Artificial intelligence is making headlines, local news is sinking (further) and President Donald Trump picks a fight with the pope. Sidney Slon here, and this is the week in news.
Monday
With multiple lawmakers facing scandals, the House of Representatives was considering expelling some of its members. So Olivier started the week by examining the reasons such removals are so rare, and looked at past expulsions throughout American history.
Four representatives were in hot water at the time of the column, but Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas resigned Tuesday amid allegations of sexual misconduct. That leaves two remaining candidates for expulsion: Florida Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who has been accused of mishandling her campaign finances, and Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who’s accused of threatening to release explicit images of his ex-girlfriend online.
The House has expelled only six members in its history, generally for offenses involving money – like bribery and financial improprieties – or siding with the Confederates during the Civil War.
Tuesday
After Pope Leo XIV criticized the U.S. and Israeli war in Iran, Trump called the pope “WEAK on crime” on social media and posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure. Olivier reviewed the feud.
Although the image was quickly deleted, Trump’s AI photo spurred significant controversy, with some religious figures saying it crossed a line. Trump replied that he thought it was him “as a doctor.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Trump ally, also expressed discontent with the U.S. president: “I find President Trump’s remarks about the Holy Father unacceptable,” she said in an online statement.
Wednesday
Midweek, Olivier discussed the decline of local news.
A new survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative found the number of Americans consuming and paying for local news has decreased. Part of that could be because tens of millions of Americans have little to no access to a local news outlet.
Only 21% of survey respondents said they followed local news “closely” in 2025, down 16 percentage points from 2016. For those who said they followed local news, 52% said they used online forums like Facebook and Nextdoor as their news source, as opposed to a newspaper or other professional news outlet. Only 12% of respondents said they paid for local news, while the rest cited issues like a lack of interest, high price point and low news quality.
Nonetheless, 80% said they felt local news was at least “somewhat” important for the well-being of their communities.
Thursday
As artificial intelligence becomes more ingrained in daily life, Olivier rounded up recent AI news:
- Americans’ privacy is increasingly at risk as AI gives the federal government the ability to monitor its citizens on a scale previously impossible due to the labor involved.
- Across the country, more Americans are expressing discomfort with AI data centers than ever before. In Virginia, the number of people who say they are comfortable with data centers in their community has dropped by 34 percentage points since 2023, and 62% of Americans nationwide say the “cost of data centers outweighs the benefits,” the Washington Post reports.
- The eco-conscious sneaker brand Allbirds announced it will no longer sell sneakers and is rebuilding as an “AI compute infrastructure” business. The announcement sent the firm’s stock soaring over 600% after years of dismal returns.
- After a federal judge in New York ruled earlier this year that AI chats could not be shielded from prosecutors, lawyers are warning clients not to treat chatbots like actual lawyers. That’s because AI chats don’t qualify for attorney-client privilege.
Sign Up for U.S. News Decision Points
Your trusted source for breaking down the latest news from Washington and beyond, delivered weekdays.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you will receive the latest updates, including emails, from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors, and you agree to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy.