if the Senate actually wanted to investigate something useful before heading out for recess, what should it be?
Madeline has two answers, and they're connected. First, the MAHA movement — specifically RFK Jr.'s promise to get rid of forever chemicals, which got quietly reversed, and the backdoor deals with Big Agriculture and the EPA that she believes explain why. It's a bipartisan issue with a paper trail, and it's sitting there unused. Second, AI regulation — not the self-regulation that the tech giants are currently selling to Washington, but real laws with teeth. She draws a direct line between the Chevron deference ruling, the death of subject matter expertise in regulation, and the current situation where the fox is being asked to write the rules for the hen house. Marcus adds the compliance lens: you need subject matter experts to inform policy, but the moment you let them write it themselves, you've handed over the keys.
The through line, as Madeline puts it: in both cases, this administration made promises it didn't keep, money changed hands, and the people who were supposed to benefit got left holding the bag. That's an investigation. That's a hearing. That's what 40 days before the midterms could look like if anyone in the Senate wanted to use their time that way.
","author_name":"Marcus Flowers / Madeline Summerville"}