Airports, AI and Affordability: Week in Review | U.S. News Decision Points

Summer’s in full swing as international travel heats up, Americans grapple with costs and Florida sues OpenAI. I’m Stella Garner, here with the week in review.

As anticipation builds for the U.S.-hosted World Cup, Olivier covered Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s threats to block international flights in “sanctuary” cities where local laws limit federal immigration enforcement.

The U.S. Travel Association said such a move could cost the country roughly $8 billion in international travel spending and risk “nearly 50,000 American jobs.” President Donald Trump has been silent on Mullin’s plan, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the idea during a congressional hearing last month.

Next, Olivier explained Florida’s new lawsuit against OpenAI over safety and health concerns. Florida is the first state to sue the AI firm.

The state’s 83-page complaint repeatedly uses the term “AI addiction,” reminiscent of state lawsuits against tobacco companies in the 1990s. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s conduct “reckless” and argued he should be held personally liable for harm to Floridians.

The suit comes after Uthmeier launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI in April, following a shooting at Florida State University last year. The investigation questions whether ChatGPT, which the shooter allegedly used to help plan the attack, is liable for the deaths of two people.

Midweek, Olivier rounded up local news of note from across the country. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani showed support for the New York Knicks’ “historic” appearance in the NBA Finals by playfully repealing bedtime for local children. Farther south, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott celebrated a historic low for murder rates, with the first single-digit homicide tally for a May in decades.

In Illinois, legislators are moving forward with a bill to impose taxes on social media sites, prediction markets and fantasy sports, based on user metrics. Vermont lawmakers weren’t as successful; the state’s legislature adjourned after failing to pass a bill that would require federal agents (like those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to operate without masks.

Olivier ended the week discussing the Brookings Institution’s new “States of Affordability” report, which found that a large share of Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Nearly half of all U.S. households were unable to afford necessities in 2024, the report found. Analysts noted that if annual costs rose by even $1,000, an additional 3 million households would join those ranks.

The report suggests that raising incomes, lowering prices or a combination of both would alleviate some of the financial pressures families face. But, as Olivier writes, such measures seem elusive in the current political climate.