The White House’s long-awaited draft of the National Framework on Artificial Intelligence requires protections for children online, but some child safety advocates are looking for more. “Al services and platforms must take measures to protect children from potential harms, while empowering parents to control their children’s digital environment and upbringing,” a draft obtained by The Daily Signal reads. The draft framework is intended to provide a template for federal legislation. This is the first time the White House has developed a framework for protecting kids online with respect to AI. “We need one national AI framework, not a 50-state patchwork,” Michael Kratsios, science and technology adviser to the president, told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “And I think one of the key provisions of it that will make it all work and come together is really focusing on the bipartisan consensus around protecting America’s children.” The framework is the product of weeks of bipartisan discussions with members of Congress. “We really want to ensure that the Congress lays out specific standards and not ones that are ambiguous, and really provides the clarity necessary, so that parents do have these really important controls to be able to manage how their kids interact with the digital world,” Kratsios said. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 11 ordering the attorney general to establish an AI litigation task force that would challenge state efforts to regulate AI.  The president directed White House AI czar David Sacks and Kratsios to recommend federal AI legislation preempting any state laws in conflict with the administration’s policy. The new draft framework tells Congress to ensure that it does not “preempt states from enforcing their own generally applicable laws protecting children, such as prohibitions on child sexual abuse material, even where such material is generated by AI.” But child safety experts fear that any state law that refers to data, AI, or algorithmic systems could be considered not generally applicable since they apply to specific technologies. It’s unclear if the provisions laid out in the framework will be enough for the child safety coalition to agree to preemption of state AI laws. Daniel Cochrane, a tech policy expert at the Heritage Foundation, said the preemption could handicap states from addressing harms that “would endanger our kids and disable responsible AI governance essential for human flourishing.” “States remain the American people’s first and best line of defense against Big Tech,” he told The Daily Signal. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced her own AI framework on Wednesday, including her Kids Online Safety Act, which child safety advocates say invites the strongest protections for children. Nothing in her framework preempts states from enacting any laws, rules, or regulations that provide “greater protection to minors than the protection provided by the provisions of this title.” The White House framework asks Congress to build on actions by the Trump administration to protect children from Al harms, including First Lady Melania Trump’s Take It Down Act, which protects children and adults from deepfake pornography. “There was great bipartisan support for what the first lady was able to do with the Take It Down Act earlier this year,” Kratsios said. “And we think that there’s a lot of great provisions within our proposal that are going to be very important for parents who are looking out for kids.” While this is a step in the right direction, child safety advocates hope Congress will address Section 230, a law that protects platforms for nearly all content they present to their users. The Take It Down Act criminalizes generating non-consensual sexual imagery, but this provision applies to individuals, rather than the platforms used to create the images. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is also asking Congress to “empower parents and guardians with robust tools to manage their children’s privacy settings, screen time, content exposure, and account controls.” “We want to ensure that parents are empowered to shape and protect their children’s digital upbringing,” Kratsios said. Child safety advocates worry that shifting the burden from technology companies to parents may not be fully effective, as parents are often not equipped to combat Big Tech. “Parental controls are extremely limited in the protection and oversight they can provide to parents to keep children safe from predators and dangerous content online,” Ethics and Public Policy technology scholar Clare Morrell said in a Congressional testimony. An internal research study at Meta recently found that parental supervision and controls had minimal impact on kids’ use of social media. TikTok admitted in an internal document that “user research” shows that families don’t use parental controls and that the controls do not address parents’ top concerns, including “inappropriate content, offensive interactions, and lack of privacy.” Kratsios said the White House prioritizes making sure that parents can control their child’s online experience. “The first type of provision to do that at the most base level is an age assurance process for app stores, for example, so that parents can ensure that any apps that their children use are approved for minors,” he said. “And the second thing, which I think is potentially even more important, is to provide parents with account controls to manage their children’s