Companies that worked with the Trump administration may soon find themselves squeezed between Congress and the White House. Democrats preparing for possible control of the House have discussed investigations into businesses and other organizations connected to the administration. A lawful contract, permit, or grant could still become the subject of a hearing.The pressure goes both ways. The Trump administration will still control federal contracts, permits, and grants. An executive who tries to appease a Democrat committee chairman could wind up the subject of a scathing Truth Social post — or in court fighting to preserve a government agreement.For a large contractor, losing one department’s business is painful. For a small company that depends on a single federal customer, it could be fatal.CEOs who see themselves in the line of fire should use the weeks before the new Congress convenes on January 3 to prepare. Forget the holiday lull. Strengthen the balance sheet, map the legal risks, protect the brand, and make sure core stakeholders hear from you.Here are four ways to do it.1. Inoculate yourself against criticismA CEO’s job includes looking around corners. That means insurance, cash reserves, and operational backups. It also means getting legal counsel, government affairs, and communications executives in the same room before an angry lawmaker makes the company a national story.Ask four questions:What can we say publicly, and what must we leave to counsel?Who is likely to chair the committees that oversee our industry, and are we on their radar? Update that assessment weekly through January 3 and daily thereafter.Which audiences most need to hear from us — and through which channels?Who can speak credibly about our record? Executives and lobbyists count, but so do employees, customers, and community leaders who have known the organization for years.Then rehearse the answers. Don’t let an improvised post or a stupid brand mistake become Exhibit A.2. Keep yourself solventMoney solves a lot of problems. A healthy balance sheet can help a company weather a canceled contract, a consumer boycott, or a years-long fight with a regulator that suddenly isn’t friendly.Consider Booz Allen Hamilton. In January, the Treasury Department canceled all 31 of its contracts with the consulting firm, citing the theft and disclosure of confidential taxpayer information by a former Booz Allen employee. The IRS said the breach affected approximately 406,000 taxpayers, including Donald Trump. Booz Allen’s shares plunged on the news.For a large contractor, losing one department’s business is painful. For a small company that depends on a single federal customer, it could be fatal.Diversify revenue now, favoring work rooted in continuing public needs rather than a politician’s goodwill. Governments still move troops, review drugs, and approve mergers when party control changes. Nonprofits should broaden their base of individual donors, foundations, and earned income so that one canceled grant does not sink the mission.RELATED: Congress had the receipts. Katherine Maher had amnesia. Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Getty Images3. Choose your words wiselyFor the next 90 days, much about the coming Congress will remain unsettled. Don’t pretend otherwise in public. Stick to what you know on podcasts and social media, and think twice before accepting an interview without understanding the journalist’s subject and approach.Instead, speak regularly with the people who depend on your organization: customers, employees, investors, donors, and partners. Use the channels you already have. If you speak to the press, trade and regional outlets may reach those audiences more effectively than a national political shouting match.Trade editors want expertise and practical answers. Your stakeholders want to know what you provide, how you treat them, and whether you have a plan. Give them more of that and less punditry on subjects outside your expertise.4. If you’re called in, know your stuffThe big open secret about congressional hearings is that they are designed to showcase the lawmakers, not the witnesses. Members want clips for their voters and donors, and they will hammer the table until someone gives them one.In 2023, the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania gave careful, lawyerly answers to questions about calls for the genocide of Jews on their campuses. Their evasiveness became the story. Anyone facing a hostile committee should remember that the most technically cautious answer may be the most politically disastrous.Know the facts cold. Practice being grilled. Prepare for everything from your opening statement to hostile follow-ups, facial expressions, and the moment you leave the hearing room. You are walking onto someone else’s battlefield.RELATED: Andrew Cathy gave NBC the Chick-fil-A apology tour nobody asked for Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesCandor can help, too. At a 2008 hearing on aid for Detroit automakers, lawmakers asked whether executives would work for $1 a year. Ford’s Alan Mulally replied, “I think I’m OK where I am.” Scott Monty, Ford’s digital director at the time, told me on my show that the communications team initially panicked — until it saw the public’s reaction to Mulally’s plain speaking. Mulally later agreed to the $1 salary if Ford accepted federal aid.This, too, shall passWashington has changed hands before. No need to hyperventilate. Companies that were close to one administration have come under scrutiny from the next. The political temperature may fall after the midterms, but another presidential race is only two years away.You cannot control whether Congress targets your organization. You can control whether your records are in order, whether your finances can take a hit, and whether the people who count on you still trust you.Remember the advice about outrunning a bear. You don’t have to be the fastest. You just have to be better prepared than the witness sweating — sorry, sitting — beside you....Read More
