Is There Anyone in Washington Who Can Prevent America From Hurtling Off a Financial Cliff?

Senate’s T.Swift Caucus • Roe at 50 • Robot Journalism? [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Is There Anyone in Washington Who Can Prevent America From Hurtling Off a Financial Cliff? Good Saturday morning! There’s nothing Republicans love more than talking about “fiscal responsibility” when a Democrat is in the White House. Since assuming power, Kevin McCarthy and the House GOP have proven willing to hold the economy hostage to cut, well, they’re [not so clear]( on that. Amid such obstructionism, Chris Smith [asked]( the big question this week, “Is there anyone in Washington who can prevent America from hurtling off a financial cliff?” Meanwhile, House Republicans are trying to turn the nation’s attention to [sales]( of Hunter Biden’s art. (Maybe such GOP priorities explain polls like [this](.) Anyway, jumping off new revelations about Bill Barr and the Durham probe, Eric Lutz [urged]( the media to take lessons from the Trump years in covering the the GOP’s “cynical investigations.” Also this week, Joe Pompeo [explored]( ChatGPT’s possibly dystopian impact on journalism—BuzzFeed, for one, is all in on “AI inspired content”—as Erin Vanderhoof [covered]( the Senate’s Taylor Swift caucus grilling Ticketmaster and Live Nation. And marking the 50th anniversary of Roe, Molly Jong-Fast [wrote]( how it’s “more dangerous to be pregnant in America” than this time last year. We’ll see you again Monday. —Michael Calderone, editor [Is There Anyone in Washington Who Can Prevent America From Hurtling Off a Financial Cliff?]( By [Chris Smith]( [Kevin McCarthy’s Republican House is holding the debt ceiling hostage in pursuit of budget cuts, pushing the world’s economy to the brink. “Anyone who tells you they know what the off-ramp here looks like is bluffing,” one congressional aide says.]( [Read more button](   [Bill Barr’s “Russiagate” Probe Into the Mueller Investigation Was a Sham. Has the Media Learned Its Lesson?]( By [Eric Lutz]( [As House Republicans launch cynical investigations into the Biden administration, there’s a lot to be learned from the John Durham inquiry, which Trump and his allies misleadingly suggested was narrowing in on the “deep state,” but in reality was actually investigating a tip about financial malfeasance by Trump himself.]( [Read more button](   [ChatGPT’s Mind-Boggling, Possibly Dystopian Impact on the Media World]( By [Joe Pompeo]( [Is artificial intelligence “useful for journalism” or a “misinformation superspreader”? With CNET mired in controversy, Jonah Peretti promising “endless opportunities,” and Steven Brill warning of AI’s weaponization, the industry is only just coming to grips with this jaw-dropping technology.]( [Read more button](   [The Senate’s Taylor Swift Caucus Has Arrived, and It’s Very Mad at Ticketmaster Too]( By [Erin Vanderhoof]( [After a sales fiasco over Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, senators reamed out Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which merged in 2010, for acting like a monopoly. “Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Senator Richard Blumenthal said.]( [Read more button](   [Image may contain: Tie, Accessories, Accessory, Electrical Device, Microphone, Human, Person, Suit, Coat, and Clothing]( [It’s More Dangerous to Be Pregnant in Post-Roe America]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [On the 50th anniversary of the landmark ruling, the slogan “abortion is health care” has never felt so urgent.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2023 Condé Nast