privacy settings, their screen time, their content exposure,” he added. “We want parents to be able to see, feel, and understand what their children are up to in this digital environment.” The framework asks Congress to establish “commercially reasonable, privacy protective, age-assurance requirements (such as parental attestation) for AI platforms and services likely to be accessed by minors.” Child safety advocates hope Congress will include a definition of “minors” in any national AI standard, as exists in Blackburn’s framework, to make sure everyone under 18 would be protected. The framework also asks Congress to “require Al platforms and services likely to be accessed by minors to implement features that reduce the risks of sexual exploitation and self-harm to minors.” While child safety advocates widely support measures to protect kids from sexual exploitation, they say Congress must address the design features that make platforms so addictive. Blackburn’s act, for instance, would require tech companies to limit addictive features such as infinite scrolling, auto-play, and rewards for spending time on the platform. The framework also asks Congress to “affirm that existing child privacy protections apply to AI systems, including limits on data collection for model training and targeted advertising.” “Existing” federal law may refer to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, passed in 1998 and enforced in 2000, which applies if platforms have actual knowledge that a user is under 13 years of age. Kratsios said the White House will be working with Congress to “ensure that the spirit of this proposal is brought to bear on an ultimate legislative solution.” The post EXCLUSIVE: White House AI Framework Requires Measures to Protect Kids; Child Safety Advocates Want More appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The House Committee on Intelligence interrogated Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Thursday over the conflict with Iran, looking to to pin the intelligence chiefs down on President Donald Trump’s plans in the ongoing military campaign against Iran. In the hearing to probe threats to America around the world, Gabbard sparred with Democrats over the politicization of intelligence, Israel’s role in the ongoing conflict with Iran, Trump’s decision making, and foreign election interference. Is Our Intelligence Politicized? Democrats attempted to probe Gabbard’s view of Operation Epic Fury because of her extensive record criticizing military intervention. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., pushed Gabbard on whether or not she inserts her personal views into intelligence assessments. Bera prefaced his question by referencing a speech Gabbard gave on the House floor in 2020 criticizing the strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in which she claimed the strike was “unconstitutional.” “President Trump has committed an illegal and unconstitutional act of war pushing our nation headlong into a war with Iran without any authorization from congress,” Gabbard said at the time. “A war that would be so costly and devastating that would make Iraq and Afghanistan like a pit.” “Do you still believe that strikes against Iran that don’t have congressional authorization constitute an illegal and unconstitutional act of war?” Berra asked Gabbard. Gabbard responded to the representative by stating that her “own personal and political views, I was required to check those at the door.” “The cost of war weighs heavily upon me and my colleagues here. Especially for those of us who have experienced and seen the cost of war firsthand,” Gabbard stated. “My own personal and political views as I mentioned earlier, I was asked and required by Congress and the president in this role as the Director of National Intelligence to check those views at the door, to ensure that the intelligence assessment are not colored by my personal views.” “And that is exactly what I am responsible to deliver,” Gabbard added. As Bera pressed, Gabbard said, “in this role it is essential that I do not allow any of my personal views on any issues to color or bias the intelligence reporting that we deliver to you and to the president.” Did Israel Force Trump’s Hand in Iran? Gabbard and Ratcliffe fully denied claims that Israel forced Trump’s hand in striking Iran. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., pressed Gabbard and Ratcliffe on whether Israel forced Trump’s “hand and make us take action.” On Tuesday, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned from his post, publishing a letter claiming that Israel dragged America into the conflict with Iran. “No,” Ratcliffe responded to Gottheimer’s question. Gottheimer then asked Gabbard if she “agree[s] with the CIA Director’s assessment on that last question.” “Yes,” Gabbard stated. After the hearing, Gottheimer posted on social media that, “Iran posed a threat to America’s security and we acted.” Republicans also questioned the intelligence officials about points noted in Kent’s resignation letter. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., read Kent’s resignation letter during the hearing, and asked Gabbard if she disagrees with Kent’s position. “He said a lot of things in that letter,” Gabbard responded. “Ultimately, we have provided the president with the intelligence assessments, and the president is elected by the American people and makes his own decisions based on the information that’s available to him.” Gabbard was then asked by Stefanik if she is concerned with Kent’s remarks, to which she said “yes.” Who Decides? Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., asked Gabbard if the is she stands by the statement that the president is the one to determine what is an imminent threat. “Yes, I do,” Gabbard replied. ? WOW! Both DNI Tulsi Tabbard and CIA Director Ratcliffe STOOD BY President Trump in the face of an insufferable Democrat congressman They say only Trump can determine an imminent threat REP. GOMEZ: “Why do you guys even have jobs?!” ? ? pic.twitter.com/QmyyzojPum— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 19, 2026 Ratcliffe added and said, “the president as the commander in chief gets to make a decision about what’s an imminent threat.” Gomez loudly interrupted Ratcliffe as the CIA director tried to explain that the intelligence community makes assessments to help the president make informed decisions. “If the president can determine and ignore what you are doing, why do you guys even have a job?” Gomez asked excitedly. “Like why do even advise him?” What About Gabbard’s Trip to Puerto Rico? Gabbard used time at the hearing to respond to Democrat denunciations of her appearance in Puerto Rico last May. ? BREAKING: DNI Tulsi Gabbard CONFIRMS her office SEIZED voting machines in Puerto Rico, which are now being stored at a secure ODNI facilityExpose it all! ? pic.twitter.com/WeU6h2U8uD— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 19, 2026 Gabbard oversaw the island’s voting machines for suspicion of vulnerabilities that could be taken advantage of by America’s adversaries.“There were questions about whether or not there were vulnerabilities that a threat could’ve taken advantage of and that was the purpose of us looking into those vulnerabilities,” Gabbard said.Gabbard added that “this was done at the request of Puerto Rico’s AUSA attorney.”She then added that those voting machines are being stored in a DNI facility. The post 4 Big Takeaways from Tulsi Gabbard’s Testimony on Capitol Hill appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s next meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a Republican congressman is leaning on the president to fight for the liberation of prisoners in China. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., held an event on Thursday at the U.S. Capitol with the daughters of two figures being held prisoner in China: Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai and Pastor Ezra Jin. Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, announced he had “sent a letter to President Trump about all the prisoners of conscience China is holding.” He said of China’s prisoners, “These courageous people are persecuted for their religious beliefs, or political opinion, or other activism that the [Chinese Communist Party] opposes, and I’m urging the president to [press] for the release of prisoners of conscience held captive by the CCP in any future meeting with Xi Jinping.” At the event, Grace Drexel, the daughter of Ezra Jin, and Claire Lai, the daughter of Jimmy Lai, spoke of their fathers’ imprisonment. Ezra Jin, the pastor of Zion Church, was detained in November 2025. He is one of 18 members of the church who are currently imprisoned, his daughter said. “They are all being held under their charge of illegal use of information networks,” said Drexel. “Really what they are in prison for is because my father’s church wanted to be able to make the sacred decisions … like who becomes a pastor, what they can preach on, what kind of small groups they can host, how many people can be baptized, whether or not kids can come into the services.” She added, “I just want him to be back with us in the U.S. as soon as possible.” Claire Lai similarly called for the release of her father, “who wishes only to spend his remaining days serving our Lord and with his family.” Jimmy Lai is a Hong Kong businessman who founded the anti-communist newspaper Apple Daily. According to his daughter, he “had his political awakening in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and entered the Catholic Church the year of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997.” The democratic activist was arrested in 2020. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2026 for allegedly seeking to undermine national security with his publications and remains in solitary confinement, his daughter told reporters. He is 78 years old. The House’s China committee was formed in 2023 and focuses on America’s economic and military competition with the nation, as well as issues of human rights in China.  Moolenaar told The Daily Signal that much of the committee’s work involves public pressure, and the upcoming Sino-American summit provides a valuable chance for its members to apply pressure through Trump. “With a future summit occurring, there’s a real opportunity to raise these issues,” said Moolenaar. “Quite frankly, I think one of our main roles for the committee is to highlight and put a spotlight on what’s occurring here.” The meeting between Trump and Xi, originally scheduled for April 1, has been delayed at Trump’s request amid the war with Iran. Lai, who was a guest of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. at Trump’s State of the Union address, says she is grateful for statements from administration officials in support of her father. “Secretary of State [Marco] Rubio has tweeted calling for my father’s humanitarian release, and we are so extremely grateful for that,” she said.  “President Trump himself has mentioned my father a number of times, and he has shown … a commitment for the release of my father. We are just extremely grateful for the support, and we hope that our father will be released soon,” Lai added. The Chinese Embassy to the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The post Congressman Asks Trump to Press China to Release Prisoners appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Officials from Fulton County, Georgia, wanted to quash a subpoena from the Georgia State Board of Elections because providing “approximately 750 boxes” of material would be too burdensome.  Yet, when the FBI came knocking in a Jan. 28 raid, federal agents left with 656 boxes (653 by one count), prompting a top Georgia election official to wonder about the gap in the number.  “That’s almost 100 boxes of evidence,” Janice Johnston, vice chair of the Georgia State Election Board, told The Daily Signal.  She referenced one county affidavit that only estimated “over 700 boxes” at the county elections hub. She said, “Even 50 [extra] boxes would be a lot of evidence.” !! WHAT IS GOING ON??!!*FULTON 2020 ELECTION BALLOTS & DOCUMENTS*First there were 750 boxes of election documents, then there were 700 boxes of election documents,and now… only 653 boxes of election documents were turned over to the FBI!! @FBIDirectorKash WHERE ARE 100… pic.twitter.com/5nLBOFrPwk— Dr. Jan-Election Advocate (@Election_Adv) February 26, 2026 In a post on X, Johnston posed the questions, “WHERE ARE 100 BOXES OF ELECTION DOCUMENTS?!! … WHO HAS THE BOXES?!!” A rough estimate does not excuse such a large numerical disparity in an affidavit or court filings, Johnston said. The State Election Board has since made a records request to the Fulton County Board of Elections to provide information about materials delivered or removed from storage in the four weeks preceding the FBI raid. “Fulton County is effectively the person of interest in this case,” Johnston said. “We are not assured that everything was available.”  The FBI seized materials from the 2020 election that included ballots, tabulator tapes, and ballot images from a recount, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported, citing court documents that supported the search warrant. About 370,000 ballot images are missing, Johnston noted.  Someone is LYING to the FBI and COURTS!!Ballot Images WERE required to be kept in the 2020 ELECTION in Georgia!!WHO is LYING? WHO is REPEATING the LIE?Over 370,000 ballot images are missing from the original ballot count of November 3,… pic.twitter.com/fkpSHQQ0KN— Dr. Jan-Election Advocate (@Election_Adv) March 12, 2026 After the raid, Fulton County sued the Justice Department, calling for a return of the documents. The lawsuit also asked the court to prevent the FBI from reviewing the documents.  Johnston called the lawsuit “over the top.”  “They have been fighting the State Elections Board over the same documents,” Johnston said.  The Daily Signal sought comment from Fulton County Board of Elections Chairwoman Sherri Allen and Elections Director Nadine Williams. A Fulton County spokesperson responded to the inquiry. “Fulton County complied fully with the search warrant executed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 28, 2026, seeking records related to the 2020 Election,” Fulton County spokeswoman Jessica Corbitt told The Daily Signal in an email.  “Agents spent more than 8 hours at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center and had the opportunity to review all files related to the 2020 Election,” Corbitt continued. “Agents were made aware of all 2020 documents and selected the files that they removed from the premises. This is now a matter that is being handled by the courts.” An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on this story.  Fulton County, in a court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, said 656 boxes were taken.  “The United States executed the Warrant later that day, seizing and removing approximately 656 boxes containing the original versions of 2020 election-related materials from the Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court,” the complaint filed on Feb. 5 says. “Robert L. ‘Robb’ Pitts, Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections respectfully request the return of all original seized materials and an order instructing the Respondent to maintain, but not review, any copies of the seized materials until this matter is resolved.”  That estimate of 656 boxes was smaller than a figure given in a petition to quash a November 2024 subpoena. That petition asserted that it would be an “unreasonable and oppressive substantive burden” to produce records on the 2020 election.  “The substantive request in the subpoenas would require a review of all materials retained from the 2020 election, which have been archived in approximately 750 boxes,” wrote Michael Tyler, a lawyer representing the county, in the Nov. 15, 2024, petition. “Petitioners estimate temporary staff of approximately 20 full-time people will need to be retained to review the documents.” Then, on Feb. 4, 2025, Williams, the election director, provided a sworn affidavit and reduced the estimate for both boxes and staff time from the November response. “Fulton County’s 2020 election materials are stored in over 700 boxes, each of which must be opened, searched, and sorted systematically to locate the majority of the documents requested in the subpoenas,” Williams said in the affidavit.  “The DRE [Department of Registration and Elections] does not have sufficient staff to conduct this search and make copies of the documents requested,” Williams added. “I estimate that we would need to hire 15 temporary staff members to work full time (40 hours a week), at approximately $26/hour, for a period of approximately 15 weeks to conduct the searching and copying necessary to comply with the subpoena.”  The post ‘Who Has the Boxes?’: Fulton County Estimates on 2020 Evidence Before and After FBI Raid appeared first on The Daily Signal.

