FIRST IN PI — The RXN Group is launching what it says is the nation’s first artificial intelligence practice focused exclusively at the state level. Jon Potter and Kathy Orellana will lead the new practice, whose launch is timed with the kickoff of the National Conference of State Legislatures, at which AI is sure to be a major topic. — Already this year, 445 AI bills have been introduced across 40 different states, according to the firm, with much of the action concentrated in California, Colorado and Connecticut. “As AI rapidly advances and its adoption becomes widespread, many states are considering legislation meant to ensure its ethical development and deployment,” Potter said in a statement, arguing that “many of these bills are rooted in fear rather than optimism.” — According to Orellana, RXN Group will work “to change how policymakers view AI so they can craft legislation that simultaneously encourages innovation and protects against risks.” KNOWING TONY WEST: “Vice President Kamala Harris had a secret weapon on hand as she worked the phones in the hours after President Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed her,” The New York Times’ Kate Kelly, Noam Scheiber and Ken Vogel write. — “Tony West, her brother-in-law and the chief legal officer at Uber, was with Ms. Harris in the vice president’s residence when she received the news, and he spent the afternoon helping her reach out to would-be supporters. At various points he peeled away to a nearby anteroom to call his own network of donors and business contacts, after which the two relatives compared notes, someone familiar with the matter said.” — “Since that Sunday, Mr. West has emerged as a major force behind Ms. Harris’s campaign and its record-setting fund-raising, but also as a concern for some progressives who want her to take a hard line against big business. He is expected to remain involved in the final 92 days of the race, with Uber announcing on Friday that Mr. West would soon take an unpaid leave of absence to focus on the White House run.” — “Ms. Harris’s campaign brought on several senior political operatives on Friday, some of whom worked on former President Barack Obama’s campaigns. … But none has the advantage of family ties like her brother-in-law, who has held top positions in the Justice Department and corporate America while advising Ms. Harris’s campaigns since she ran for San Francisco district attorney in 2003.” RELATED READING: “Here Are Kamala Harris’s Closest Confidants on Wall Street,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Lauren Thomas. WHAT CRYPTO LOBBYISTS ARE DOING IN THE STATES: “U.S. pension funds are beginning to explore investments around bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, a move that could expose millions of former teachers, police officers, firefighters and other retirees to the wild ups and downs of a largely unregulated financial product,” The Washington Post’s Tony Romm reports. — “In at least five states, industry lobbyists have aggressively hawked the idea, aiming to woo local lawmakers with the promise that digital assets can deliver sky-high profits — often without fully acknowledging the possible risks.” — Since the beginning of this year at least two states, Wisconsin and Michigan, have “bought into exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, which allow investors to purchase shares in baskets of assets — in this case, bitcoin, managed by a financial services company,” meaning they don’t directly own any tokens. The ETFs were approved by the SEC reluctantly in January “after months of aggressive lobbying by the crypto industry, which soon began encouraging states to take advantage.” — “The new campaign is chiefly the work of the Satoshi Action Fund, an advocacy group that represents bitcoin miners. Since the spring, it has helped lawmakers in Arizona, Missouri and elsewhere to draft legislation that would require pension funds to consider investing in ETFs and report back their findings. To sell the idea, the group’s representatives at times have teased that bitcoin and other digital assets could soon pass gold in value.” ANNALS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE: “A political action committee backed by billionaire Elon Musk is being investigated by the Michigan secretary of state’s office amid efforts to collect voter data,” per CNBC’s Brian Schwartz. — The pro-Trump super PAC America PAC “has been acquiring detailed voter information from those living in Michigan and other battleground states after people submit their personal data through a section on the PAC’s website that says ‘register to vote,’” a feature no longer active as of Sunday. — “‘Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,’ a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office said in a statement to CNBC.” — “A person with direct knowledge of the PAC’s operations told CNBC that, at one point since the group registered with the Federal Election Commission in May, the links on the website were functioning properly — but admits now they’re not.”
| 
Comments
Post a Comment