U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta imposed penalties on Google for antitrust violations related to its search business. The judge ordered Google to share search data with qualified competitors and restricted how the company makes payments to other companies for preferred placement of its search engine on phones and web browsers. The judge, however, did not require Google to break itself up by selling its web browser Chrome, which the Department of Justice had requested. This story was widely covered in mainstream and tech press. Check out stories from Reuters, AP News, and TechCrunch.
After the month-long August recess, Congress has returned to Washington. We’ll continue to closely follow their work on tech policy. Thank you for reading. You’ll find more tech policy news and a featured podcast below.
This Week in Washington
- FedScoop: The National Science Foundation is moving forward with plans to permanently establish the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), which will provide access to AI tools for universities, non-profits, and others. They announced $35 million in funding for the creation of the NAIRR Operating Center. The NAIRR has run as a successful pilot program since January 2024, but attempts to codify the program through legislation have stalled in Congress.
- CyberScoop: The House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security advanced legislation to extend and reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Act, both of which are set to expire this month.
- CNN: Following a hack of their systems, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the dismissal of two dozen IT leaders. The terminations, which included FEMA’s Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, come after a routine cybersecurity review by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA.
- BBC: The Trump administration revoked the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s permit to ship U.S. based technology to China. The trade restriction follows similar decisions pulling export access to China from Samsung and SK Hynix, and aligns with the government’s goals of winning the AI race.
Article Summary
- CNN: A new AI startup is developing a language-teaching AI chatbot specifically designed for dying indigenous languages. The technology, created by the Anishinaabe community, both learns the language itself and teaches it to students.
- StateScoop: North Carolina launched an AI leadership council and AI accelerator program as part of an AI framework executive order signed by Governor Josh Stein. The council will serve as an advisory board as the state implements AI across its agencies, and the accelerator program will look to take advantage of the tech investments in Richmond County and the Research Triangle.
- Philadelphia Inquirer: The August 11 ransomware attack on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office remains ongoing. The agency’s internal network has been shut down for nearly a month, and courts have begun pausing or delaying cases connected to the office. As of yet, no ransom payment has been made.
- Nevada Current: A ransomware attack in Nevada shut down multiple official websites and phone lines, including the food assistance program benefits portal. More than a week after the attack, most affected systems are still down, although benefits are being processed manually and delivered as usual.
Featured Podcast
- The Next Wave
AI is changing how we do everything. Matt Wolft talks to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman about the future of agentic AI and how you can implement today’s AI to offload tasks and improve your workflow. (The AI Future You’re Not Ready For – August 26, 2025) – 21 minute and 8 second listen
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.