘oh you think he was referring to you?’ She knows perfectly well that every day some fellow Democrat like Ted Lieu calls Trump a pedophile and rapist,” said New York Post columnist Miranda Devine in response to pushback on Trump’s interview comments. “Their white supremacy lies ran out of steam so this is the new hoax. Rich from a party that protects illegal alien child molesters.” “Norah O’Donnell may have reached the low point in disgusting and inhumane demagoguery disguised as journalism,” added former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. “The idea that you would take the vicious dishonest and disgusting words of a would be killer who had been blocked by the Secret Service but would otherwise have killed a lot of people and you would dignify them by putting them on the air and asking the President of the United States to comment is about as destructive as anything a major reporter has done in a long time.” Gingrich said O’Donnell “should be fired for demeaning her entire profession and being the mouthpiece of a would-be killer.”