LEO SPEAKS: In a rare interview with Financial Times’ Alex Rogers, conservative kingmaker Leonard Leo outlined his plans for a billion-dollar push to “‘crush liberal dominance’ across corporate America and in the country’s news and entertainment sectors” by way of Marble Freedom Trust, Leo’s nonprofit group seeded in 2021 by an unheard of $1.6 billion donation by electronics mogul Barre Seid. — “Expect us to increase support for organisations that call out companies and financial institutions that bend to the woke mind virus spread by regulators and NGOs, so that they have to pay a price for putting extreme leftwing ideology ahead of consumers,” Leo told FT. — “Leo said his goal was to find ‘very leveraged, impactful ways of reintroducing limited constitutional government and a civil society premised on freedom and personal responsibility and the virtues of western civilisation.’” — “The non-profit is increasingly interested in launching campaigns against ‘woke’ banks and China-friendly companies involved in everything from food production to autonomous vehicles in the US and potentially Europe. Leo also intends to invest in a US local media company in the next 12 months, although he has not decided which, and is building conservative coalitions through groups such as Teneo Network, a club with chapters across the country.” INVASION OF THE AI LOBBYISTS: “The artificial intelligence industry has gone on a lobbying binge in the past few years, deploying scores of hired influencers to help shape potential government action,” the Associated Press’ Dan Merica reports. — And as the technology is rapidly adopted across a wide range of different sectors, “lawmakers are leaning on the lobbyists’ expertise because think tanks, nonprofit groups and academia are struggling to keep up with the minute-by-minute technological changes. Relying on PowerPoint slides and briefing papers, AI industry lobbyists are getting lots of face time with lawmakers and staffers, advising them on the ins and outs of the technology,” and successfully stymieing new regulations to deal with the industry.
— “According to a study by Open Secrets, a watchdog that tracks money in politics, the number of organizations lobbying on AI spiked to 460 in 2023, an over 190% increase from 2022. The number of organizations grew slightly to 462 in 2024.” — “The primary goal of most of these lobbyists is to convince Washington that the fears around AI are overblown and that the United States does not need to follow the European Union, which passed first-of-its-kind regulations earlier this year with the Artificial Intelligence Act. … Congress has, so far, taken a light touch on AI.” THE FLY-INS ARE BACK: With Congress’ return to town this week comes the return of fly-ins looking to elevate a variety of priorities before lawmakers dash back to the campaign trail at the end of the month. The Truckload Carriers Association is bringing more than 80 of its members to D.C. beginning Wednesday. — Attendees have more than 100 Hill meetings on the book with members including Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), in addition to talks with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Canadian Embassy. Topics of discussion will include truck parking shortages as well as the electrification of the commercial trucking industry. — The International Franchise Association is also hosting more than 330 franchisees, franchisors and suppliers for its advocacy summit, which will focus on tax issues and joint employer regulations. IFA will hear from NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Maryland GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.). The trade group will close out the summit with“FranFest,” during which Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) will be playing alongside School of Rock bands. CONSUMER BRANDS MEMBERS MUM ON RECYCLING PUSH: “Most of the products in the typical kitchen use plastics that are virtually impossible to recycle. The film that acts as a lid on Dole Sunshine fruit bowls, the rings securing jars of McCormick dried herbs, the straws attached to Juicy Juice boxes, the bags that hold Cheez-Its and Cheerios — they’re all destined for the dumpster,” ProPublica’s Lisa Song writes. — The Consumer Brands Association, “a trade group representing those brands and hundreds more is pressuring regulators to make plastic appear more environmentally friendly, a proposal experts say could worsen a crisis that is flooding the planet and our bodies with the toxic material.” — “The association’s board of directors includes officials from some of the world’s richest companies, such as PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Land O’Lakes, Keurig Dr Pepper, Hormel Foods Corporation, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Campbell Soup, Kellanova, Mondelez International, Conagra Brands, J.M. Smucker and Clorox. Some of the companies own brands that project health, wellness and sustainability.” — “ProPublica contacted the 51 companies on the association’s board of directors to ask if they agreed with the trade group’s definition of ‘recyclable.’ Most did not respond. None said they disagreed with the definition. Nine companies referred ProPublica back to the association.” — “‘The makers of America’s household brands are committed to creating a more circular economy which is why the industry has set sustainability goals and invested in consumer education tools’ with ‘detailed recycling instructions,’ Joseph Aquilina, the association’s vice president and deputy general counsel, wrote in an email.” APCO’S ISRAEL PROBLEM: “Disruptive London protests against the global advisory firm APCO have spilled over into the company’s internal conversations, as employees in its booming Gulf offices are pressing managers over the American firm’s dealings with an Israeli defense contractor,” per Semafor’s Kelsey Warner and Sarah Dadouch. — “APCO senior executives have pledged to share details with their staff, but a Friday afternoon all-hands call with Middle East offices to discuss the matter was canceled. One employee said APCO’s response has been both not enough and too slow for staff, many of whom work on behalf of Gulf governments, and are worried about the repercussions to their business or have personal qualms about work in support of Israel’s Gaza war.” — “The internal friction is playing out with particular intensity in the firm’s Gulf offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Manama and in London, where workers were concerned for their safety after the protest.” ANOTHER BALLARD EXPANSION: Ballard Partners is adding another strategic partnership to its expanding global footprint, teaming up with South Korea’s GR Company in Seoul. The partnership is part of the Ballard Global Alliance, an international network that launched last month with partnerships with Japan-based Kyodo PR and U.K.-based SABI Strategy Group. — Under the partnerships, the foreign firms’ clients gain access to Ballard’s lobbyists and expertise across the U.S. and vice versa — while continuing to operate independently under their existing management teams. — The new alliance is the latest international expansion for the Florida-based firm, which earlier this summer opened up a Middle East outpost in Riyadh. Ballard also has international offices in Lagos, Istanbul and Tel Aviv and domestic offices across Florida and in D.C., Los Angeles, Sacramento and Boston.
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