The dawn of the AI era has sparked a wide range of reactions, from exhilaration over the technology’s capabilities to deep distress.

Such responses to a new communicative tool are nothing new, and indeed, AI presents new and unique challenges that will require deep thought and sensitivity.

But a heavy-handed congressional response that erodes long-standing American freedoms isn’t the answer. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage last week of SB 3062, the GUARD Act, shows the substantial risk that Congress’ “do something” energy poses to free speech.

Restrictions violate the First Amendment by regulating the protected editorial decisions of developers and by infringing on individuals’ rights to create and receive lawful expression.

The bill regulates AI chatbots — especially so-called “AI companion” systems — through access limits, design mandates, and disclosure requirements, backed by civil and criminal penalties of up to $100,000 per violation.

If enacted, it puts the federal officials squarely in the position of deciding how this technology is built and used, limiting engagement with information and compelling speech along the way.

Growing calls for a federal solution to the fragmented landscape of state regulations reflect a clear political appetite for legislative action. And a single national standard has obvious appeal for an industry seeking consistency across jurisdictions. But consistency isn’t the same as constitutionality.

If federal proposals like the GUARD Act replicate the speech restrictions found in state laws, they just hardwire those problems into federal law.

Take the bill’s age verification requirements. The GUARD Act forces Americans to create accounts and prove their ages. Existing accounts are frozen until verified, and companies are required to recheck users’ ages periodically.

Age-verification mandates like this one force individuals to disclose their identity to seek answers and thus give up anonymity, a right the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized as central to free expression.

Faced with mandatory identity disclosure, many think twice before asking sensitive questions. Would someone trapped in an abusive relationship be more or less willing to seek advice from a chatbot if she had to surrender her privacy? Or how about the employee who is consistently harassed at work but is worried about asking for advice?

There’s a reason that the Federalist Papers were written under a pseudonym. Even public debate sometimes requires distance from the speaker’s identity. That protection is still needed today, allowing people to seek information, test ideas, and ask sensitive questions without fear of legally required exposure.

Then there are rules about content. The bill makes it unlawful to design, deploy, or make available chatbots that, in the government’s view, “encourage” or “promote” certain categories of constitutionally protected speech.

RELATED: Age verification laws do not make us safer

Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Who do we want to be in charge of determining that? Those restrictions violate the First Amendment by regulating the protected editorial decisions of developers and by infringing on individuals’ rights to create and receive lawful expression.

Proposals like the GUARD Act dictate how chatbots respond and intrude on editorial judgment by putting Congress’ thumb on the scale of what is acceptable speech. This means control over who can speak, what can be said, and how ideas are expressed.

Those choices shape the substance of speech and risk reducing a chorus of voices to a single, government-shaped note.

Finally, disclaimer mandates can cross constitutional lines by compelling speech. The GUARD Act requires chatbots to deliver federally imposed messages in every interaction. While informing users, its application in every circumstance alters the content and flow of communication itself.

All of this points to a deeper reality that AI systems cannot perfectly predict or control every output. That is not a defect. It’s a core feature of how these models generate responses from probabilistic patterns.

Artificial intelligence, and chatbots in particular, has become Washington’s latest political punching bag. Accusations of manipulation and harm are driving a slew of legislative proposals to censor this emerging technology. The GUARD Act isn’t alone. The recently introduced CHATBOT Act presents many of the same threats.

The same impulse to move quickly in Congress is playing out nationwide, with proposals in states like Minnesota, Florida, and Washington targeting chatbots through access restrictions, disclosure mandates, and content-related rules.

The Constitution doesn’t permit any government to address concerns about AI by broadly restricting protected expression. The First Amendment demands solutions that target illegal conduct without burdening the exchange of ideas.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

​Ai systems control, Chatbot act, Guard act, Age verification requirements, First amendment, Free speech, Ai regulation, Chatbots, Opinion & analysis 

While Americans are paying a premium for gasoline, the Iranians are filling up for just 12 cents a gallon. With the Strait of Hormuz blockaded, Iran is desperately trying to use up its oil inside the country — going as far as burning it off at wellheads and hauling it over land in pickup trucks using buckets.