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On the latest episode of “The Drive,” my co-host Karl Brauer and I discussed something that should concern anyone who has ever climbed into a driverless car.Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing company owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, is putting Chinese-built vehicles on American streets.Regulators should be able to explain exactly why Waymo's Chinese-built vehicles are different — and what testing supports that conclusion.These aren't experimental cars hidden away on a test track. Waymo's new Ojai robotaxi, built on a platform supplied by Chinese automaker Zeekr, is already carrying passengers.Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with a car being built overseas. Americans have been buying foreign-made vehicles for decades.But China presents a different set of concerns. Washington has spent years warning about the national security risks associated with Chinese connected-vehicle technology. And that raises a question: If Chinese automotive technology is considered dangerous enough to restrict, why are we allowing Chinese-built vehicles into America's growing driverless fleets?Karl put it rather bluntly. “How about a Chinese computer driving you?”Well, there's an important distinction. The vehicle may be built in China, but Waymo says the computer doing the driving is American. Whether that is enough to settle the security question is another matter.Chinese car, American brainWaymo's Ojai is based on a vehicle manufactured by Zeekr, which belongs to China's Geely Holding Group. Zeekr supplies the underlying electric vehicle. Waymo installs its own autonomous driving technology, including the cameras, sensors, computing equipment, and software that allow the car to navigate without a human driver.According to Waymo, the vehicles arrive from China without connectivity hardware or autonomous-driving sensors. The company installs its own equipment in Mesa, Arizona.Waymo says it does not share American passenger data, vehicle information, or autonomous driving technology with Zeekr. Nor, according to the company, does Zeekr receive Waymo's source code, algorithms, or artificial intelligence models.Those are significant assurances, but they leave an obvious question: Who independently verifies that the entire vehicle, including its underlying electronic components, is secure?The Polestar problemConsider what happened to Polestar.In June, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security denied the electric vehicle maker authorization to sell vehicles in the United States beginning with the 2027 model year.Polestar can continue selling its remaining earlier-model inventory and servicing the vehicles of existing customers. But under the current ruling, it cannot introduce new 2027-model-year vehicles into the American market.Why? Federal restrictions on connected vehicle technology associated with countries considered national security threats.Polestar is headquartered in Sweden, but it is controlled by interests associated with China's Geely group and its founder, Li Shufu. And Geely also owns Zeekr, the company supplying Waymo's robotaxis.Think about that. One Geely-linked automaker has been blocked from selling future models in America over connected vehicle security concerns. Another is supplying cars for Waymo's growing robotaxi fleet.There is an important difference between the two. Polestar uses connected technology that falls under federal restrictions. Waymo says it replaces the relevant systems with American-developed hardware and software.But a modern car is more than its navigation system or the computer that drives it. Electronic control units manage everything from braking to battery performance, and those components communicate with one another. Securing the autonomous driving system is one thing. Making sure the underlying vehicle is secure is another.That is why independent inspection of the complete vehicle matters.Only connectDuring our discussion, I recalled an experience at an international automotive test event.I was preparing to drive a Chinese-made vehicle when a representative from Volvo approached and asked to ride along. Before we started, he told me to turn off my phone's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.I asked why.He explained that the vehicle could automatically attempt to connect with my phone, making it easier to access features such as contacts, messages, and navigation.Sure enough, when we started the car, a notification appeared indicating that it couldn't connect to my phone.Now, automatic phone connectivity isn't unique to Chinese vehicles. American, European, Japanese, and Korean cars offer similar conveniences. But the experience reminded me just how easily we allow our cars access to information that once stayed on our phones.Think about what a connected vehicle may know: where you travel, when you leave home, where you work, and which destinations you visit regularly. Depending on the vehicle and the permissions you grant, it may also interact with your contacts, messages, and other personal information.Most of us barely think about these permissions any more. We just want the navigation to work and our music to play.But an autonomous vehicle adds another layer of complexity. It depends on sophisticated cameras, sensors, computers, and communications systems to operate. Who controls that information? Where does it go? And who can access it? Those questions deserve answers regardless of which country manufactured the vehicle.Closing the doorWashington has already taken steps to restrict connected vehicle technology linked to China and Russia.In January 2025, the Commerce Department finalized rules restricting certain connected vehicle systems and components. The restrictions begin applying to certain software in model-year 2027 vehicles, with additional hardware restrictions scheduled for model year 2030.But two senators from opposite parties believe those protections don't go far enough. Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, which would go farther by restricting vehicles manufactured in China, rather than focusing only on Chinese-controlled connected technology.The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee in July and has attracted broad bipartisan support. But an effort to fast-track it through the full Senate stalled in September over an objection from Kentucky Republican Rand Paul.The sticking point is a provision that would restrict automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership. Mercedes-Benz, despite being a German company with American factories, has nearly 20% Chinese ownership through passive investors. Paul argued that the bill could unfairly prevent Mercedes from selling cars in the United States.Moreno has acknowledged the problem and said he is working on changes to protect companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. With no agreement reached before the Senate's election recess, the legislation will have to wait until lawmakers return in November, according to the Associated Press.For Waymo, the existing rules remain in place. Its Chinese-built robotaxis can continue operating provided they comply with federal connected vehicle requirements.Politicians aren't the only ones concerned by this. Missy Cummings, an autonomous vehicle researcher at George Mason University, has called for independent examination of the vehicles to establish what equipment is actually inside them.In an October 29 report by Phoenix-based television news outlet Arizona's Family, Waymo said its finished robotaxis contain no Chinese software or connectivity and that Zeekr cannot communicate remotely with the vehicles or send software updates. The company also said its vehicle platforms undergo rigorous security audits.But the report did not establish whether the complete Chinese-built vehicle had undergone independent hardware security testing or whether the results of any such examination had been made public. That seems like a question worth answering. If the vehicles are as secure as Waymo says, independent verification would offer additional reassurance.RELATED: 6 modern car technologies that make driving worse Bill Pugliano/Getty ImagesConvenience has a costI understand the attraction of autonomous cars. For someone who can't drive because of age, disability, or some other limitation, a reliable robotaxi could provide tremendous independence. For everyone else, there is the convenience of getting where you need to go without worrying about parking or finding a designated driver. Those are real benefits.And this isn't exclusively a China problem. American automakers and technology companies also collect enormous amounts of vehicle and driver data. Consumers deserve clear explanations of what is collected, how long it is retained, and who can access it.But when vehicle components have connections to a country the U.S. government considers a national security threat, the questions become more serious. I'm not suggesting that Waymo has been caught sending Americans' personal information to China. There is no evidence presented here establishing that.What worries me is whether the safeguards are sufficient — and whether anyone independent of Waymo has thoroughly verified them.If Washington considers Polestar's Chinese connections serious enough to block its future vehicle sales, it owes American drivers a clear explanation of why Waymo's Chinese-built robotaxis meet the government's security standards.Maybe Waymo has solved the problem by installing its own technology. But shouldn't we verify that before putting thousands more of these vehicles on American streets?Because when you climb into a driverless car, you're trusting more than the computer behind the wheel. You're trusting everyone who helped build it. ...Read More
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Summary For the past few months, Americans have been bombarded with hundreds of millions of dollars in political ads. Some address policy, while others make grand promises. Far too many make nasty accusations about their opponents, leaving many Americans caught in the middle, frustrated and confused. It seems nigh impossible to cut through the noise.......Read More
A young internet prankster thought it would be funny to trick a hardworking father into believing he'd stolen money from him. Instead the stunt backfired — and the father, who was in his Red Baron employee uniform, won.BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales believes that thanks to the internet, the cruel attempt to humiliate an ordinary working dad turned into a major win for the victim, with strangers donating more than $500,000 to help his family.Even his employer, Red Baron, has joined in celebrating him.“I understand the pitfalls of the internet. Like the internet is great for a lot. Social media is great for a lot, but it also is just like a cesspool,” Gonzales says. “And you know, I think that we have to take the good and the bad with it, especially with some of the things that the younger generation is putting out there for clicks,” she adds, noting that the “bad” of the internet are these “stupid TikTok trends” where people prank strangers.Among those trending pranks is approaching a stranger and tricking them into pulling out their phone. When they succeed, they play the Apple Pay sound to “make it sound like they just took money from their Apple Cash, their Apple Wallet.”“And then it’s like, ‘Haha, that’s so funny that I just tricked you into thinking that I just stole money from you.’ And um, it’s just really gross. I just think it’s really gross to do to people. And there was this one that went viral,” she explains.In the viral exchange, the father yelled at the young internet prankster, explaining that he “can’t even pay [his] mortgage” and has “four kids at home.”“You never know what someone is going through. And I think pranks are funny, but to pretend you stole money from someone is just not funny. It’s just objectively not funny, especially to do a stranger who you don’t know,” Gonzales says.However, while the intent was to embarrass the Red Baron worker, those who’ve seen the viral video have been “greatly moved.”“A hard worker, part of the working class. He’s just trying to pay his bills for his family, and he’s sacrificing a lot to do that. He’s sacrificing time with his kids to do that. He’s going through a hard time,” Gonzales says.“I mentioned the internet is sometimes a cesspool, but the internet is also sometimes really, really awesome because someone created a GoFundMe for this gentleman, and he’s now raised over half a million dollars,” she continues.“I donated to it,” she adds, pointing out that even Red Baron, his employer, is “leaning into it.”Red Baron posted on social media: “He's still here. He’s got a fan club. Including us,” alongside a graphic that reads, “Employee of the month nominations are closed. You know why.”“I hope he can use that money to spend a little bit more time with his kids and his family,” Gonzales says.Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream....Read More