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A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have introduced legislation seeking to ban the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek from government devices.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Wisconsin held a pivotal state Supreme Court election on April 1st that both sides argued could reshape the ideological balance of its highest judicial body and Congress. The race would ultimately determine whether the court maintains its current liberal majority or flips to a conservative tilt, with major implications for state policies on redistricting, abortion, and voting rights. Republicans warned that if Crawford won, the state would likely redistrict areas in ways they say could threaten their House majority in future elections. Although traditionally a Democratic stronghold, Wisconsin flipped red in 2024 when Donald Trump narrowly carried the state, making it a key battleground in national politics. In the lead-up to this election, both Trump and Elon Musk ramped up criticism of what they called “partisan judges” who they claim are obstructing the administration’s agenda. Musk poured millions into supporting Schimel, while Democratic donors—including George Soros and Governor JB Pritzker—spent heavily to back Crawford.
What’s going on now: Election results out of Wisconsin revealed a major victory for liberals, as Susan Crawford defeated conservative Brad Schimel in what became the most expensive judicial election in US history. Unofficial results show Crawford receiving 55% of the vote compared to Schimel’s 45%. The race pulled in a shitload of money from both Republicans and Democrats. Musk alone contributed more than $12 million through his super PAC, America PAC, in support of Schimel.
Musk’s involvement became a focal point in the final weeks of the campaign, as he traveled to Wisconsin to distribute $1 million checks to voters who signed a petition opposing “activist judges” and offered $100 and $50 incentives tied to conservative activism at polling places—tactics that drew sharp criticism and legal scrutiny.
In the aftermath, Musk addressed the loss on his platform X, posting: “I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain.” Democrats quickly seized on the outcome as a rejection of Musk’s influence, with leaders declaring that Wisconsin voters had rejected the idea that their courts could be bought.
This all comes as Republicans scored other wins, holding onto two congressional seats in Florida during special elections. In one of the most closely watched races, Republican State Senator Randy Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil in a district Donald Trump carried by 30 points—though the margin of victory dropped to around 14 points.
