Astead Herndon

The question of AI's centrality in our work economy is, you're saying that's without question.

It's important.

And so it's only a choice between whether we proactively tax these data centers or give them a place in our shared economy or focus them on workers rather than what's happening now, which is kind of an untamed wild west.

I mean, I guess there just feels like such a big gap between the certainty that political groups, you know, tech groups, like I would say kind of elite society has about the centrality of AI and people, right?

Like we know that that backlash is driven by a sentiment that folks don't necessarily agree that AI should kind of hold a central place in their lives going forward.

We heard Bernie Sanders say to us a couple weeks back that that was a reason for a moratorium on data centers.

Why don't you support a moratorium?

They're just going to do it.

After the break, we speak to Senator Gallego about the recent allegations concerning Congressman Eric Swalwell and how to eliminate predatory behavior in Washington.

And just a quick note, we spoke to Gallego prior to Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna's formal complaint against him alleging misconduct.

A spokesman for Gallego said, quote, these are right wing conspiracies.

I don't want to go too much longer without asking about the recent flood of sexual assault allegations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, who had called you his best friend.

You chaired his 2020 presidential campaign.

You were financially involved in his AI startup.

Did you have any knowledge of these allegations of misconduct?

Had you heard rumors of predatory behavior on the Hill?

I wanted to ask you directly.

I want to just follow up, though, because it seems as if the scale of the allegations makes that, I guess it causes a gut check on that, because it seems as if this was a known thing among some on the Hill.

This seems as if certainly there was a community of women who were organizing around this.

You hadn't heard anything about any of that?