But this isn’t sustainable. Sooner or later, something will have to give.

To find out what happens next and what it means for American gas prices and energy security, Glenn Beck speaks with oil and gas expert Tim Stewart.

Glenn asks Stewart how long before Iran is forced to shut down oil operations.

“From what we gather, they are almost there,” says Stewart.

He explains that oil is stored in tanks, pipelines, trucks, and ships and is in “a constant moving process.” However, the current blockage means the “floating storage” is “shut down,” which “puts intense pressure” on the other storage units. Eventually, the valve on the wells has to be turned down to compensate.

“And that’s what the Iranians actually did,” says Stewart.

But this didn’t solve their problem. Iran’s main oil fields are “legacy fields,” meaning their infrastructure is outdated.

“Those fields have water issues; they have pressure issues; they have migration issues,” says Stewart.

Given that these old fields were already running at their limit before the blockade forced production to slow, Iran will have an immensely difficult time ramping them back up to full operating capacity once the current crisis ends, he explains.

“The [current slowdown] is going to have a long-term impact on their ability to ramp up to another three million barrels a day,” he tells Glenn. “We are kind of in that endgame scenario right now.”

Iran aside, Glenn wants to know how America can address her own oil woes regardless of what’s happening overseas.

Stewart explains that the United States is now the world’s biggest oil producer, but the oil we produce — “light sweet crude” — cannot be utilized because our refineries were built to process “heavy sour crude” imported from other countries. Thus for decades now, we’ve been in an oil swapping game.

But that’s beginning to change.

Stewart notes that companies are beginning to invest in refineries that process light sweet crude oil; Wall Street has finally accepted that fossil fuels are the future; OPEC is starting to crack with the recent departure of the United Arab Emirates.

However, even with the tides turning, we’re still contending with a massive 450 million barrel global shortage.

“So there’s a long tale as to how and when that shortfall is made up,” says Stewart.

Glenn praises President Trump’s America First mindset in “setting us up to be the OPEC of the world,” but he expresses concern for the American people. While American oil companies are sure to make a lot of money from Trump’s initiative, the people themselves are financially hurting from the high prices.

“Has anyone ever said … ‘Hey, is there a way to give the American people a break here and maybe turn our profits down just a little bit?”’ he asks.

“It’s difficult because, again with the industry being bifurcated like it is, you know, the majority of my members of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association are small independent producers. We’re like farmers,” says Stewart. “It’s like when you send the cows to auction, you don’t set the auction price. The auction does.”

The same dynamic occurs in the oil industry.

“We prefer stable prices more than anything,” says Stewart, “and those prices need to be in that $67 to $85 a barrel range. … It allows us to do long-term planning.”

This stability benefits the customer too, he explains.

“The Goldilocks zone is in that $70 to $90 [per barrel range], which that translates to that $2.95, $3.15 a gallon for gas, and that’s where people seem to be able to to function well,” he adds.

Giving consumers immediate relief, Stewart says, is really up to the states.

“Have the states themselves look at what they’re charging and adjust those fees, adjust those taxes or waive them or do a holiday or something like that,” he says. “That brings some immediate relief.”

“The problem is that relief only lasts as long as we don’t get a $20 spike in crude the next day because of a tweet or because of a drone strike,” he warns.

“If things are solved, let’s say in the next four weeks, and it goes back and the strait is open … how fast does the gas price come down at the pump?” Glenn asks.

“I do think you see it this summer, particularly in the United States,” says Stewart.

Once the strait opens, America’s European and Asian allies can start getting their oil supply elsewhere instead of from the U.S., resulting in lower gas prices here.

But Glenn wants to know how low prices will be.

Stewart believes the range of $2.85 to $3.15 is plausible, and it’s “where everybody’s happy.”

