State of Play
The Senate is in session this week, while the House is in recess.
House Republicans take over Miami this week for their annual legislative retreat at Trump National Doral.
Driving the News
Mojtaba Khamenei has been selected as Iran’s new supreme leader following the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signaling Tehran’s continued resistance as oil prices surge past $100 per barrel and the global economy faces growing instability. The U.S. is continuing to carry out military operations.
The fallout from the Department of Defense’s feud with Anthropic continues. Anthropic announced today its decision to sue the Trump Administration in two federal courts after the DOD labeled the company a supply-chain risk, arguing the decision was unlawful retaliation and violated its constitutional rights following a dispute over limits on the military use of its AI systems.
Three Things to Watch in Tech
Kid’s Online Safety Bills Make Headway: During last week’s landmark markup, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced several bills aimed at addressing online harms, but it remains unclear whether they will move to the floor independently or be packaged with broader AI legislation.
Lawmakers continue debating issues including the scope of the Kids Online Safety Act, federal preemption of state laws, and proposals limiting teen data collection or restricting minors’ access to social media.
House E&C Chair Brett Guthrie published an op-ed calling for swifter action on the proposals, highlighting that they work to hold big tech companies accountable.
What’s In Trump’s New Cyber Strategy: President Donald Trump released a new national cybersecurity strategy emphasizing offensive cyber operations, stronger protection of federal networks and critical infrastructure, streamlined regulations, and expanded use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and post-quantum cryptography.
The high-level strategy outlines six pillars, including shaping adversary behavior, modernizing government systems, strengthening supply chains with U.S.-made technology, and building the cybersecurity workforce, though the White House said more detailed guidance will follow.
Alongside the strategy, Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to prioritize prosecution of cybercrime and fraud and expand federal tools to combat international cyber-enabled criminal networks.
Live Nation Puts Antitrust in the Spotlight: The Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Live Nation Entertainment to resolve its monopolization lawsuit over the company’s control of concert promotion, venues, and ticketing through Ticketmaster.
The agreement would restrict Live Nation’s use of exclusive ticketing contracts and make it easier for rival promoters to compete at amphitheaters and arenas the company controls, avoiding the possibility that a court could have forced a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The settlement is expected to be formally announced in Manhattan federal court and must be approved by a federal judge before taking effect. However, only about 10 states of the nearly 40 states that sued Live Nation have agreed to the framework, with several state attorneys general continuing to pursue separate litigation, including New York Attorney General Letitia James
If the judge approves the settlement, the case between Live Nation and the federal government will end, though state-level antitrust actions could still proceed independently. The Federal Trade Commission also has pending litigation against Live Nation that is ongoing.
🏛️ Tech Hearings
The Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine protecting American citizenship, focusing on birthright citizenship for illegal aliens and tourists - Tuesday, March 10 at 2:30 PM EST
🗓️ Upcoming Events
Billington CyberSecurity Summit - Monday, March 9 to Thursday, March 11
The Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project; the Budget Lab at Yale; and the Peterson Institute for International Economics - Forum on "AI + work: Understanding AI's impact on the labor market" - Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00 PM EST
The Urban Institute - Discussion on "The Future of FinTech: How Emerging Financial Technologies Are Shaping Our Financial Lives" - Tuesday, March 10 at 3:00 PM EST
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce - Technology Leadership Summit - Wednesday, March 11 at 9:00 AM EST
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation - Virtual Event on "The State of State Privacy" - Wednesday, March 11 at 12:00 PM EST
The Economic Club of Washington D.C. - Discussion on how technology and data are shaping transparency, integrity, and trust across the financial system - Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00 PM EST
The American Bar Association - 2026 Federal Procurement Institute - Thursday, March 12 to Friday, March 13
