The GDELT Project

Legislative Experiments With Gemini: Deeply Analyzing A Week Of Today's Trends On Capitol Hill Reports & Making A Map Of Congressional Legislation

Kalev Leetaru

Each morning we publish a free daily email newsletter, Today’s Trends on Capitol Hill, that explores how advanced "reasoning" AI can help improve the functioning of government itself by helping journalists, scholars and Congressional staff look across the daily flood of legislation, actions, bills, proclamations, hearings, remarks, speeches, announcements and briefings to discover the overarching emerging themes and trends defining the focus and functioning of the US Government each day. What would it look like to ask Gemini to deeply read and analyze a week of these daily reports to examine trends over time in US legislative priorities and activity – to move from daily snapshots to where the legislative momentum is heading? Here we combine Gemini 3.1 Pro and Nano Banana Pro to examine the Today's Trends on Capitol Hill reports from June 28-July 4, 2026. It is fascinating to see how Nano Banana Pro ideated the concept of visualizing a week of legislative activity, settling on a visually stunning and incredibly powerful thematic bill tracking timeline that not only shows all of the major legislation of the week and its day-by-day changes, but also shows how bills interacted with and flowed into one another. Finally, we examine how Congressional staffers could use Gemini to deep dive into specific legislative areas, such as the evolution of AI policy and even propose bill recommendations. No data was used to train or tune any model.

Let's start by just uploading the set of PDFs to Nano Banana Pro as-is and giving it this prompt:

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week.
Make me an infographic that best captures this week at a glance.

 

The idea of a timeline is a fantastic one, so let's ask Nano Banana Pro to explicitly make a timeline:

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Make me a timeline infographic that best captures this week at a glance organized in time.

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Make me a timeline infographic that best captures this week at a glance organized by topic.

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Make me a timeline infographic that best captures this week at a glance organized by bill/legislation.

 

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Make me a timeline infographic that best captures this week at a glance organized by topic/theme and within each showing the bills/legislation as they progressed each day and their actions/status changes by day and connect them if they merged into other bills, etc.

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week.
Make me a timeline infographic that best captures this week at a glance organized by topic/theme and within each showing the bills/legislation as they progressed each day and their actions/status changes by day and connect them if they merged into other bills, etc.
Make it visually appealing and beautiful.
The audience is Congressional staffers, so show them all of the detail they need to see the state of Congress at a glance.

Now let's ask Gemini to make us a combined Weekly Trends on Capitol Hill report in the same format as the dailies:

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Deeply read through them and give me a report with the same structure, sections and style you see in these reports that analyzes the past week of legislative trends.

WEEKLY TRENDS ON CAPITOL HILL
J U L Y 5 , 2 0 2 6

THE CENTRIPETAL STATE CONSOLIDATES POWER AMIDST A FRAGILE IRAN CEASEFIRE, JUDICIAL REALIGNMENT, AND AN IDEOLOGICALLY FRACTURED AMERICA 250

WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE

The legislative and political landscape over the past week—culminating in the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026—was defined by a volatile mixture of executive consolidation, intense legislative gridlock, and sweeping judicial realignment. The week began with escalating regional conflict during "Operation Epic Fury" in Iran, before abruptly pivoting to a fragile 14-point peace framework and a push toward a "NATO 3.0" model of allied self-reliance. Domestically, the administration has aggressively operationalized the "unitary executive" theory, implementing political litmus tests for federal grants, shifting career bureaucrats into at-will "Schedule Policy Career" roles, and leveraging Supreme Court rulings that affirm the President's power to remove independent agency heads at will.

On Capitol Hill, regular legislative order has effectively collapsed under the weight of the upcoming 2026 midterms. The administration is holding the bipartisan "21st Century Road to Housing Bill" hostage, refusing to sign it unless the Senate passes the SAVE Act, a highly controversial measure requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. This hardline strategy fractured the House GOP, sinking the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) rule and forcing an early recess. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court delivered a historic string of end-of-term rulings, striking down the President's executive order ending birthright citizenship (but offering a statutory roadmap to achieve the same goal), overturning campaign finance limits, and redefining Second Amendment property rights. The bombshell announcement of Justice Samuel Alito’s retirement guarantees that a fierce, high-stakes confirmation battle will consume the summer session. All of this unfolded against the backdrop of a literal "heat dome" that forced the cancellation of major America 250 celebrations, highlighting a deep, ongoing struggle over national identity, infrastructure resilience, and the capacity of the state.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

