Trump Signs Rare Bipartisan Law Targeting Deepfake Porn

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US News

Trump Signs Rare Bipartisan Law Targeting Deepfake Porn

What's going on: President Donald Trump signed the “Take It Down Act” yesterday, making it a federal crime to share someone's intimate photos without their consent. The law punishes offenders with up to three years in prison, a fine, or both — including those who share or threaten to publish revenge porn and AI-generated deepfakes. Social media platforms must now remove such content within 48 hours of a victim's request, and try to take down copies, with the Federal Trade Commission overseeing enforcement. First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the legislation, participated in a symbolic signing and praised the bipartisan effort as a “national victory” that “prioritizes people over politics.”

What it means: This law represents one of the federal government's first real efforts to address nonconsensual AI-generated porn. It earned support from over 100 organizations, including Meta, TikTok, and Google. While some digital rights groups worry about potential privacy and free speech limitations, the legislation responds to growing concerns about realistic AI-generated sexual content targeting women and public figures. Recent victims range from high-profile women like Taylor Swift and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to teenage girls. Major tech platforms have already implemented takedown request systems, while other sites have one year to develop similar processes.

Related: New Orleans Police Secretly Used Live Facial Recognition To Arrest People (WaPo Gift Link)

Education

History Class, Now with Election Denial

What’s going on: Starting next school year, Oklahoma history classes will cover the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution…and alleged “discrepancies” in the 2020 election. It marks a significant shift from the previous curriculum to “examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.” Now, students will review baseless claims that Democrats stole the election, including unverified data and discredited conspiracy theories. Some Republican lawmakers attempted to block the new education standards (which also remove lessons on Black Lives Matter and George Floyd) but couldn’t secure enough votes. Parents and educators have filed a lawsuit to overturn these standards, arguing they “represent a distorted view of social studies.”

What it means: Experts say this is the first time a state will include disproven 2020 election theories in its official curriculum — potentially opening the door for others to follow. While some teachers believe they can still teach the truth responsibly, others worry that not all educators will. Critics accuse State Superintendent Ryan Walters of using the curriculum to boost a potential 2026 run for governor. He also created a new executive committee full of Trump allies tasked with rethinking the state’s education curriculum to include more pro-Trump and Christian nationalist themes, according to The Guardian. The changes could cost taxpayers $33 million in new textbooks — at a time when federal education funding is being cut.

Related: Oklahoma Is Asking Parents to Prove Citizenship Before Enrolling Their Kids in School (CNN)

Tech

AI Is More Convincing Than You — Should We Be Worried?

What's going on: A new study suggests that, yes, AI might now be more persuasive than actual people — and that’s raising major red flags about manipulation, misinformation, and just how little it takes for a chatbot to win us over. Researchers in Italy tested ChatGPT’s persuasive chops and found it outperformed human opponents in two-thirds of online debates. The wild part? It got even better when fed basic personal info about its opponent. (Not mildly terrifying or anything.) The bot used political leaning, gender, and race details to tailor its arguments to hit harder, like emphasizing hard work when debating a white male Republican. Scientists had 900 people in the US argue about abortion, climate change, and the death penalty. Some debated fellow humans, others sparred with ChatGPT. Participants rated their stance before and after each exchange — and the bots won more converts.

What it means: One Oxford professor told The Washington Post she found the results “quite alarming,” especially given how persuasive AI could be in spreading lies and disinformation. On social media platforms, where algorithms already feed us what we want to hear, chatbots could quietly reinforce our beliefs — or nudge them in more extreme directions. And because AI tools like ChatGPT often focus more on sounding helpful than sticking to facts, it’s getting even harder to tell what’s true. So that’s…comforting. Bottom line: If AI is better at persuasion than humans, we may need to rethink how we protect ourselves — and our opinions — in an increasingly automated world.

Related: Who Gets To Regulate AI? House Republicans Say Not the States (CNN)

Your Political Briefing

The week in political chaos.

Bench press: SCOTUS just cleared a path for President Trump to end protections for over 300,000 Venezuelans in the US. That could mean deportations ahead — but for now, it’s back to the lower courts.

Vlad chat: Trump logged more than two hours on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. Though Ukraine and Russia remain far from a ceasefire, Trump says the two countries will start talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

Five-million settlement: The Trump administration has agreed to pay $5 million to Ashli Babbitt’s family. Babbitt — a Trump supporter — was shot and killed during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Red hat rifts: Are MAGA and MAHA headed for a conscious uncoupling?

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Eat

If a trip to Greece isn’t in the cards for the foreseeable future, consider Meredith Hayden’s Big Fat Greek Salad With Souvlaki-ish Chicken the next best thing. Inspired by monochromatic maroulosalata (aka Greek “lettuce salad”), the base of this simple-yet-impressive dish — included in The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook — is a bed of bright, crunchy, micro-chopped green things, including romaine, bell peppers, pepperoncini, capers, and dill. Pile on chunks of salty feta and juicy, flavorful chicken thighs and suddenly, you’re on vacation — at your kitchen table.

Game Time

Start your Tuesday off right with Typeshift, a fun new game that challenges you to create words from a set number of letters. Warning: It’s very addicting. Start playing.