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WG Economy
Washington Races To Get Up To Speed On AI
WG Economy | David Winston
June 14, 2023
Artificial intelligence is the hot topic these days and starting to get lawmakers' attention. Following up on ChatGPT founder Sam Altman's testimony in May, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is hosting three educational sessions for Senators on AI, with this week's first Senators-only session featuring an MIT professor. A bipartisan "dear colleague" letter announcing the sessions stated that "the Senate must deepen our expertise in this pressing topic... We must take the time to learn from the leading minds in IA, across sectors, and consider both the benefits and risks of this technology." With a market cap expected to increase twenty-fold by 2030, it is no wonder that companies want to get in on AI, and lawmakers are quickly trying to get up to speed as there are increasing calls for regulation.
WG Economy, June 14, 2023.pdf
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Republicans Get a Surprise Win
Newsweek | Nick Reynolds
June 14, 2023
Republicans were celebrating a surprise win in a special election for a coastal Maine statehouse seat on Tuesday night, after wresting control from Democrats in the traditionally blue-leaning district.
Abden Simmons, a fisherman, defeated former Democratic State Rep. Wendy Pieh by nearly five points in a special election for Maine House District 45, handing Republicans their first win in the region in years.
The victory is inconsequential in Republican efforts to regain control fo the purplish state. Democrats currently enjoy a 14-seat majority in the Maine House of Representatives, while the party also maintains control of both the governor's mansion and the state senate. However, the win represents something of a spiritual victory for Maine Republicans in a district that has long favored Democrats. Read more
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Republicans face tough bid to oust Baldwin
in Wisconsin Senate race
The Hill | Al Weaver and Julia Manchester
June 14, 2023
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Republicans are facing an uphill climb in the Wisconsin Senate race after Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) decided against a bid next year, hurting their chances to unseat Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Gallagher was considered a top Republican pick to challenge the incumbent Baldwin, who is seeking a third term next year, and his decision not to run has some in the party worried about their prospects in what is expected to be a tough election.
Despite the state becoming more of a battleground state in recent years, Baldwin has been an extraordinarily tough opponent for the GOP, having won reelection by more than 10 points only two years after former President Trump carried the state. Read more
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Stove wars: Republican-controlled House takes up bills to protect gas stoves
WANE | Matthew Daly, Associated Press
June 14, 2023
Venturing back into the nation's culture wars, the Republican-controlled House is taking up legislation that GOP lawmakers say would protect gas stoves from overzealous government regulators.
A bill approved Tuesday would prohibit use of federal funds to regulate gas stoves as a hazardous product, while a separate bill set for a vote Wednesday would block an Energy Department rule setting stricter energy efficiency standards for stovetops and ovens.
Both bills were set for approval last week, but action was postponed after House conservatives staged a mini-revolt in retaliation for Speaker Kevin McCarthy's leadership on a measure to raise the debt ceiling. Led by outspoken members of the House Freedom Caucus, 11 Republicans broke with their party on an otherwise routine procedural vote that threw the House schedule into disarray for a full week. Read more
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Few Americans know Sen. Tim Scott, but some Democrats see him as a tough general election opponent
Donald Trump still leads the Republican field in the polls, but Democrats are eyeing the rest of the candidates.
NBC News | Peter Nicholas and Alex Seitz-Wald
June 13, 2023
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Much of the country has never heard of Tim Scot, the junior senator from South Carolina and a presidential candidate who, at this point, is a long shot for the Republican nomination.
But Democratic strategists know Scott - and some worry he might pose a real threat to beat President Joe Biden in a general election if he makes it that far.
Former President Donald Trump leads - by large margins - in every Republican primary poll, but Democrats watching him appear in another courtroom are handicapping the prospects of the rest of the field.
Democrats worry that as a Black man, Scott, who was elected to the Senate in 2012, would peel away voters who are crucial to Biden's re-election. That, at age 57, Scott's mere presence on the debate stage would call attention to the inconvenient fact that Biden is the oldest president ever. And that with an upbeat message, Scott might appeal to an electorate disenchanted with the sour state of American politics. Read more
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As Republican 2024 primary ramps up, experts say Iowa has 'never been more important'
Trump could seal his momentum -- or be bested by a challenger like DeSantis
ABC News | Tal Axelrod
June 13, 2023
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The packed and growing GOP primary field is filled with big names, like former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But to Iowa voter Kim Schmitt, the race feels wide open.
"There's a lot of good people out there. We could talk all day about what we have now -- like, 11 people running?" she said at former Vice President Mike Pence's campaign launch in Des Moines last week. "That's why we have the caucuses, so we can meet and hear each person, and Iowa will have that a few times, to meet and hear each candidate generally."
Other Iowans echoed similar openness to ABC News in recent days, underscoring how the state's crucial nominating contest early next year -- and the press-the-flesh campaigning style Iowans expect and encourage -- could loom even larger than in cycles past. Political observers said virtually every GOP candidate has much to gain or lose. Read more
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Michigan GOP to change 2024 nomination
process, may boost Trump
Reuters | Nathan Layne
June 10, 2023
Republicans in Michigan approved a proposal on Saturday to select more than two-thirds of their state delegates for the party's 2024 presidential nomination via caucus meetings, a change that could help party front-runner Donald Trump.
The plan, which Michigan's Republican state committee approved during a meeting in Grand Rapids, would mark a departure from the battleground state party's traditional process of allocating all presidential delegates based on a primary open to the public.
The change would be significant because 70% of delegates would be decided at caucus meetings, where the party's most active members will likely exert the most sway. That could serve as an advantage for Trump given his popularity among political party officials, some Republicans and political experts said. Read more
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WG Discussion Points
What's Next After The Debt Ceiling?
WG Discussion Points | David Winston
June 9, 2023
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Now that the debt ceiling has been resolved, there are questions about what's next on the economic agenda. Through the agreement, Republicans made progress on fiscal responsibility and are looking for more ways to rein in government spending. Based on what we heard during the debt ceiling debate, Democrats have moved quickly into a fight over the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and defining the bill as a driver of the debt. If Republicans thought they had until 2025 to start defending their signature tax bill, they should think again.
WG Discussion Points, June 9, 2023.pdf
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