Daniel R. Suhr

Commentary: Kamala Harris’ VP pick in Walz is as ‘normal’ as Trump’s choice of Vance seems ‘weird’ (Steven Okun for CNA) Gov Tim Walz’ opening performance shows he brings to the campaign a “happy warrior” vibe, one not afraid to engage in partisan combat but who can do so with a smile while still carrying a proverbial stiletto. Now, the Democrats have their most combined energy since my days on the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1992. In my snap Commentary, I discuss how in choosing Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Harris selects a person who can unify centrist and progressive Democrats, attract cross-over independents, and take the fight to Trump-Vance while portending an Oval Office driven foreign policy. Time will tell if the 2024 running mates are assets, liabilities, or largely irrelevant on election day. Given Mr Walz and Mr Vance are now the two people other than Ms Harris and Mr Trump most likely to one day serve as president, we know at least one of the choices matters a great deal. For everything else, we wait and watch to see what comes next, from the normal to the weird. Thanks Mike McCurry Peter Goelz and Thurgood Marshall Jr for feedback and quotes, Alison Jenner for your always great editing, and Mason Okun for research and proofreading. https://lnkd.in/gX7J7wCB

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This man has a crystal ball. Five days before we get hit with an epic rainstorm that took out roadways and parks, Richard Murdocco wrote a letter to the editor of Newsday calling on policy-makers to prepare for storms, not just hurricanes and blizzards but events like the one we experienced last night. I have frequently called on Richard for his expertise to comment on Long Island planning issues for articles I have written and I hope to be able to do some in the near future. #news #reporting #policy #longisland #publicpolicy #ccommunications #planning

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Coming in Sunday's Spokesman-Review... A 24-page special section containing 21 of my Further Review pages about elections, the history of elections, how the three branches of U.S. government work -- or, in some cases, how they DON'T work. And two pages promoting my book. Unless I'm mistaken, this will be the first mention in the paper of my upcoming Further Review hardcover book. I'm writing a sales pitch, how I converted newspaper pages into book pages and how to order. That will be on pages 2 and 3. But pages 4 through 24 will be an enormous, graphics-laden civics lesson! A few of the topics we'll be covering... > A history of broken campaign promises > Presidential approval ratings going back to WW2 > A history of -- and a look inside -- the White House > How the Electoral College works > The nature of complaints about the 2020 election results > The closest elections in U.S. history > What to expect on election night 2024 > The Presidential veto > America's spending habit > A history of Presidential health issues > The eight Presidents who died in office > The history of the Capitol > How the House is apportioned > Which party has been in control of the House and the Senate since 1900 > How much actual legislative work Congress has done > The Senate Filibuster -- how it works and how often it's been used > Voter turnout in the U.S. > Who appointed our Supreme Court justices > Why "Court Packing" didn't work for FDR in 1938 > The nature of Fake News All these pages have run in the Spokesman-Review over the past 5.5 years. Some required very little tweaking to bring them up to date. Others had to be rebuilt from scratch. If you're wondering how and why I've injured my wrist lately... well, this is a big reason. But, y'know, I think it's worth it. I'm awfully proud of the book. But this section, I feel, contains some of the very best work of my career. At some point, I'm told, the folks in Spokane will allow you to order two or three copies of this section. I'll post instructions when I get them. Man! This has been a BUSY fall!

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Good and important read here on the gender divide in this election. And critical observation from Scranton, PA Mayor Paige Cognetti, who notes an uncomfortable truth for Democrats: that many voters who don't personally like Trump will vote for him anyway. While Harris allies look to convince male voters to cast aside any skepticism on voting for a woman president, Trump is seeking to bolster his support among men of all ages and races — and has been deploying Elon Musk to the cause. Meanwhile, Harris holds a similar lead with women as Trump does with men, and both candidates are targeting female audiences, from different angles: Harris more so on reproductive rights, while Trump draws on law & order and casts himself as a "protector" of women. Read more, from Justin Sink and Jonathan Tamari: https://lnkd.in/etBz3Dss

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With Vice President Kamala Harris making her Vice Presidential selection of Governor Tim Walz, it is clear both campaigns view this race as a base turnout election that trades the opportunity to bring non-base voters into their coalitions for efforts to push low propensity base voters to the polls. While #Harris doubled down on a #progressive Governor to excite her base, Donald #Trump doubled down on #MAGA with his Vice Presidential pick JD Vance. As we noted back in February, both "parties hyper focused on turning out their most loyal supporters" in this election and the two VP picks suggest that despite the Democratic ticket swap, that remains how the campaigns view this race. 💡 For #publicaffairs professionals supporting companies and industries, this means pressure from both sides as the twin tides of populism and progressivism battle it out for The White House. As always, Delve LLC is here to help you assess what this electoral reality means.

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https://lnkd.in/dNQp8S2A "Given the Conservatives’ support for national sovereignty and distaste for political utopias, we might imagine that they would be exclusively hostile to these kinds of radical ideas. That was not the case. While there were those who bemoaned these ‘brave new worlders’, others were more sympathetic and put forward bold ideas of the future. Alongside support for European political integration and a revived League of Nations, some even supported the most utopian idea of the era: world government."

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Meta’s misinformation problem has local election officials struggling to get out the truth. This is a feature looking at how Meta's deprioritization of political and civic content has impacted local and state election officers who use Facebook and Instagram to share accurate voting information. It's based on interviews with nearly a dozen regional and statewide officials with election-related duties underscore the challenges Facebook poses. They officials said they have felt the effects of Meta's layoffs in trust and safety and customer service, and some have had some Facebook account issues that they wish could have been quickly remedied so they could do the work they want to do as we near the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gAH7qkaP

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Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing that broadcasters must disclose on-air if political ads contain AI-generated content. Although these new rules are unlikely to be in effect before the November election, stakeholders should provide input during the public comment period on AI's role in future political ads. The NPRM outlines two main requirements for broadcasters: first, they must ask if a political ad contains AI-generated content before airing it; second, they must disclose on-air if such content is present. The NPRM seeks public feedback on the effectiveness of the inquiry requirement, methods for broadcasters to make this inquiry, and obligations if the ad requester does not respond or if a third party reports AI-generated content. The NPRM also proposes that broadcasters document AI-generated content in their political files and asks whether disclosures should be aural, textual, or both. Additionally, it considers how these rules should apply to network or syndicated political ads and whether broadcasters should document AI content in such ads. The FCC aims to extend these disclosure requirements to cable operators, Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service licensees, and holders of permits under Section 325(c) to transmit programming to foreign broadcast stations. While the FCC does not propose banning AI-generated content in political ads, it seeks feedback on its authority to impose these disclosure requirements and potential First Amendment issues. The FCC's interest in regulating AI spans multiple contexts, including recent proposals to use AI for analyzing non-federal #spectrum usage data and regulating AI-generated robocalls and texts. However, the timing of the NPRM during the 2024 campaign has drawn criticism from Commissioners Carr and Simington, who argue that it was rushed, caused confusion, and created inconsistencies between broadcast and online platforms. They also question the FCC's statutory authority to impose these requirements. Further, the FCC's NPRM requiring disclosures for AI-generated content in political ads could significantly influence ongoing legislative discussions in Congress despite the slim chances of passing comprehensive AI legislation, particularly related to the #democratic #process. By proactively addressing AI's role in political advertising, the #FCC might catalyze more focused debates on AI regulation among lawmakers. This NPRM could serve as a regulatory benchmark, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in AI usage and potentially pressuring #Congress to consider similar legislative measures. However, given the hyper-politicized nature of AI in the democratic process and the current legislative gridlock, the NPRM might remain a pioneering yet isolated regulatory effort, underscoring the challenges in achieving consensus on #AI legislation at the federal level.

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Here’s a short guide to federal regulations and the rulemaking process So to start federal regulations or rules are how federal agencies implement legislation passed by Congress. They are considered legally binding just like other laws or statutes. Their creation process is rather complicated so I have simplified it in this guide. Regulations are created either when a law is passed directing an agency to do so or when the federal agency deems it necessary in the legal responsibility area delegated to them. The rule itself and the process of writing them differ and are an internal process. Once an agency has started their rulemaking process they will publish what is called the Unified plan which is made up of the RegulatoryPlan Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. This is essentially how they announce the federal rule-making process has started. The Unified Plan can be found on RegInfo.gov and the federalregister.gov found here https://fdsys.gov. The public is able to provide input into the making of federal regulations once the process has started an agency will publish an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which is the formal way of inviting members of the public to provide input which can be found on the federal register. Anyone can submit comments including urging the adoption or rejection/modification of the rule in response to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking. You will submit your comments directly on the notice on the federal register website under a heading called public comment.  An agency may also invite groups to meetings to discuss the proposed federal regulation/rule with them. Comment periods are on average between 30-60 days however they may go up to 180 or more if the rule is especially complex. While you can also submit comments via U.S postal mail please submit them electronically as most agencies prefer it this way. The president with assistance from the OIRA office may also provide input into the rule before the public comment period is open. Once the period is closed the agency will add a concise general statement to the adopted rule. Congress must review the new rules before they are enacted. This is done by agencies when they send the rule to Congress and the Government Accountability Office. The Senate and House may pass a resolution of disproval which if signed by the president or their veto is overridden will void a rule. Congress to date has only ever disapproved/voided a single rule. A court may also vacate the entire rule or just a portion if a lawsuit is brought against the rule. If this happens the process will most likely start all over again with new corrections made by the federal agency. This is a broad overview of the process. Unfortunately, since the start of this process, the amount of federal regulations has increased and remains complicated. This is important as federal regulations impact every person in the US. #Politics #Legislation #Government #Regulations

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Reasons to be Fearful: Russia, China, Iran and other U.S. rivals are increasingly outsourcing their dirty work to criminal gangs, drug traffickers and paid assassins, often recruited on social media. Spies and criminals have long mingled in the shady realm of espionage and sabotage. Now there's a growing threat facing Western security agencies already stretched thin by war and terrorism: alliances between adversarial states and criminals, including drug gangs and lone wolves hired online. Dealing with crime was once the domain of law enforcement, while threats from foreign countries were the responsibility of intelligence agencies. Today the confluence of these foes is increasingly rendering such distinctions obsolete. And the Western security establishment isn't ready. A deep dive on the front of this weekend's WSJ Review section, with my colleague Sune Engel Rasmussen: https://lnkd.in/dtY5P-_M

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While city governments in western states now have the legal guidance they demanded from the courts, the ruling does nothing to solve the dilemma posed by encampments that both frustrate housed residents and help vulnerable people to meet a basic human need. “[Criminal enforcement] certainly increases the likelihood that people return to homelessness if they are arrested, because now they have another barrier and check mark against them,” said Marcy Thompson of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “I anticipate it will not bode well for communities; they will spend more money at the state or the local level to enforce these sorts of rules than they would if they just invest in housing.” 🏘 To end homelessness - we need housing and services. period. there is not ifs, ands, or buts. https://lnkd.in/eeEnvNCA

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