THE SCOUTING LOUNGE
Flying Delta and United | Using polls | Iranian messaging on AI | Stuck in the Strait of Hormuz | Creating a digital 'sandbox' | Faking independence | Bringing home the B-21 | Oct. 24, 2026 Sen. Mike Rounds
Sen. Mike Rounds joins Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis to talk about his bid for a third term. The discussion includes AI regulation, why property rights proponents had legitimate grievances about carbon pipelines, saving Ellsworth Air Force Base, the B-21 Raider schedule and the war in Iran.
Episode highlights:
00:02:34 — Sen. Mike Rounds joins the Scouting Lounge to discuss his Senate campaign, his work in Washington and issues affecting South Dakota.
00:04:22 — Rounds criticizes his opponent’s campaign tactics, arguing that misinformation distracts voters from differences over conservative values and Second Amendment rights.
00:05:56 — Rounds explains how internal polling helps his campaign identify voter concerns, target outreach and determine where he needs to spend more time.
00:08:06 — Rounds defends local control in the pipeline debate, saying landowners’ safety concerns deserve to be heard and addressed.
00:09:05 — Rounds outlines South Dakota’s approach to data centers, including protections for electricity rates, water resources and local zoning authority.
00:12:36 — Rounds says data center developers should explain how they will provide power without raising electricity costs for local residents.
00:13:04 — Rounds describes a data center north of Pierre that he says generates about $780,000 for a local school district by using electricity when irrigation facilities need less power.
00:14:13 — Rounds discusses alleged Iranian efforts to undermine U.S. artificial intelligence development and says he has asked the Treasury Department to release additional information.
00:15:11 — Rounds argues that AI regulation should not protect leading technology companies from competition by smaller businesses.
00:16:24 — Rounds proposes using the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop guidelines for testing advanced AI models with input from companies of different sizes.
00:18:33 — Rounds describes AI’s potential to accelerate biomedical research, saying experiments that could take a laboratory 200 years might be completed in less than a second.
00:19:06 — Rounds predicts that AI could dramatically improve treatment for Type 2 diabetes and eventually help people live without the disease’s current threats.
00:20:41 — Rounds discusses the growing role of AI in national defense, including military command systems and operations across multiple domains.
00:21:55 — Rounds argues that the U.S. operation in Venezuela may have delayed potential Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by demonstrating American military capabilities.
00:23:29 — Rounds explains why he believes President Donald Trump was right to address Iran’s nuclear program, citing concerns about enriched uranium and Iranian ballistic missile capabilities.
00:26:16 — Rounds describes potential military options involving Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz, explaining the risks and strategic trade-offs of each.
00:31:34 — Rounds recalls the bipartisan effort to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base open and discusses preparations for the arrival of B-21 bombers.
00:33:43 — Rounds details the military construction underway at Ellsworth, including completed or ongoing projects worth about $1.6 billion and another $400 million in planned work.
00:37:07 — Rounds criticizes the Pentagon’s procurement bureaucracy and calls for faster weapons acquisition and more effective defense supply chains.
00:38:02 — Rounds says the Pentagon needs longer-term contracts and larger supply inventories to prevent shortages from disrupting weapons production.
00:39:08 — Rounds says the government should help smaller defense contractors meet cybersecurity requirements so compliance costs do not drive them out of the market.
00:40:25 — Rounds discusses how Northrop Grumman’s presence in Rapid City could create defense-industry jobs and connect South Dakota Mines graduates with advanced aerospace work.
00:42:42 — Rounds describes the major scientific investment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility and its role in international research into dark matter and dark energy.
00:44:02 — Rounds identifies quantum technology as the next major frontier after artificial intelligence and explains how it could enable aircraft navigation without GPS.
00:46:18 — Rounds says he plans to watch election returns with a small group in Pierre and emphasizes that his campaign will work hard until the polls close.
00:46:55 — Rounds says candidates should never take an election for granted and hopes voters see him as a workhorse who focuses on getting the job done.
Subscribe to The Dakota Scout for independent South Dakota journalism and more episodes of The Scouting Lounge at thedakotascout.com. Check out all past episodes in tbe podcast archive.
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