The Iran Conflict, Ceasefire, and NATO 3.0

Judicial Realignment and the Alito Vacancy

Legislative Hostage-Taking: SAVE Act vs. NDAA and Housing

The "Unitary Executive" Operationalized

KEY GOVERNANCE TOPICS

AI, Technology Policy & Digital Sovereignty

Rule of Law, Lawfare & Domestic Security

Economic Security & Labor

LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP

Legislative activity ground to a halt due to internal GOP disputes over linking election reform to defense spending. While bipartisan progress was made on digital privacy, AI regulation, and small business relief, major spending priorities remain in limbo. The looming threat of a government shutdown in September is rising as the administration demands the SAVE Act be attached to must-pass funding vehicles.

BILLS DISCUSSED/DEBATED:

HEARINGS & PRESS EVENTS:

DEEP DIVE: TRENDS AND THEMES

The Securitization of Everything
A pervasive theme of the week was the framing of non-military sectors entirely through the lens of national security. From "Lidar" in self-driving cars to the regulation of AI models, college football media rights, and agricultural trade deficits, every topic was linked to the need for a "strong American brand" to compete with China. This "Total Competition" narrative is actively justifying interventionist economic policies historically avoided by both parties.

The Battle for Historical Narrative and State Capacity
The 250th anniversary highlighted a stark ideological divide. While the administration used events like the International Naval Review to project strength, the cancellation of massive parades across the Eastern Seaboard due to an extreme "heat dome" exposed vulnerabilities in federal and state capacity to manage climate emergencies. The holiday split the country into two narratives: "unwavering exceptionalism" versus the need to correct "systemic inequities."

Militant Pragmatism vs. Federal Gridlock
As federal polarization reaches a breaking point, local executives are embracing "militant pragmatism." Mayors and governors across the country are bypassing federal gridlock to build their own regional housing strategies, enact state-level AI safety standards (e.g., Colorado), and manage homelessness through public-private partnerships, suggesting a decentralized future for American governance.

HYPOTHESES AND FUTURE LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK

STRATEGIC FORESIGHT

Short Term (1-4 Weeks)

Medium Term (1-6 Months)

Long Term (1-5 Years)

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Today's Trends On Capitol Hill is a public interest experiment in applying deep trend analysis to the daily business of the United States Congress to explore how responsibly applied advanced AI can help journalists, scholars and Congressional staff better understand the overarching legislative trends, themes and patterns of Congress.

No data is used to train or tune any AI model.

Each morning, we apply Google's Gemini 3 to deeply examine yesterday's Congressional activity to tease out its overarching themes and trends into a richly annotated thematic analysis. Each high-level insight is connected back to the original source material, allowing journalists and scholars to understand the legislative themes and trends and instantly click out to the underlying sources for details. Please verify all findings. No data is used to train or tune any AI model.

And visualized as an infographic:

What about a more targeted analysis?

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week. Deeply read through them and tell me the major legislative trends and themes of the past week. Flag anything you think is unusual or interesting. Based on these trends, where do you see things heading?

Based on the daily GDELT Project reports from June 28 to July 4, 2026, the United States is navigating a highly volatile legislative and political environment on the eve of its 250th anniversary. The week is defined by intense executive consolidation, a paralyzed legislature, and a rapidly escalating technological arms race.

Here is a deep dive into the major trends, unusual developments, and strategic foresight for where things are heading.

Major Legislative Trends & Themes

1. The "SAVE Act" Deadlock & Legislative Paralysis
The center of legislative gravity is the "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act," which mandates in-person proof of citizenship for voter registration.

2. Consolidation of the "Unitary Executive"
The administration is systematically restructuring the federal bureaucracy to centralize power and dismantle the independent administrative state.

3. "Technological Sovereignty" and AI Regulation
Congress is rapidly pivoting from a "hands-off" internet approach to an aggressive, securitized regulatory framework.

4. The "America 250" Narrative Battle
The July 4th Semiquincentennial has become a proxy war for American identity. The administration is projecting "peace through strength" (a massive naval review and the deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. for "Operation Metro Surge"). Conversely, progressive leaders are highlighting a "nation of contradictions," emphasizing the contributions of marginalized groups and warning of executive overreach.

Unusual or Highly Interesting Flags

Strategic Foresight: Where Things Are Heading

Based on these week-long trends, the trajectory for the second half of 2026 points toward intense institutional friction:

1. A Statutory Showdown Over Birthright Citizenship
While the Supreme Court struck down the President's Executive Order ending birthright citizenship, Justice Kavanaugh’s concurrence provided a clear legislative roadmap. Expect Republicans to pivot immediately to passing a statute amending the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act to redefine "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," making this the defining wedge issue of the 2026 midterms (comparable to a post-Roe environment).

