AG Todd Blanche on Powell Investigation; AI Safety in Question

The US Justice Department isn’t reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for cost overruns related to the central bank’s building renovation project. Attorney General Todd Blanche didn’t rule out continuing to look into the project’s oversight and potentially take action if evidence of wrongdoing came to light. Blanche commented on a report released this week by the Fed’s Office of Inspector General that found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Powell connected to the $2.4 billion project. The report identified a series of missteps that led to surging costs for the renovation, which had been initially budgeted at $1.3 billion in 2020.

Also this weekend, President Donald Trump said he appointed Jay Clayton, his director of national intelligence, to help lead a White House task force on artificial intelligence as the fast-moving technology raises concerns about its safety risks. Clayton was the most prominent name cited by Trump in a social post announcing the creation of the group, which he said will coordinate the US government’s engagement on AI, including with consumers and the companies building it.

On today's show, Bloomberg This Weekend hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini speak with:

- United States Attorney General Todd Blanche in an interview with Bloomberg News Senior National Reporter Myles Miller, on why the Justice Department is expanding investigations into alleged election crimes ahead of the midterms.

- Gautam Mukunda, Bloomberg Opinion Columnist, on the White House's new AI task force and whether AI can be safely governed.

- Thu-Huong Ha, Bloomberg Pursuits Senior Features Writer, on what it's like to take a trip to Singapore without a smartphone, and how the city is deeply integrated with technology.

Plus, David, Christina, and Lisa Mateo share the stories they've 'Bookmarked' this week.

For more conversations like this, watch and listen to Bloomberg This Weekend live on Saturdays and Sundays from 7AM-10AM ET. Watch on Bloomberg Television, listen on Bloomberg Radio and stream the show live on the Bloomberg Business app and Bloomberg.com/video.

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