CYBERSPACE — An A.I. assistant working with a middle-aged dad from Maine reportedly grew concerned that its human might be a bit of a moron.

A new study estimates that Democrats’ proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $25/hour would cost the U.S. economy 5 million jobs and especially harm workers ages 16 to 24.

“Politicians on the Left are making empty promises that minimum wage hikes will magically fix the cost of living crisis without doing their research,” Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, told the Daily Signal in a statement Thursday.

“The vast majority of economists agree these mandates will kill jobs, leaving families without the paychecks they depend on,” she added. “Here’s the truth: Sky-high mandates will only make life more unaffordable for millions of Americans.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., introduced H.R. 8555, the “Living Wage for All Act,” in April. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., announced in June that he would introduce a Senate version of the federal $25/hour minimum wage.

The legislation would increase the federal minimum wage to $25/hour under a two-track phase-in, requiring large corporate employers to implement the new wage floor by 2032 and giving other businesses until 2039 to do so.

Murphy argued that wages have not kept up with the increase in American workers‘ productivity, and that a worker with just one dependent cannot afford basic needs by working full time at an hourly wage under $25.

Yet the Employment Policies Institute, a nonprofit group that studies labor and wage policy, noted that “the majority of research over three decades finds minimum wage increases reduce employment.”

The institute developed a model, based on the research of the Congressional Budget Office and other American labor economists, to estimate the effects of a minimum wage increase. The model estimated that the $25/hour proposal will cost 5.01 million jobs nationally, significantly impacting the hospitality sector, tipped restaurant workers, and teen employees.

It estimated that 3 million female workers would lose their jobs, compared with 2.02 million male workers, and that 3.79 million non-tipped workers would lose their jobs, compared with 1.22 million tipped workers.

The study estimated that “food services and drinking places” would experience the highest job losses, at 1.7 million. Supermarkets and grocery stores (204,495) placed a distant second, with elementary and secondary schools (159,189), construction (156,764), and general recreation sectors of the economy (146,056) following behind.

The institute also estimated that high-population states such as Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida would experience the worst job declines, while the policy would least affect low-population states such as Vermont, Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Rhode Island.

In addition to raising the federal wage floor, the Living Wage for All Act would also mandate automatic, continued increases of the minimum wage to two-thirds of the national median wage. The Daily Signal reached out to the offices of Rep. Ramirez and Sen. Murphy for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

Economists who oppose minimum-wage hikes often argue that wages function as prices in the labor market, helping employers hire the right people and helping workers decide what jobs work best for them.

These economists contend that government-imposed wage floors can distort these signals and reduce employment opportunities, particularly for low-skill and entry-level workers, especially workers whose key tasks can be automated.

The co-founder of the Democrat fundraising juggernaut ActBlue invoked the Fifth Amendment in a closed-door deposition before three House committees, sources familiar with the matter told the Daily Signal.

Matt DeBergalis, co-founder of the platform, appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, the House Administration Committee, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday morning to answer questions about alleged fraudulent donations. The deposition lasted fewer than 30 minutes.

House committees, as well as the Justice Department, are investigating whether ActBlue has adequately policed fraudulent donations through its portal, particularly illegal foreign donations. The organization has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigations politically motivated.

In June, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones invoked her Fifth Amendment rights when she was called to appear before the House Administration Committee on June 10.

Fox News first reported the development.

ActBlue has said it has a strenuous process to prevent fraudulent or foreign donations.

During the June 10 hearing, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questioned Wallace-Jones, “Your board chairman said ActBlue accepted up to $38 million in contributions in 2024 that had the signs of foreign origin. How much fraud is too much for all?” Wallace-Jones invoked her Fifth Amendment right.

ActBlue Board Chairwoman Kimberly Peeler-Allen had told the New York Times in an article published in April that “less than 1%” of contributions from the 2024 election cycle had signs that they were from foreign countries. The platform raised $38.2 billion in the 2024 election cycle.

In an April letter to the committee chairs, ActBlue lawyer Vincent Cohen asserted that the organization has “built a robust platform with anti-fraud technology.” 

REUTERS—The FBI has raided a home belonging to former Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell, a prominent antagonist of President Donald Trump before he resigned from Congress, as part of an investigation into sexual misconduct claims against him, according to a source familiar with the investigation. 

FBI agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco International Airport and searched his home in Washington, D.C., last weekend, the source said.

A lawyer for Swalwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Swalwell resigned his seat in Congress and dropped out of the race for California governor in April after four women accused him of sexual misconduct, ranging from sexual assault to sending unsolicited explicit images. Swalwell has apologized for “mistakes in judgment” but has said the allegations are false and has vowed to fight them.

Local law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles have announced investigations into the alleged assaults, and the Department of Homeland Security has said it has looked into allegations Swalwell illegally employed a Brazilian nanny. 

The FBI raid was first reported by CNN.

Swalwell, first elected to Congress in 2012, gained a national profile as a prominent Trump critic and mounted a brief run for president in 2019. He was considered a leading contender in this year’s California governor race before he dropped out.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; additional reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Andy Sullivan and Chris Reese)