“You want a growing economy, which then needs energy to be able to fuel it. You don’t want demand collapse where gas is cheap but nobody’s working, right?” he says. “And so again, it’s this Goldilocks zone we’re trying to get in.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​America oil woes, Blaze media, Blazetv, Gas prices, Gasoline premium americans, Glenn beck, Heavy sour crude, Iran, Iran war, Iranians gasoline 12 cents, Light sweet crude, Oil refineries investment, Oil storage tanks, Oil swapping game, Strait hormuz blockaged, Strait of hormuz, Strait of hormuz shut down, The glenn beck program, Tim stewart, President trump america, Opec 

I remember the night my legs gave out.

I woke up to my sister standing in my doorway. She was scared. Our parents were arguing behind a closed bedroom door, voices raised, something different in the tone this time. We walked down the hallway together and knocked.

Through recovery and faith, I encountered Jesus not as religion but as relationship.

When the door opened, my father was standing there with a loaded gun pressed to his head.

My legs went numb. I collapsed onto the floor.

Long night’s journey

It wasn’t an isolated moment.

Our home was marked by ongoing conflict and instability, the kind that teaches you early how to stay alert, how to read a room, and how to survive without ever really feeling safe.

I didn’t have words for what I had just seen. I only knew something wasn’t right in a way I couldn’t fix and that whatever I thought “normal” was, it wasn’t this.

That kind of moment doesn’t always explode your life right away. Sometimes it just sits there, quiet and unprocessed, and follows you.

It followed me. It bled into my personal and romantic relationships and ultimately skewed my view of the world and of myself. I learned to survive rather than connect — to perform rather than belong. I struggled to understand friendship, trust, and emotional safety. And over time, resentment toward my parents, especially my father, became part of my identity.

Seeking ‘normal’

As I got older, that disconnect showed up everywhere. I didn’t feel like I fit in. I struggled to form real friendships. I was made fun of just for being myself, and after a while, you start to believe there’s something wrong with you. I didn’t know what the problem was. I just knew I felt it.

So when drugs and alcohol showed up, they didn’t feel like destruction. They felt like a solution. They quieted something I couldn’t explain. They made me feel normal, or at least closer to the version of myself I thought I was supposed to be.

That’s the trap, because it works — at first. What I didn’t understand was that I wasn’t fixing anything. I was covering something I didn’t want to look at.

Later, when things got worse, it was labeled a “mental health” issue.

My father struggled with mental illness, and for many years I wrestled with my own diagnoses, some of which, in hindsight, did not fully capture what was truly happening beneath the surface.

I was prescribed medical marijuana. But instead of helping, it began triggering severe adverse reactions, including escalating instability, mania, and psychosis that distorted my judgment and sense of reality.

RELATED: Camp Hope offers Christ-centered healing to America’s veterans

ptsdusa.org

Not broken

Looking back now, I don’t believe there was something fundamentally broken in me. I believe there was something unaddressed. There’s a difference.

I kept looking for something to fix the symptoms, but nothing was touching the root. And that only works for so long.

Eventually, everything catches up. It did for me.

Addiction did not destroy my life overnight. It unfolded through cycles of defiance, denial, and relapse. Each time I tried to regain control on my own terms, I fell deeper into chaos.

It culminated in a destructive spiral that led me to a reckless and disorienting bender in Atlantic City. The consequences I now faced were legal. There was no talking my way out of this or pretending it didn’t exist. I had reached a point where I could no longer outrun the reality of what my life had become.

Brought to my knees

In hindsight, I believe God had to bring me to my knees.

The illusion of control was gone. I finally realized there was no way I was getting out of this under my own power. And that’s when change finally became possible.

It became possible because faith became real — not something I grew up around, not something I understood intellectually, but something lived.

Scripture says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” And also, “You shall be called by a new name.”

I used to hear that and think it sounded nice. Now I understand it.

Redeemed and reconciled

Because my identity did change — not overnight, not perfectly, but fundamentally. I was no longer defined by what I had been through or how I had responded to it. Through recovery and faith, I encountered Jesus not as religion but as relationship. Through prayer, God revealed to me that I was not meant to be ashamed of my past but to embrace it, bring it into the light, and allow it to help others.

One of the most profound outcomes has been reconciliation with my father. The man I once viewed as the source of my wounds became part of a redemption story marked by grace, forgiveness, and healing.

