This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

The debate over how to regulate artificial intelligence is gaining momentum and yet a coherent path forward remains elusive. Two recent forums, one hosted by Politico and another by Axios, revealed just how divided policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders are. While both events emphasized the US's race against China, they diverged in sentiment. Politico’s arguments centered on ideology, global competition, and free speech, while Axios drilled down on jobs, transparency, and industry responsibility. At the Politico forum, much of the discussion revolved around America’s global standing in the AI race and its ideological battles at home. Sriram Krishnan, President Trump’s AI senior policy advisor, branded himself a “realist,” rejecting both “doomers” and “accelerationists.” Yet his rhetoric leaned accelerationist, as he dismissed California’s push for AI safety laws despite calling his own stance “regulation-first.” Krishnan framed AI as a “Sputnik race,” cautioning how it woul...

Sen. Bennet, D-CO (right) at Politico  The Politico Playbook event on tax reform brought together prominent lawmakers to debate the administration’s policies during the first 100 days. Discussions revolved around tax rates, SALT (State and Local Tax) deductions, budget cuts, and the broader implications of these measures on businesses and individuals. Key participants included Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), each offering contrasting perspectives. Senator Ron Johnson criticized the proposed tax reforms, stating that they primarily benefit only 5% of businesses, leaving 95% unaddressed. He advocated for budget cuts through two separate bills aimed at reducing spending by $1.5 trillion. Johnson emphasized the simplicity of the current tax code and highlighted that tariffs could raise $1 trillion in revenue. He also pointed out that since 2019, the U.S. has maintained an...

Last week I had the pleasure of attending POLITICO’s “The Fifty - America’s Governors,” an event hosting a handful of governors who discussed their views of each state’s environmental economy, and their goals as governor. Here are some of my impressions, specifically on Governors Chris Sununu, Roy Cooper, and Doug Burgum: ● Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH): ○ “The government is not here to solve your problems – it’s here to create as many opportunities as we can for you and your families.” ○ Democrats are playing the game of big government, and the modern Republican party is trying to outplay them at the same game; ○ Both Democrats and Republicans have extremes; not everyone in either party is wrong. To that end… ○ 80% of people are in the middle of said extremes and want to get something done; ○ Considering running for president. ● Roy Cooper (D-NC) ○ Prioritizes stopping “culture war legislation” between parties while making economic progress in-state; ○ Acted as Chairman of the Democratic...

The POLITICO Interview moderated by Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was hosted on April 2 nd . During the interview, many issues were brought up and discussed. These included the congressional agenda, policy, politics and the most up-to-date news. Since April 2 nd was Equal Pay Day, the symbolic day where women earn what men earned in the previous calendar year, the conversation started with Nancy Pelosi’s contention that the House was very excited about the Equal Pay Day. She discussed key issues on the Democratic agenda - lowering healthcare cost by lowering prescription drug costs, equal pay, how equal pay is part of cleaning up our government. When asked about the Mueller Report, Ms. Pelosi was confident that there WILL BE a release  because "the American people deserve the truth." She said, “Winning the election enables us to do some other things, but we focus on making things happen for the American people. That’s not poli...