It’s Thursday, August 20. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Anthropic’s economics chief on the AI jobs apocalypse that isn’t—and when that might change. Vinay Prasad reads Anthony Fauci’s diaries. A Democratic upset in Florida. And much more.
But first: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for president?
The political story of the year so far is the rise of the far left: New York City has a socialist mayor; in primaries across the country, candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have toppled moderates (scroll down for more on the latest upset); and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as a (way too) early front-runner in the race for the 2028 presidential election. In fact, according to prediction markets, she is, as of last week, the front-runner.
AOC hasn’t said whether she’ll run, but her emergence as a genuine presidential contender is a sign of the times. Which is why we asked eagle-eyed Washington watcher Mark Halperin to assess her chances. Will she run? Could she win? Read Mark’s analysis to find out.
—Oliver Wiseman
Artificial intelligence is changing everything—and fast. Nowhere are the predictions of AI’s consequences more dramatic than in the job market, where the technology is supposed to be killing coding jobs, rendering white-collar workers obsolete, and upending the relationship between labor and capital. But despite the catastrophic narratives, data about the job market remains remarkably static. Is AI-driven unemployment a great hoax—or is this just the calm before the storm? Peter McCrory works inside Anthropic researching those questions as its head of economics. Today, he explains what he thinks may lie ahead for the American worker.
Socialist candidates are taking the nation by storm. But if there is one place where it seems like they should be doomed, it’s Florida. For decades, the state has been a haven for Cubans and Venezuelans whose families escaped socialist dictatorships. But this week, assumptions about Floridian politics went out the window when voters chose socialist state representative Angie Nixon over her establishment-backed opponent in the Democratic Senate primary. How did Nixon come out of nowhere to steamroll her opponent, and what does that say about the Sunshine State? Audrey Fahlberg reports.
Last month, Kentucky senator Rand Paul’s release of Anthony Fauci’s personal diaries sparked fresh questions about his response to the coronavirus and may have further fractured many Americans’ faith in our highest government institutions. But Dr. Vinay Prasad was unsurprised by what he saw. Throughout the pandemic, Prasad was one of the most prominent contrarian voices, and later he became the Food and Drug Administration’s head vaccine regulator. Now that he has read Fauci’s diaries in full, Prasad feels more vindicated than ever. Watch his conversation with Rafaela Siewert for a breakdown of what he found.
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THE NEWS
President Trump announced a delay on his threat of new 50 percent tariffs on Canada. The decision came just 90 minutes before the deadline of Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., and it will likely keep negotiations between the two countries going.
President Trump said Wednesday that the United States might return to negotiations with Iran “at some point.” Those diplomatic efforts are unlikely to come soon, since the “situation is so good,” according to the president.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it is severing all trade and financial ties with Iran. The UAE’s move came after it accused Iran of launching ballistic missiles toward the UAE, yet another sign of escalating conflict in the region.
President Trump decided to nominate White House aide Heidi Overton as the next head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Overton appeared next to the president last week when he signed an executive order overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule.
A new mRNA vaccine showed positive results in a trial for skin cancer patients. While mRNA treatments were highly controversial during the coronavirus pandemic, this study could pave the way for the FDA to approve the first mRNA treatment for cancer.
One DSA adjacent win in Florida does not a surge make. This is an absurd claim. Her win against dem darling Vindeman was more about his shortcomings than her abilities. She’s a complete kook. She will lose big to the Republican anyway.
Now that Trump has an airport named after him, can sainthood be far behind? Donald, the Patron Saint of ... fillin the blank. I like Narcissism.