Today, I live a life that is sober and grounded in faith. I’ve worked the Twelve Steps and now help guide others through the process. I am actively involved with Chain Breakers and bringing Christ-centered recovery to those who need it.

If there is one message I hope to share, it is that unhealed childhood trauma, misunderstood mental health struggles, and substance abuse are deeply interconnected. Healing requires both spiritual surrender and honest conversations about mental health.

I share this with humility, knowing I too remain a work in progress. It’s my hope that the more we bring stories like mine into the light, the less power shame and isolation will have over those who are still struggling.

​Addiction, Christianity, Conversion, Faith, Fatherhood, Grace and forgiveness, Lifestyle, Mental health, Recovery, Surrender and faith, First-person 

An English musician was kicked off a U.S. tour just hours after videos surfaced of her saying she supports Republicans.

Rapper M.I.A., whose real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, is of Sri Lankan descent but was born in London in 1975. Aside from having hit records, the artist has generated headlines in recent years for calling out the music industry as a bastion of Satanism that pushes degeneracy.

‘I won’t have someone on my tour making offensive remarks.’

Now, the “Paper Planes” artist has found herself booted off the American tour of five-time platinum rapper Kid Cudi. M.I.A. was taken off the Rebel Ragers Tour this week — with more than two dozen stops remaining — after she was recorded making remarks that allegedly offended the headliner’s fans.

Cudi’s cowardice

“I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter,” she told one audience. The rapper also said she “can’t do ‘Illegal,'” referring to one of her songs, but added, “though some of you could be in the audience.”

Apparent backlash from the remarks was enough to garner a response from Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi.

Mescudi responded on his Instagram page on Monday, writing that he was kicking the 50-year-old Brit off his tour.

“TOUR UPDATE: M.I.A is no longer on this tour,” he wrote, per Variety. “I told my management to send a notice to her team before we started tour that I didn’t want anything offensive at my shows, cuz I already knew what time it was, and I was assured things were understood.”

RELATED: Fighting the darkness: M.I.A. on music, spirit, and breaking free from industry chains

– YouTube

The 42-year-old then claimed he had been “flooded with messages from fans” that were upset by M.I.A.’s on-stage remarks.

“This, to me, is very disappointing,” Cudi went on, “and I won’t have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase. Thank you for understanding. Rager.”

Devil music

M.I.A. did not mince words in her reply, saying that her commentary had been misconstrued and that Cudi was, in effect, doing Satan’s work.

“I wrote ‘illygal’ on the Maya LP a song from 2010. I started this intro to the song with the statement saying I’m illygal, and I said my team hasn’t gotten visas yet. Then played a song that had lyrics saying ‘Fu&% the law’, which I still believe, if the law is unjust f@%& it,” the rapper wrote on X.

She continued, “Do not gas light my words. That is the work of Satan.”

The Londoner added that she wrote her hit songs before Kid Cudi “thought immigrant rights were cool.”

“I’ve had [these] battles by myself without the help of millions of fans backing me. I don’t need this virtue signal era to all of a sudden erase an entire life I’ve led. Jesus was an immigrant and a rebel.”

RETURN: M.I.A. explains why artists like Cardi B are destroying the music industry: ‘What is cool is Satan’s playground’

Blushing bride

Cudi is no stranger to controversy, in part because of his close relationship with Kanye West. In 2020, he disavowed his friend’s association with Donald Trump.

“We just don’t talk about it. I totally disagree with it,” Cudi said.

In 2021, Cudi attempted to make a statement by wearing a wedding dress to a fashion awards show. The Cleveland native walked hand in hand on the red carpet with designer Eli Russell Linnetz, who told People he texted the artist ahead of the show, “Will you be my bride?”

Cudi has also been open about his battle with depression, even allegedly checking into rehab in 2016 over “suicidal urges.”

M.I.A. said on Monday that she believes Jesus has returned to “lead the world justly because there is injustice in this world.”

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​Align, American, Christianity, Faith, Hip hop, Kanye west, Musician, Rap, Republicans, Satan, Entertainment