*By Christian Smith*
Christine Hallquist, the first transgender gubernatorial candidate to be nominated by a major party, faces an uphill battle in Vermont, where she is trying to unseat the popular Republican governor.
"It's possible, but not likely, that Vermont will have the first transgender governor because the incumbent there, Phil Scott, is very popular," said Jonathan Alter, a political reporter and the host of Sirius XM's Alter Family Politics.
Hallquist, the former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, won 48.3 percent in Tuesday's Democratic [primary](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/14/us/elections/results-vermont-primary-elections.html). She beat out three other candidates, including a 14-year-old boy who was allowed to run because the Vermont Constitution does not have an age requirement for gubernatorial candidates.
"As far as I'm concerned, these are nice breakthroughs," Alter said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar. "But they're not ultimately nearly as important as what happens between now and November. The big question is, whether Democrats ー progressives, in particular ー people who don't always vote very much, whether they get off their duffs, turn off their cable TV, go out there, and not actually vote, but work in flippable districts in their states."
Scott, who is popular even among Democrats in Vermont, is considered the favorite to win, though his poll numbers have taken a hit in recent months. His approval rating fell 18 points to 47 percent, and his disapproval rating doubled to 42 percent, according to Morning Consult's latest [quarterly governor approval rankings](https://morningconsult.com/2018/07/25/americas-most-and-least-popular-governors-2/).
The drop came after Scott [tightened](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/us/florida-gov-scott-gun-bill/index.html) gun control laws in March. Despite Vermont's reputation as a liberal state, nearly a third of its residents own guns, according to [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun-ownership-rates-by-state/20/).
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/do-democrats-have-what-it-takes-to-take-back-congress-in-november).
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
