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Rounds in the Ring

The South Dakota senator dishes on A.I. policy, as well as the latest on the government shutdown, and whether Pete Hegseth should go.

Puck Power Breakfast mike rounds
Rounds notably disagreed with the administration in several respects. He thinks Congress—and the states—need to regulate A.I., as well as support wind and solar sources to help meet its surging energy demands. All Photos: Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Puck
Leigh Ann Caldwell
October 23, 2025

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Anyone who’s ever watched a congressional hearing focused on tech policy—say, social media, or digital data collection—knows that our legislative body doesn’t have the most sophisticated understanding of any current technology, let alone the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence. That’s why then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tapped Sen.Mike Rounds, the affable A.I. enthusiast and South Dakota Republican, during the last Congress to help educate his colleagues on the issue—including by convening top tech leaders such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, andSam Altman to give a borderline geriatric Senate a crash course in Artificial Intelligence 101.