2. High Risk of a Fall Government Shutdown
Because House hardliners refuse to pass regular appropriations or the NDAA without the SAVE Act, a "clean" Continuing Resolution (CR) in September seems impossible. The administration will likely use the threat of a shutdown to force a massive omnibus bill that trades domestic priorities (like the stalled Housing Bill) for federal voter ID implementation.

3. The Nuclear Option / Filibuster Collapse
With the SAVE Act stalled in the Senate and President Trump publicly demanding an end to the filibuster at his Mount Rushmore address, immense pressure will be placed on Senate leadership. If the GOP holds together, we may see the filibuster eliminated for election-related legislation.

4. A Civil Service "Brain Drain"
The implementation of the OMB's "Unitary Executive" grant rules and the reclassification of 8,000 technical roles into political at-will positions will likely trigger a massive exodus of career staff in agencies like the FDA, EPA, and DOJ. This will result in a crisis of "state capacity," slowing down medical approvals, environmental assessments, and federal prosecutions.

5. The Death of the "Lawless Internet"
The legislative momentum behind the NO FAKES Act and FADPA indicates that the "notice and takedown" era of the internet is over. We are heading toward a highly curated, "block and penalize" framework where AI companies will be forced into a massive new licensing economy to use copyrighted works or human likenesses, heavily contracting current "fair use" doctrines.

 

Finally, let's assume we are a Congressional staffer – let's ask Gemini to riff on these reports to better understand the AI landscape and even get some bill recommendations.

Attached are a series of daily reports deeply analyzing legislative trends of the United States Government from the past week.
Deeply read through them to understand the major legislative trends and themes of the past week.
I am a legislative staffer responsible for AI-related legislation for a senior member of Congress.
Give me an overview of the AI legislative landscape of the past week.
Estimate where things seem to be heading.
Give me 10 proposed bills (titles and brief descriptions of each) that best align with current legislative trends in AI regulation.
Next, give me 5 pro-regulation and 5 anti-regulation bills (titles and brief descriptions of each).
Finally, what are the key focal areas and topics that you see tech industry lobbyists, NGOs and ordinary citizens most concerned about and lobbying our office about in the coming year?

Overview of the AI Legislative Landscape

The past week on Capitol Hill reveals an AI landscape defined by a profound tension between national security/economic dominance and civil rights/societal protection. AI is no longer viewed simply as an emerging technology; it is being aggressively "securitized."

On one hand, the U.S. is engaged in a "compute-capacity race" with China. The administration and defense hawks are pushing for massive investments in an "AI Arsenal," prioritizing bespoke, air-gapped compute capacity for the military and leveraging AI to maintain geopolitical dominance. Congress is also actively pushing "light-touch" regulatory measures to ensure small businesses can adopt AI (e.g., the AI WISE Act).

On the other hand, the societal fallout of generative AI has reached a boiling point. The phrase "contamination of memory" is being used to describe the unchecked proliferation of deepfakes, which are disrupting elections and eroding institutional trust. In the private sector, there is a fierce backlash against the ingestion of copyrighted materials by Large Language Models (LLMs) and the creation of unauthorized digital replicas. Furthermore, the physical footprint of AI is causing alarm; hyperscale data centers are putting intense strain on local water and energy grids, particularly in the drought-prone West, causing local moratoriums and driving up electricity costs for working families.

Where Things Are Heading

  1. The End of "Fair Use" for AI: The "lawless frontier" of the internet is closing. Congress is moving aggressively to narrow "fair use" definitions to exclude AI training on copyrighted materials without explicit licensing. We are heading toward a massive new "licensing economy" between Big Tech and Big Media.
  2. Identity as a Federal Property Right: Bipartisan consensus is rapidly solidifying around the idea that a person's voice and likeness are fundamental human rights. Expect standalone legislation federalizing identity protection very soon.
  3. Environmental & Infrastructure Clashes: We are heading toward a federal vs. state clash over AI infrastructure. As data centers drain local power and water, expect intense lobbying for federal permitting reform to override local environmental concerns, framed as a national security imperative.
  4. State-Level Patchworks: Because federal AI safety standards are lagging, states like Colorado are passing first-in-nation comprehensive regulations. This will inevitably prompt Big Tech to lobby Congress for federal preemption to avoid a fractured regulatory landscape.

