BOLD: 🇺🇸A Democratic push for an AI ban isn’t stopping Anthropic or OpenAI. The two AI giants are chasing up to $111 BILLION in fresh cash. Anthropic is pressing ahead with an IPO before Thanksgiving to raise up to $100 BILLION, while OpenAI just closed $11 BILLION of its funding round. It’s happening as the political mood turns against AI: A proposed “day 1” ban on AI superintelligence carries up to 20 YEARS in prison for violators Texas’ incoming governor, Democrat Gina Hinojosa, vows to pause AI data centers Goldman Sachs estimates about 45% of planned US data center capacity faces possible restrictions Democrats won Congress partly on promises to impede data center construction, per FT US stocks shed $3.2 TRILLION on Thursday on fears of an AI slowdown, with the Nasdaq 100 down 6.4%. And it’s costing the AI labs: Anthropic: Targeting about $1.5 TRILLION, down from the $2 TRILLION its most bullish investors hoped for a month ago OpenAI: Cut its round from $30 BILLION to $20 BILLION and its valuation from $1.4 TRILLION to $1.25 TRILLION So why raise now? Anthropic plans to spend $900 BILLION on computing power and infrastructure, and wants to raise enough that it never has to sell equity again, per FT. The ban is only a proposal. Democrats don’t take control of Congress until January 3, and Trump can veto any bill they pass.