AI has consumed Washington
From members of Congress to White House cabinet officials, everyone has had something to say about the emerging technology lately. But the verdict is still out on where all this talk leads us.
HOW POLITICIANS ARE THINKING ABOUT AI RIGHT NOW
Good luck finding an institution in the nation’s capital that isn’t occupied in some fashion by artificial intelligence.
The Senate this afternoon will hold its third and final all-senators briefing on the future of AI. (The first briefing focused on the current state of the technology, while the second was a classified session on the national implications of AI.)
And in the past week:
The center-left New Democrat Coalition hosted AI experts during their weekly lunch as part of a bipartisan discussion on the emerging technology.
The White House announced new voluntary commitments from seven leading AI companies — Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI — to promote consumer safety, prioritize cybersecurity, and earn public trust.
Two Biden administration cabinet officials — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo — penned a Financial Times op-ed to outline the sense of urgency their departments will work with to shape the future of AI.
The Senate Judiciary privacy subcommittee held a hearing on AI regulation.
The creator angle: House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) acknowledged the significant challenges AI poses to creators.
“It’s one of the reasons there’s a writer’s strike and a strike by SAG-AFTRA as well,” he told Supercreator Daily. “And we need to really get a handle on how we deal with this brave new world where AI is going to generate content.”
Lieu said he is specifically interested in how AI tools are trained and what data sets they use.
“And then in terms of content it produces, if it violates sort of likeness and copyright laws or other sorts of intellectual property laws, then we should take a serious look at it.”
The algorithmic bias angle: For Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), the focus is minimizing the harm of AI tools that are systematically unfair to marginalized groups of people.
But as cliché as it sounds, representation matters and Clarke is confident that the lived experiences of lawmakers and their constituents can help shape AI standards that reflect the nation’s diversity.
“We’re seeing more diversity within the Congress overall — you’re seeing a diversity in terms of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity,” she said. “And that’s going to determine the future of what legislation comes out of this body.”
The 2024 angle: The potential for AI and deepfakes to adversely affect the upcoming election is also top of mind for lawmakers.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill last week that would amend a 1971 election campaign law to adapt to the AI age and prohibit the use of the technology in political communications.
“Unchecked AI usage in political communications has the potential to lead to unprecedented manipulation and misinformation, limiting the ability of the public to decipher between facts and fiction in the political arena, while interfering with free and fair elections and the future of American democracy,” he said in a statement.
What’s next: When Congress returns from its August break, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is expected to convene a series of “insight forums” with the top AI experts to develop the legislative approach to AI regulation.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) last week applauded the steps his Brooklyn colleague had taken to move the AI debate forward and that he would be closely watching to see where the Senate ends up on the issue.
Jeffries added that he and Speaker Kevin McCarthy also have convened bipartisan briefings to establish a collective knowledge baseline for House members to be informed as they move forward on the issue. The two top House leaders met as recently as Tuesday to discuss the issue.
“The rise of artificial intelligence certainly presents a unique challenge that should be addressed and addressed in a bipartisan way,” Jeffries said to Supercreator Daily last week. “And there’s reason to believe in certain areas such as heath care, innovation, and breakthrough that in fact could be the case — while at the same time making sure there are guardrails in place to mitigate the downside of artificial intelligence potentially being used by bad actors throughout the world.”
As for the outcome of his meeting with Speaker McCarthy: “It was a good conversation,” Jeffries said with a smirk while heading into the House chamber on Tuesday evening to vote: “More to come. Stay tuned.”
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CASAR THIRST STRIKES ON HOUSE STEPS
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) led a daylong thirst strike on the House steps of the Capitol on Tuesday to press the White House to establish a federal workplace heat standard — including protections for rest and water breaks.
The Austin congressman did not drink, eat, or take a break for eight hours in opposition to a law Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed last month that eliminated city and county ordinances that mandated water breaks.
