Trump Administration Sues Minnesota Over Prediction Market Ban Amid Tech Lobbying Push

The state of Minnesota is facing a lawsuit from the Trump administration aimed at halting a law that prohibits prediction markets, which was enacted by Governor Tim Walz. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) contends that Minnesota does not have jurisdiction over platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. At least 14 other states have enacted similar laws. Under Trump, the CFTC's workforce has diminished, with acting chair Caroline D. Pham and senior counsel Brigitte Weyls supporting crypto companies. Pham subsequently joined a crypto firm associated with Polymarket, while Weyls moved to a prediction market company. In Michigan, Related Digital's lawsuit reversed Saline Township's decision against a $16 billion AI data center. NV Energy plans to cease power supply to Lake Tahoe after May 2027. BlackRock's CEO Larry Fink spoke with Texas Governor Greg Abbott about pension funds for AI. Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" condemned transhumanism amid lobbying from tech companies at the Vatican. Author Karen Hao characterized OpenAI's pursuit of AGI as a "religious fervor."