Kelly's AI and Seniors Concern

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is urging Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging, to hold a hearing on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on seniors.

Sen. Kelly described two notable instances of how seniors are interacting with AI chatbots.

In one instance, an Orlando woman named Jill Smola was interviewed by CBS, who, due to a lung condition, is unable to regularly interact with people in person. As a result, she interacts with a chatbot named ElliQ for up to five hours a day, although she stated she still prefers human contact.

In a more tragic example, 76-year-old Thongbue Wongbandue of New Jersey, who has suffered cognitive decline... READ MORE

Senator Mark Kelly: Trump should’ve never used hungry families as political pawns in the first place, and he shouldn’t have needed a judge to tell him to do the right thing. It’s good some SNAP funding will be released, but families are still going to struggle to put food on the table. What he needs to do is help end this shutdown.

Senator Ruben Gallego: This administration always finds money when they care to -- like building a new ball room -- but claims they can't find enough money to fully fund SNAP this month.

Representative Andy Biggs: Repeating a lie over and over again doesn’t make it true. It just makes you look insane.

Representative Eli Crane: Only five more senate democrats are needed to end the shutdown. Three have already defied Chuck Schumer. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego could provide 40% of the needed votes. Country over party, right?

Representative Abe Hamadeh: Excellent news. The narco-terrorists are the barbarians at the gates. Pushing poison and chaos into our country. Arizona, in particular, has been a pipeline for their operations. It’s time to wipe the Mexican Cartels off the face of the earth.

Representative Greg Stanton: Proud to help open the new 81 Asian Bistro in Chandler, where owner David Chiang is serving up authentic & delicious Taiwanese flavors. For those in the know, the East Valley is a destination for Asian food in AZ — locally-owned, family-run businesses are at the heart of that.

Representative Yassamin Ansari: This weekend, rent was due, and 42 million Americans lost access to SNAP benefits. Trump and Republicans are letting children and families go hungry. So we show up for each other. Thank you Puente for making sure our neighbors have food on the table.

Mark Kelly Urges Hearing on AI's Impact on Seniors— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich—

Adelita Grijalva Speaks Out as Delay in Swearing-In Breaks Record, Hitting 41 Days— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— It has been 41 days since Adelita Grijalva won her special election, but she still hasn’t been sworn in. The delay, now the longest in recent history, comes as the U.S. House of Representatives remains mostly out of session during the ongoing government shutdown.

Bipartisan Report Urges Major Reforms to Arizona Family Courts— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— A bipartisan group of Arizona legislators released a report calling for significant changes to the state's family court system after hearing concerns from thousands of families about child safety, parental rights, and financial burdens.

Andy Biggs Accuses Democrats of 'Political Games' During Shutdown— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— Representative Andy Biggs criticized Democrats and called on the state's two senators to help end the government shutdown, which entered its fourth week with no resolution in sight.

Court Sides with Kris Mayes in Fight Over Frozen SNAP Payments— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— Attorney General Kris Mayes won a legal victory to protect Arizonans after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would freeze SNAP payments during the government shutdown. Additionally, Representative Oscar de los Santos expressed frustration of the federal decision that threatened families across Arizona.

Andy Biggs Discusses Biden Cognitive Coverup— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) discussed the previous administration's efforts to hide President Joe Biden's cognitive decline in a recent appearance on Newsmax, calling it "a political decision instead of a medical decision."

Trump Endorsement Won't Be Deciding Factor in CD5, Says Stephen Shadegg— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— Stephen Shadegg, director for Americans for Prosperity, recently talked about Arizona's 5th Congressional District race with Cactus Politics. The conversation focused on candidate Mark Lamb's expected endorsement from President Donald Trump and its possible impact on the Republican primary in the district.

Governor Katie Hobbs Releases Emergency Food Aid as Washington Withholds Benefits— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— Governor Katie Hobbs announced Wednesday that Arizona will use $1.8 million in emergency funds to help families struggling with food access after the federal government halted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Bill to Rename Federal Building After Raul Grijalva Passes Committee— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego's (D-AZ) bill to rename the Tucson federal office after the late Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) has cleared the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Government Shutdown Reaches Day 30 as Eli Crane Blasts Democratic Votes— By Cactus Politics' Ericka Pinon— Representative Eli Crane took to social media this week to call out Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego for their votes during the federal government shutdown.

The Snakebite is written by Grayson Bakich and Javier Manjarres