At 5 years old, Dalilah Coleman suffered life-altering injuries at the hands of a reckless illegal immigrant truck driver. The illegal immigrant driver’s 18-wheeler blew a stop sign, crashed into the Coleman family’s car, and left Dalilah, now 7 years old, with permanent brain damage. Tragic stories like Dalilah’s have become an all-too-common occurrence, and it’s kicked Republicans in Washington, D.C., into high gear to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs. Legislation that could have prevented the crash that hurt Dalilah was voted out of committee on Wednesday and is expected to head to the House floor for a vote very soon. “We cannot afford to lower that standard [to obtain a commercial driver’s license], especially when the consequences are measured in lives,” said Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., at a Republican Study Committee roundtable highlighting Republican legislation that would crack down on illegal immigrants with CDLs. Houchin noted that in the past five months, seven people in her home state of Indiana have lost their lives from crashes involving illegal immigrants. The legislation, named Dalilah’s Law, works to prevent CDLs from falling into the hands of illegal immigrants by requiring applicants to be U.S. citizens and live in the state in which they are applying. The bill also incorporates language from Rep. David Taylor, R-Ohio, and requires CDL holders to be proficient in English. Dalilah”s Law Passed in The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee TodayThank you Chairman Rouzer and to the entire T&I Committee for advancing this critical legislation for Highway Safety@RepDavidRouzer pic.twitter.com/AfqOjdZV1z— American Truckers ?? (@atutruckers) March 18, 2026 Previously known as the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act, the bill was introduced in October by Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C. Rouzer is a senior member on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and worked on the bill in coordination with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and other department personnel. Rouzer told The Daily Signal that the Department of Transportation is already working with states to revoke illegal immigrant CDLs, but this legislation will codify the administration’s efforts as federal law. Thanks for your leadership and support, @SecDuffy — proud to work together to advance Dalilah’s Law and make our roads safer. https://t.co/3b9P78UA2m— Rep. David Rouzer (@RepDavidRouzer) March 18, 2026 President Donald Trump recognized Dalilah during his State of the Union address earlier this month for her courage and joy in the face of serious hardship and to encourage congressional action. Because of the accident, Dalilah is non-verbal, had to re-learn how to walk, and has now been diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Republican Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Andy Barr, R-Ky.; and Houchin have all introduced Dalilah’s Law legislation. “The goal is straightforward: If you’re in this country illegally, you should not be able to obtain a commercial driver’s license, and if that standard is violated, there should be serious consequences, including permanent disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle,” said Houchin.   Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., got emotional at the Thursday Republican Study Committee event. Looking at Dalilah sitting and laughing with her father, Burchett said she reminded him of his own daughter. “It’s very personal to me that we as a country cannot come together on this issue,” Burchett said.  Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., also said the issue was “very personal.” “The Colemans are from my community, they are constituents of mine,” Fong said. “Dalilah, when you meet her, how can you not be inspired by what she’s gone though, and how she’s overcome.”   A very important bill in Transportation by ?@DavidRouzer? ?@RepDavidRouzer? pic.twitter.com/Ssptxeihrt— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) March 18, 2026 The 2024 crash that injured Dalilah occurred in Rep. Jay Obernolte’s, R-Calif., district. “It boggles my mind that next week, this bill will have opposition,” Obernolte said. “It is just common sense.” “They seem to be more interested in representing those that don’t speak English than those that do speak English,” Rouzer told reporters of the expected Democrat opposition. “Quite candidly, I think it’s just a reflection of how far off the deep end the Democratic Party has gone,” he continued.   “There’s no Republican or Democrat roads, just U.S. roads,” said Dalilah’s father, Marcus Coleman, who is a truck driver himself. He told reporters his hope is for everyone to “get together with their counterparts on the Democrat side and try to persuade.” Dalilah’s LawDownload The post ‘Very Personal’: GOP Pushing for Dalilah’s Law Vote on House Floor Soon appeared first on The Daily Signal.