“I’m feeling okay because it’s humid here,” Casar said to Supercreator Daily four hours into the strike. “But it’s hotter here in Texas, right?” (The high in Texas was 104 degrees, compared to 89 degrees in the nation’s capital.) A senior House Democratic aide told your Supercreator Daily author he was still “in good spirits” by hour seven.
The first-term member was joined by several House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) throughout the strike. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and workers from the Dallas airport, people who have fixed roofs in Houston, farm workers from the valley, and electricians from San Antonio also participated.
The strike wasn’t his first rodeo: Casar organized a similar event in Texas in 2010 on the steps of Austin City Hall to call for rest and water break protections that culminated in local rest and water break protections in Dallas five years later.
“This seems like the only appropriate reaction is to do a thirst strike again — and win again — because I think the governor trying to wipe out workers’ rights in Texas is about trying to crush progressive hope,” he said. “And we won’t be slowed down. And I think this is going to keep us going.”
Related: “Why do you feel so grouchy on hot days?” by Allie Volpe
GOLDMAN ON POSSIBLE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: SIGN OF MISPLACED PRIORITIES
Speaker McCarthy floated the possibility of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden to obtain more information about his son Hunter’s finances.
House Republicans are also seeking evidence to corroborate testimony from two whistleblowers who claim an investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes was slow-walked due to political interference.
But an inquiry would eat up precious floor time when Congress returns in September to face a long list of must-pass bills, including government funding, the annual defense bill, the farm bill, aviation reauthorization, and more.
“I think they’ve had misplaced priorities from the get go of this Congress,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), one of the prosecutors during the first of two impeachments of former President Donald Trump, said about House Republicans to Supercreator Daily. “There’s a lot of really important legislation that has to be passed that would help the American people that they have no interest in focusing on.”
Goldman added that impeachment should be reserved for the most serious constitutional violations. He told your Supercreator Daily author the procedure should be treated with solemnity, but that Republicans view it as a political football that should be thrown around whenever.
“When we did our investigation of related to Ukraine, we followed the facts. We didn’t know where it was gonna go,” he said. “And what you’re seeing now is the Republicans have jumped to all sorts of conclusions. And now they’re desperately trying to fill in facts, but it’s the inverse of how any legitimate, credible investigation should be done.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday declined to comment on the possibility of a Biden impeachment inquiry but said the president is focused on solving issues for the American people.
SENATE PASSES TWO NDAA AMENDMENTS, TEES UP MORE
The Senate on Tuesday passed two amendments to the must-pass annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act.
The first, from Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was adopted by a 91-7 vote and will prevent future purchases of American agricultural land by foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) sponsored the second, which requires US companies to inform the government when they invest in Chinese technologies like artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The amendment passed 91-6.
The Senate will vote on an amendment by Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) designed to stop servicemembers from being harassed by debt collectors. And Senate leaders negotiated a second set of additional amendments that will receive floor votes as the chamber looks to wrap up work on the bill by the weekend.
Once the Senate passes its NDAA, it will have to iron out the differences between the House’s version in a conference committee. The current NDAA is set to expire on Sep. 30.
PELOSI APPLAUDS TEAMSTERS-UPS AGREEMENT
The Teamsters and UPS averted an economic catastrophe by reaching a tentative five-year agreement that averted what would have been a devastating worker’s strike.
The union said UPS put $30 billion in new money on the table to secure worker wins, including wage increases, a minimum wage for part-time workers, air conditioning in all larger delivery vehicles, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a full holiday, and protections against forced overtime.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) applauded the agreement as a victory for the labor movement.
“Today’s announcement reaffirms the truth: Organized labor is the backbone of our economy and our democracy,” she said. “It is my hope that this success will not only benefit the 340,000 Teamsters at UPS — but will provide a model for achieving gains for workers across the industry as well.”
President Biden spoke to the UPS and Teamsters presidents by phone to congratulate them on the agreement and pointed to their agreement as evidence that collective bargaining works, per the White House.
The agreement will now go to members for a ratification vote next month.