10 Proposed Bills Aligning with Current AI Legislative Trends

Based on the week's intelligence, here are 10 bills (a mix of currently debated and heavily forecasted proposals) that align with current Capitol Hill trends:

  1. The NO FAKES Act: Creates a federal property right granting individuals control over their voice and likeness, aimed at stopping unauthorized AI-generated digital replicas.
  2. The NO AI FRAUD Act: A companion bipartisan proposal to federalize "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) rights to prevent unauthorized AI impersonations and synthetic media.
  3. The AI WISE Act: Directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create training modules and support infrastructure to help main-street businesses adopt autonomous AI tools.
  4. The Deterring Adversarial Access to American Data Act (HR 7509): Uses tax penalties to force U.S. businesses to divest from adversarial-controlled technology (e.g., Chinese Lidar) to protect American data and AI supply chains.
  5. The AI Training Data Transparency Act: Requires generative AI companies to implement strict disclosure requirements regarding the copyrighted datasets and media ingested to train their Large Language Models.
  6. The AI "Square Deal" Accountability Act: Mandates that human judgment and oversight be integrated into AI systems used for denying critical services, such as consumer loans, housing, and healthcare insurance.
  7. The Data Center Water and Energy Security Act: Requires new AI data centers to be "water neutral" and integrates data center resource consumption into federal grid security planning.
  8. The Algorithmic Rent-Fixing Prevention Act: Prohibits corporate landlord conglomerates from utilizing AI and algorithmic pricing models that result in collusive price-fixing in the housing market.
  9. The AI Arsenal and Compute Capacity Act: Authorizes specialized defense funding for the Department of Defense to build bespoke, air-gapped compute capabilities for classified, autonomous war-fighting tasks.
  10. The AI Educational Safeguards Act: Directs the Department of Education to study "cognitive surrender" in K-12 schools and establishes federal data privacy standards for AI tools used in classrooms.

5 Pro-Regulation and 5 Anti-Regulation (Pro-Innovation) Bills

Pro-Regulation Bills (Focusing on Safety, IP, and Civil Rights)

  1. The Synthetic Media & Deepfake Liability Act: Amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to strip liability shields from social media platforms that knowingly distribute undeclared, AI-generated political deepfakes.
  2. The AI Fair Use Clarification Act: Explicitly removes the ingestion of copyrighted media by LLMs from "fair use" legal protections, forcing Big Tech to negotiate direct licensing agreements with creators and publishers.
  3. The Facial Recognition Bias Prevention Act: Responding to civil rights concerns, this bill mandates strict algorithmic bias audits for any AI facial recognition technology utilized by federal or local law enforcement agencies.
  4. The AI Workforce Displacement Protection Act: Establishes a federal safety net and retraining fund—paid for by a tax on enterprise AI software—to support middle-management and customer service workers displaced by AI automation.
  5. The Hyperscale Data Center Environmental Review Act: Mandates strict federal environmental impact studies for new AI data centers, specifically capping their draw on regional water supplies and electrical grids.

Anti-Regulation / Pro-Innovation Bills (Focusing on Economic Dominance & Deregulation)

  1. The National AI Competitiveness and Preemption Act: Establishes a "light touch," voluntary federal safety framework for AI development that explicitly preempts and voids stricter state-level regulations (such as Colorado's).
  2. The AI Infrastructure Permitting Reform Act: Streamlines federal environmental regulations and fast-tracks permitting for energy projects (both green and fossil fuel) to rapidly expand the electrical grid for AI data centers.
  3. The Federal Bureaucracy AI Automation Act: Mandates federal agencies to deploy LLMs (like Gemini) to automate bureaucratic drudgery, drafting reports, and processing claims, deliberately aimed at reducing the size of the federal civil service.
  4. The Tech Stack Decoupling Bonus Act: Provides aggressive R&D expensing and bonus depreciation tax carrots to tech companies that build sovereign, US-based AI infrastructure free from Chinese components.
  5. The Open-Source AI Protection Act: Exempts open-source AI developers and academic researchers from strict federal liability and compliance mandates, ensuring that regulatory burdens only apply to highly capitalized, commercial "frontier" models.

Key Focal Areas for Lobbying in the Coming Year

As a staffer, you should prepare our Member for intense lobbying from three distinct camps:

1. Tech Industry Lobbyists:

2. NGOs (Civil Rights, Environment, Consumer Protection):

3. Ordinary Citizens & Constituents: