Gavin Newsom pushes back on Trump AI executive order preempting state laws
The ink was barely dry on Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence executive order when Gavin Newsom came out swinging.Just hours after the order went public Thursday evening, the California governor issued a statement saying the presidential dictum, which seeks to block states from regulating AI of their own accord, advances “grift and corruption” instead of innovation.“President Trump and David Sacks aren’t making policy – they’re running a con,” Newsom said, referencing Trump’s AI adviser and crypto “czar”.“Every day, they push the limits to see how far they can take it.”Trump’s executive order is a major victory for tech companies that have campaigned against legislative barriers to developing and deploying their AI products.
It also sets up a clash between state governments and the White House over the future of AI regulation.The immediate backlash from groups including child safety organizations, unions and state officials has highlighted the deeply contentious nature of the order and diverse range of interests it affects.Several officials and organizations have already questioned the legality of the executive order, stating that Trump does not have the power to undermine state legislation on AI and denouncing the decree as the result of tech industry lobbying.California, home to some of the world’s most prominent AI companies and one of the most active states legislating AI, has been a locus for pushback against the order.“This executive order is deeply misguided, wildly corrupt, and will actually hinder innovation and weaken public trust in the long run,” California Democratic representative Sara Jacobs said in a statement.
“We will explore all avenues – from the courts to Congress – to reverse this decision.”After a draft version of Trump’s order leaked in November, state attorney general Rob Bonta said that his office would “take steps to examine the legality or potential illegality of such an executive order”, teeing up a precedent-setting duel between California and the White House.In September, Newsom signed a landmark AI law that would compel developers of large, powerful AI models known as “frontier models” to provide transparency reports and promptly report safety incidents or face fines up to $1m.The governor touted the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence act as an example for how to regulate AI companies nationwide.“Our state’s status as a global leader in technology allows us a unique opportunity to provide a blueprint for well-balanced AI policies beyond our borders,” Newsom said in an address to the California state senate.
“Especially in the absence of a comprehensive federal AI policy framework and national AI safety standards.”The September bill and more California legislation could be in Trump’s crosshairs.Thursday’s executive order calls for an AI litigation taskforce that would review state laws that do not “enhance the United States’ global AI dominance” and then pursue legal action or potentially withhold federal broadband funding.The taskforce will also consult with the administration’s AI and crypto “czar” to determine which laws to target.Although Trump has framed the executive order as a means of streamlining legislation and removing onerously patchwork regulation, critics have alleged that the government has never provided any comprehensive federal framework for regulating AI to replace state laws.
The order follows attempts to include similar AI moratoriums in bills earlier this year, which failed due to bipartisan backlash,Instead, opponents view the order as a gift to major tech companies that have cozied up to the administration over the course of the year,“President Trump’s unlawful executive order is nothing more than a brazen effort to upend AI safety and give tech billionaires unchecked power over working people’s jobs, rights and freedoms,” AFL-CIO president, Liz Shuler, said in a statement,Within hours of Trump signing the order, opposition loudened among lawmakers, labor leaders, children’s advocacy groups and civil liberties organizations that decried the policy,Other California Democratic leaders said the executive order was an assault on state rights and the administration should instead focus on federal agencies and academic research to boost innovation.
“No place in America knows the promise of artificial intelligence technologies better than California,” said Alex Padilla, a senator for California.“But with today’s executive order, the Trump administration is attacking state leadership and basic safeguards in one fell swoop.”Similarly, Adam Schiff, another California senator, emphasized: “Trump is seeking to preempt state laws that are establishing meaningful safeguards around AI and replace them with … nothing.”Lawmakers from Colorado to Virginia to New York also took issue with the order.Don Beyer, a Virginia congressmember called it a “terrible idea” and said that it would “create a lawless Wild West environment for AI companies”.
Likewise, Alex Bores, a New York state assemblymember, called the order a “massive windfall” for AI companies, adding that “a handful of AI oligarchs bribed Donald Trump into selling out America’s future”,Even Steve Bannon, Trump loyalist and former adviser, criticized the policy,In a text message to Axios, Bannon said Sacks had “completely misled the President on preemption”,Mike Kubzansky, the CEO of Omidyar Network, a philanthropic tech investment firm that funds AI companies, similarly said “the solution is not to preempt state and local laws” and that ignoring AI’s impact on the country “through a blanket moratorium is an abdication of what elected officials owe their constituents”,Blowback against the order has also included child protection organizations that have long expressed concerns over the effects of AI on children.
The debate over child safety has intensified this year in the wake of multiple lawsuits against AI companies over children who died by suicide after interacting with popular chatbots.“The AI industry’s relentless race for engagement already has a body count, and, in issuing this order, the administration has made clear it is content to let it grow,” said James Steyer, the CEO of child advocacy group Common Sense Media.“Americans deserve better than tech industry handouts at the expense of their wellbeing.”A group of bereaved parents and child advocacy organizations have also spoken out.They have been working to pass legislation to better protect children from harmful social media and AI chatbots and released a national public service announcement on Thursday opposing the AI preemption policy.
Separately, Sarah Gardner, the CEO of Heat Initiative, one of the groups in the coalition, called the order “unacceptable”.“Parents will not roll over and allow our children to remain lab rats in big tech’s deadly AI experiment that puts profits over the safety of our kids,” Gardner said.“We need strong protections at the federal and state level, not amnesty for big tech billionaires.”
Nine bring-a-plate ideas for Christmas drinks, barbecues and dinner parties this summer – recipes
Like nibblies, the concept of bringing a plate to a social event or a host’s home can be deeply confusing across cultures and generations. Are you carting canapes? Are you slinging salad? Are you delivering dessert? If we’ve learned anything from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it’s that communication is key. So if you’re unsure about what your host expects, just ask.Below are nine summer-friendly recipes to suit various bring-a-plate scenarios: one-bite snacks that go with cocktails, salads to bring to barbecues and make-ahead dessert for dinner parties, arranged in each category from easiest to most ambitious.And if time is seriously short, you could throw together a pleasingly arranged antipasto-ish plate comprised of Guardian Australia’s top supermarket taste test products: crackers, feta, salami and pickles
Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband no longer called ‘chocolate’ after recipe change
Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars can no longer be called chocolate after Nestlé reformulated their recipes due to the increasing cost of ingredients.The Swiss conglomerate now describes the treats as being “encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating”, rather than being covered in milk chocolate.In the UK, a product needs to have at least 20% cocoa solids and 20% milk solids in order to be described as milk chocolate, a level each product fell below after a higher amount of cheaper vegetable fat was used.Nestlé said the changes were necessary due to higher input costs but were “carefully developed and sensory tested”, adding there were no plans to alter the recipes of other chocolate products.A spokesperson for Nestlé said it had seen “significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products
How to use a spent tea bag to make a boozy, fruity treat – recipe | Waste not
Save a used teabag to flavour dried fruit, then just add whisky for a boozy festive treatA jar of tea-soaked prunes with a cheeky splash of whisky is the gift you never knew you needed. Sticky, sweet and complex, these boozy treats are wonderful spooned over rice pudding, porridge, yoghurt, ice-cream or even panna cotta.Don’t waste a fresh tea bag, though – enjoy a cuppa first, then use the spent one to infuse the prunes overnight. Earl grey adds fragrant, citrus notes, builders’ tea gives a malty depth, lapsang souchong brings smokiness, and chamomile or rooibos offer softer, floral tones. It’s also worth experimenting with other dried fruits beyond prunes: apricots, figs and/or dates all work beautifully, too
Christmas food gifts: Gurdeep Loyal’s recipes for Mexican-spiced brittle and savoury pinwheels
Edible Christmas gifts are a great excuse to get experimental with global flavours. For spice lovers, this moreish Mexican brittle, which is inspired by salsa macha (a delicious chilli-crunch), is sweet, salty, smoky, crunchy and has hints of anise. Then, for savoury lovers, some cheesy pinwheel cookies enlivened with XO sauce. XO is a deeply umami condiment from Hong Kong made from dried seafood, salty ham, chilli and spices. Paired with tangy manchego, it adds a funky kick to these crumbly biscuits
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As a self-proclaimed America’s sweetheart (Julia Roberts isn’t using that title any more, is she?) who moved to the UK nearly 10 years ago, there are a few British traditions and customs that I have adopted, especially around Christmas time. However, there are also a few American ones that I hold on to staunchly: one is the pronunciation of “aluminum”, and another is the importance and beauty of a soft cookie. In both of these easy but delicious bakes to share, I use spice and heat to balance the usual sweetness with which the season can often overload us.Prep 5 min Chill 1 hr Cook 50 min, plus cooling Makes 10-12520g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 8g cocoa powder 8g ground ginger 3g ground cloves 5g ground cinnamon 3g aleppo pepper 4g coarsely ground black pepper 7g table salt 3g bicarbonate of soda 225g soft unsalted butter 175g caster sugar 1 large egg (60g) 77g treacle 77g pomegranate molasses 40g golden syrupFor the icing120g icing sugar 30g waterWhisk the first nine ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Either in the bowl of a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter for a few minutes until light and creamy
Nutcracker stocking fillers: Brian Levy’s recipe for sugar plum and coffee cookies | The sweet spot
These festive cookies are inspired by The Nutcracker’s Land of Sweets sequence, in which coffee and sugar plums are two of the flavours used to conjure a fanciful world of decadent diversion. Anything from a hard candy to a candied fruit can qualify as a “sugar plum” and, in the case of these cookies, the sugar plum is represented by the amarena cherry. Coffee’s bitterness balances the sweetness of the fruit and the rich butteriness of the dough, while the oat flour adds a dash of shortbread-like delicateness.Prep 10 min Chill 30 min+ Cook 35 min, plus cooling Makes 36185g room-temperature butter75g sugar2 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powderFinely grated zest of ½ lemon½ tsp vanilla extract⅛ tsp fine salt 180g plain flour 85g oat flour 36 amarena cherries in syrupTurbinado sugar, or pearl sugar or icing sugar, for dippingIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, coffee powder, cocoa, lemon zest, vanilla and salt, at first on low and then medium speed, until creamy and fluffy.Add both flours and beat just until combined with no dry flour remaining; don’t overbeat because this can toughen the texture
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