EQUALITY CAUCUS DENOUNCES HOUSE GOP ANTI-LGBTQ FUNDING BILL POLICIES
From license-to-discriminate riders and gender-affirming care riders to Pride flag riders and drag show riders, the dozen funding bills the House will begin considering this week include an average of three anti-equality provisions in each.
That’s according to the Congressional Equality Caucus, which condemned the 40-plus measures as appeals to the Republican Party’s extremist base that cut millions of dollars in funding for community projects that for LGBTQ+ priorities.
“This Congress, extreme MAGA Republicans are using the appropriations process to further their radical agenda and attack the LGBTQI+ community,” Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) said in a statement. “I condemn these discriminatory attacks and remain committed to ensuring none of these awful provisions make it into the final funding bill that becomes law.”
WH ANNOUNCES $400M IN NEW UKRAINE ASSISTANCE
The Biden administration announced an additional $400 million in US military assistance for Ukraine as the country mounts a slow-developing counteroffensive to reclaim territory captured by Russia.
The package contains air defense munitions, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, anti-armor capabilities, and other equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself.
“Russia could end this war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and people,” Secretary Blinken said in a statement. “Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes.”
70 House Republicans voted earlier this month for an amendment to the annual defense bill that would end Ukraine funding. The Senate could consider several Ukraine-related amendments this week during the debate over the annual defense policy and programs bill.
RELATED: WATERS, NUNN PROPOSE BILL TO REDUCE NEED FOR RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE
A week after Russia pulled out of a deal that allowed Ukraine to skip grain to other countries, two lawmakers announced legislation that would make it harder for Russian President Vladimir Putin to weaponize food as a war tactic.
Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) introduced the “No Russian Agriculture Act,” which would require the Treasury Secretary to direct International Financial Institutions to encourage IFIs to support projects that minimize the reliance that countries have on Russian agricultural commodities, particularly fertilizer and grain.
The bill will be voted this morning on during a House Financial Services Committee markup. If it passes out of committee, the bill will await a House floor vote.
MANCHIN, TUBERVILLE LOOK TO REIGN IN NIL IN COLLEGE SPORTS
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-Wa.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) introduced a bill that would establish a national standard for name, image, and likeness, the term used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to refer to the identifiable qualities that make a student-athlete unique.
The legislation would prohibit NIL agreements that involve alcohol, drugs, or conflict with existing school and conference licenses and require students to ask permission to use existing intellectual property. NIL contracts would have to follow a uniform standard and be disclosed within 30 days and agents would have to register with a regulating body. It would also guarantee health insurance for sports-related injuries for uninsured student-athletes for eight years at four-year institutions.
Perhaps, most importantly, the bill reforms the NCAA transfer portal, a 2018 tool that allows student-athletes to enter their name in an online database to declare their desire to transfer to another school. Some big-name coaches including Alabama’s Nick Saban feel like the portal makes it hard for college programs to manage their rosters. The Manchin-Tuberville bill would require student-athletes to complete their first three years of academic eligibility before allowing them to transfer without penalty. This provision would suck for student-athletes.
Manchin is a former college football player and Tuberville coached college football before his election to the Senate.
TODAY IN POLITICS
All times Eastern
4:45 a.m. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and First Lady Brigitte Macron departed Paris to travel to Saint-Malo, France, where they arrived at 5:45 a.m.
6:55 a.m. Dr. Biden and First Lady Macron visited the Brittany American Cemetery to pay respect to American servicemembers who lost their lives in Northern France during World War II.
7:45 a.m. Biden and Macron will tour the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site Mont Saint-Michel to highlight the importance of preserving global cultural heritage sites.
9 a.m. President Biden will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
10 a.m. The House will meet with first votes expected at 1:30 p.m. and last votes expected at 5:45 a.m. The Senate will meet with a vote scheduled at 12:15 p.m. on an amendment to the annual defense bill. Additional votes are possible.
10:20 a.m. Dr. Biden will travel from Saint-Malo to Dover, Delaware.
Vice President Harris is in Washington, DC, and has no public events on her schedule.
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