AM

Pluribus AM: First you legislate, then you litigate

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, August 27, 2024. In today’s edition, California AI bill gets a final push; court blocks Biden immigration program; Washington’s rare hand recount:

Top Stories

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) is making a last-minute push to approve his artificial safety legislation before the legislature wraps up its work this week. The measure, which requires safety and security protocols on AI models that cost more than $100 million to train, awaits action in the Assembly.

The bill is winning over some important allies in the AI community. The AI giant Anthropic wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) last week that the bill had been “substantially improved” in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Meta isn’t a fan, but Wiener said Monday that the Facebook parent has already committed to the safety measures his bill would require.

The two big outstanding unknowns: Time, and Newsom. The legislature has until the end of the week to finish its work, and crazy things happen in the final days of a legislative session. And Newsom seems wary of regulating Silicon Valley’s next big industry. Whether he’d sign a bill at all remains an open question. Read more at Pluribus News.

LGBTQ RIGHTS: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a lower court’s order banning a Florida law that bars gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The law prohibiting puberty blockers and hormonal treatments for minors, even with parental consent, can now take effect. (Associated Press)

GUN POLITICS: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a Missouri law banning police from enforcing federal gun laws. The court ruled the law violated the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause. The law has been on hold since 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked it while lower courts sorted out the legal challenges. (KCUR)

IMMIGRATION: A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked a Biden administration program that could have offered a path to citizenship for about half a million undocumented immigrants who are married to American citizens. The ruling favors a group of 16 Republican attorneys general who sued to block the rule. (New York Times)

TAXES: Colorado lawmakers are in day two of a planned four-day session to slash property taxes. The House Appropriations Committee voted Monday to advance tax cuts that would amount to about $77 per home, or $1.3 billion annually. The legislature is working to make the cuts in hopes that sponsors of two ballot initiatives that would make steeper cuts pull their measures off the November ballot. (Denver Post)

In Politics & Business

KENNEDY: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is unlikely to be able to get his name off the ballot in Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, after state elections officials said he had missed deadlines to do so. Kennedy has taken steps to get his name off the ballot in Arizona and Pennsylvania, two key swing states where he hopes his absence will help former President Donald Trump. (Pluribus News)

OHIO: Former state Rep. Chris Redfern (D), who chaired the Ohio Democratic Party, says he’s thinking about running for governor in 2026. Former state health director Amy Acton (D) and House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) are also contemplating running in the Democratic primary. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

WASHINGTON: A hand recount has begun in the contest for the second slot on the November ballot for state Public Lands Commissioner. King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove (D) leads Sue Kuehl Pederson (R) by just 51 votes out of 1.9 million ballots cast, or less than one-thousandth of a percentage point. It’s the first recount in a statewide primary since 1960. The winner will face ex-U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) in November. (Seattle Times)

By The Numbers

223%: The increase in participation in pickleball over the last three years. An estimated 13.6 million Americans play pickleball, compared to 23.8 million who play tennis. (Associated Press)

2,035 lbs.: The size of the largest pumpkin at the Alaska State Fair, grown by Anchorage farmer Dale Marshall, the second year in a row Marshall’s pumpkin has taken home the prize. (Anchorage Daily News) Click the link to see Marshall’s ebullient celebration.

Off The Wall

An aggressive, wounded water buffalo is roaming the Des Moines Metro area. The Animal Rescue League and Des Moines Animal Control say they don’t have tranquilizers strong enough to sedate a water buffalo that can weigh up to 2,600 lbs. (Des Moines Register)

A contest to name Washington State University’s newest apple species has received more than 15,000 submissions after national media outlets picked up the story. The new apple, a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Cripps Pink called the WA 64, will be named by the end of the year. The winning entrant will receive a charcuterie board, a box of apples, WSU merchandise and a 30-ounce can of Cougar Gold cheese. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Quote of the Day

“In 2028, I look forward to re-electing Kamala Harris. In 2032, I hope to be walking without a cane.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on his presidential prospects and his sibling rivalry — a term Newsom hates — with Harris. (Los Angeles Times)