The issue that’s scrambling both parties: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the political officea newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, we examine how artificial intelligence has created unusual political alliances and take stock of the Republican Party’s redistricting efforts in Indiana.

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—Adam Wollner

AI Becomes a Political Issue, Creating Strange Cross-Party Comrades

By Allan Smith, Henry J. Gomez and Jonathan Allen

Artificial intelligence is increasingly emerging as a major issue – not between the major political parties, but within them.

On the right, MAGA populists and influencers are warning of the potential dangers of unrestricted AI development as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and their administration have pushed for minimal regulations in the name of preempting China into potential society-altering advances.

On the left, progressives are battling potential AI-related job losses and a further consolidation of financial power by big tech, while center-left Democrats weigh the unknown downsides of technological progress with major investments in their states and the need to remain competitive in a rapidly changing global economy.

Potential 2028 presidential contenders — from Vance and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri on the right, to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the left — are all charting unique paths on the issue, creating unusual bedfellows.

Ocasio-Cortez is among the potential 2028 candidates who have highlighted growing concerns in recent weeks. Last month, she raised the possibility of a market downturn fueled by what some call an AI bubble, warning at a congressional hearing of “2008-like threats to economic stability.”

Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said in September that he feared that “our democracy and many others are frankly collapsing under the weight of the economic and spiritual impacts of advanced AI.” And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointed out at the Florida Rural Economic Development Summit last month that AI could hurt white-collar jobs.

Meanwhile, some of the Democratic governors on the 2028 shortlist have taken a different approach. Newsom, who has embraced the use of AI-generated images in his months-long effort to troll Trump and governs the state that is home to Silicon Valley, has enacted several AI regulations while vetoing others. It calls for balancing the need for regulation with “the need to ensure that the growing AI sector continues to thrive.”

Others, like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who align with the party’s center-left wing, have welcomed investments in AI and data centers in their states.

Read more →

Indiana lawmakers undertake redistricting with outcome uncertain

Under pressure from President Donald Trump and national Republicans, Indiana lawmakers reconvened today to undertake a redistricting effort. But it’s still far from certain whether the proposal has enough Republican Party support to pass both houses of the state Legislature.

Members of the Indiana state House of Representatives have released a proposed congressional map intended to give Republicans two seats in next year’s midterm elections, reports Jane C. Timm.

The proposed map would divide Indianapolis, most of which is represented by Democratic Rep. Andre Carson, into four districts. It would also divide the northwest part of the state along Lake Michigan, represented by Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, into two districts. Republicans currently control seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts.

The State House is expected to take up the new lines this week. Although the state Senate will consider it next week, it is unclear whether it can pass. Rodric Bray, the House speaker, has repeatedly said there aren’t enough Republican votes to redraw the map. Indiana state Sen. Michael Bohacek said Friday he would not support the effort after Trump used a slur toward people with developmental disabilities to describe Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, writes Alexandra Marquez.

Meanwhile, as Megan Lebowitz and Raquel Coronell Uribe note, Bohacek is one of at least 11 Indiana Republican elected officials who have been the target of crushing attacks in the weeks since Trump publicly pushed them to draw new district lines to shore up the party’s narrow majority in the House.

Ripple effects of redistricting: Democratic Rep. Don Davis said he will run for reelection in North Carolina’s 1st District, even after the state’s redrawn map made it more Republican, Harbani Kohli reports. A federal court ruled last week that North Carolina can use the new GOP-drawn map in next year’s elections.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner.

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