Business & Markets — June 18, 2026

White House AI policy team in flux. Key departures and rapid technological change have left the Trump administration’s AI team scrambling. No one is quite sure who is actually setting U.S. artificial intelligence policy.

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Sanders proposes public ownership of AI firms. Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled a plan to transfer ownership stakes in AI companies to the public as firms race toward trillion-dollar valuations.

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Trump buys out four more offshore wind leases. The administration is buying Invenergy’s offshore wind leases. Total federal buyback spending has now reached nearly $2.6 billion across multiple cancelled projects.

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FTC sues transgender health standards body. The Federal Trade Commission and four states sued WPATH Thursday, alleging the organization misled parents and physicians about the safety of youth gender-affirming treatments.

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U.S. gas average falls below $4 a gallon. The U.S. average gas price dropped below $4 per gallon Thursday, per AAA, easing months of elevated pump costs tied to the conflict in Iran.

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