The Lever

2 days ago | levernews.com | Veronica Riccobene

As part of House Republicans’ must-pass budget reconciliation bill, lawmakers just snuck in a ten-year federal preemption of state-level artificial intelligence laws — effectively nullifying all local efforts to regulate the explosive spread of AI technology. The move would be a major win for Big Tech, which has argued that state regulation is hamstringing their ability to do business.

2 days ago | levernews.com | Veronica Riccobene

House Republicans’ grand plan to slash their own taxes has hit a significant road bump: President Donald Trump has changed his tax-cutting tune. Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith met with the president late last week to salvage the GOP’s tax plan after Trump threw a massive wrench into their strategy by demanding lawmakers raise taxes for the wealthiest households in the country.

2 days ago | levernews.com | Veronica Riccobene

This is a web version of The Lever’s daily email newsletter. 🔥 Today’s featured Lever story: An aviation industry data clearinghouse has been selling your data to the Trump administration. 👇 Spend four minutes reading this 1,064-word newsletter to learn about: The problem with Trump’s plan to lower drug prices. Which foreign government just replaced Air Force One. Republicans’ plan to usurp state and local lawmakers on AI. The real reason your doctor left the practice.

4 days ago | levernews.com | Inci Sayki

Good things are happening! It’s a sad day for iPad kids, a Swiss bank pays up for stashing American cash, another crypto fraudster is sentenced, and the Army wants its tools back. As Big Tech companies have taken heat in court for their anticompetitive practices, they’ve also been under scrutiny for the harm their products inflict on children. And where federal policy has failed to protect children, both red and blue states are now stepping up to the plate.

5 days ago | levernews.com | Arjun Singh

For decades, Grover Norquist, head of the activist group Americans for Tax Reform, has been on a vicious quest to purge anyone who dared to raise taxes within the Republican Party. He’s taken down economic populists, budget hawks, and even former President George H.W. Bush. Today, signing Norquist’s antitax pledge is the price of entry to the Republican Party.