Good morning, it’s Monday, September 30, 2024. In today’s edition, Newsom nixes AI safety bill; West Virginia lawmakers back for special session on taxes; Arizona abortion measure cruising:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sunday vetoed legislation to impose safety standards on the most powerful artificial intelligence systems to protect against mass casualty or mass disruption events. Newsom called the bill “well-intentioned,” but not targeted enough.
Newsom said top AI researchers, including Stanford’s Fei-Fei Li, will participate in a state initiative to come up with “workable guardrails” around AI. He also announced a new effort to explore ways to use generative AI in the workplace. Read more at Pluribus News.
Realpolitik: Most observers expected Newsom to veto the bill — and big tech firms spent heavily on influence campaigns to get him to no. But it’s a safe bet that AI safety legislation will be back next year.
MORE: Newsom also signed legislation making clear that AI-generated child pornography is illegal, closing a loophole in existing law written before AI was available. The new laws make possession or distribution of such images a felony offense. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC SAFETY: California Gov. Newsom signed eight bills Friday meant to protect victims of domestic violence from their assailants. One law would require automakers to give drivers tools to ensure they cannot be electronically tracked or stalked. It’s a first-in-the-nation attempt to address electronic surveillance of vehicles. (Pluribus News)
MORE: A federal judge has blocked an Indiana law that would require a 25-foot buffer zone around law enforcement officials during some operations. The judge ruled for media organizations who had sued on First and Fourteenth Amendment grounds. (WFYI)
LABOR: California Gov. Newsom has signed legislation barring businesses from requiring employees to attend “captive audience” meetings with religious or political messaging. The law is meant to block employers from presenting anti-union messaging in workplaces that are considering unionization. (Sacramento Bee)
TAXES: West Virginia lawmakers return to Charleston today for a special session to consider tax cuts. Gov. Jim Justice (R) wants to see a 5% cut in personal income tax rates, though some legislative leaders worry the cuts could harm the state’s future financial position. (WV Metro News)
In Politics & Business
DELAWARE: A new University of Delaware survey finds New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer (D) leading House Minority Leader Mike Ramone (R) 51%-32% in the race to replace retiring Gov. John Carney (D). Democrats lead every other race tested. (Delaware News Journal)
Delaware hasn’t elected a Republican governor since Mike Castle won re-election in 1988.
ARIZONA: Voters back Arizona Proposition 139, to add protections for reproductive rights to the state constitution, by a 58%-32% margin, according to a new Suffolk University poll conducted for USA Today. The poll showed a majority of every demographic group except Republicans and those over 65 back the measure. (Arizona Republic)
GEORGIA: A Fulton County judge will hear arguments today in a lawsuit challenging new state Election Board rules requiring county officials to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results. The board, where a majority of commissioners are allies of former President Donald Trump, has taken heat from Republicans and Democrats alike for promulgating new rules so close to an election. (Associated Press)
ALABAMA: The Justice Department has filed suit against Alabama and Secretary of State Wes Allen (R) over attempts to remove voters from the rolls too close to the Nov. 5 election. Allen is also facing a lawsuit from some Alabama-born citizens who say he tried to remove them from the rolls as part of a program targeting noncitizens. (AL.com)
PEOPLE: Former Tennessee Gov. Winfield Dunn (R) has died at 97. Dunn, elected in 1970, was the first Republican to lead the state in half a century. (Tennessee Lookout)
Dunn’s campaign manager in that 1970 race: Lamar Alexander.
By The Numbers
At least 200: The number of roads that remain closed in North Carolina, after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene on Thursday and Friday. Parts of Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 remain closed, the state Department of Transportation said. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
$76 million: The amount Ohio residents have spent on recreational marijuana products in the first two months since legalization, according to the Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control. The state has 124 marijuana dispensaries in operation. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Off The Wall
California Gov. Newsom signed legislation Friday adding three new symbols to the official state roster: The Dungeness crab is the official state crab. The banana slug is the official state slug. And the black abalone is the official state seashell. (Newsom’s office)
Staff writer Stephanie Akin sent Newsom’s press release to the rest of us. Her reaction: “This is krilling me.”
The Pennsylvania Capitol has gone dark. It’s nothing nefarious: Wiring for the floodlights that illuminate the front of the building at night have deteriorated to the point at which they no longer function, capitol groundskeepers say. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
Virginia is for inclusive leaf-peeping: The Commonwealth is the first state in the nation to install red-green colorblind viewfinders at all of its 43 state parks, so that those who suffer colorblindness can appreciate the fall foliage. (New York Times)
Quote of the Day
“She is always looking for new ways to attract more young people to her social media pages so they can learn about the important work that the administration is doing every day.”
— A spokesperson for Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D), who appeared in an Instagram post with interns in her office performing a viral TikTok dance to British pop sensation Charli XCX’s song “Apple.” (Boston Globe)
First Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) goes crowd-surfing, now this.