Winning Wednesday: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems for Millionaires

Here's your wins for this week!

Four. Democrats Call For Hearing On Chatbot-Enabled Mass Shootings

You’ve likely heard about how AI chatbots have helped users not only kill themselves, but plan and execute mass shootings to kill OTHER people, including a couple of incidents in Florida. The more people hear about this, the more agitated they will get about AI.  News from the States has a story about Congressional action.

Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and about 30 of her colleagues sent a letter to top AI companies OpenAI and Google Deep Mind to address interactions with chatbots, which they said encouraged users who asked about “carrying out criminal acts,” suicide, and other harmful actions.   

They are requesting a “staff-level congressional briefing on these matters, along with written responses to [a number of questions in the letter] by no later than Thursday, June 18.”

Signers include Maxwell Frost and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida, Chris DeLuzio, Jan Schakowsky and Rashida Tlaib.

Three.  Labor Board Upholds Union Vote At Whole Foods in Philly

Whole Foods lost their bid to have a union election overturned at one of their stores in Philadelphia. The store was the first within the Amazon-owned Whole Foods chain to unionize with UFCW/RWDSU. The Labor Board vote was unanimous.

The election was held in January 2025. Whole Foods asked for a review of the Philadelphia union election in June 2025, arguing that the Biden-era prohibition against employers holding “captive audience” meetings to persuade workers against unionization restricted its right to free speech and affected the election results.

Here it is, June 2026, and there are still no contract negotiations scheduled.  Amazon will likely appeal the NLRB’s latest decision to drag things out even more.  In spite of that, I like to think about the fact that Amazon is now fighting unions on two fronts, at their warehouses and at Whole Foods.  For more details on the Whole Foods battle, check out Kim Kelly’s fine story at In These Times.

Two.  Angst about data centers may flip GA Public Service Commission to Dems

Utility rate hikes and concerns about data center growth are causing Georgia Republicans to look at the platform, not the party, and giving Democrats hope they can take control of the GA Public Service Commission this fall. The PSC controls utility price hikes and other issues around utility companies and data centers.

Republicans currently have a 3-2 majority on the commission, after Democrats flipped two seats last year, turning several deep-red counties blue.  Democrats hope to flip two more this year. 

According to News from the States, former Republican PSC incumbent Fitz Johnson, running in hopes of reclaiming the District 3 seat, barely scraped through his primary with 50.2% of the vote against a little-known candidate. Johnson’s campaign was supported by the utility industry.

All over the country and in Georgia, data centers are being proposed in rural parts of the state.  Georgia State University political scientist Tammy Greer says that the increased pushback among voters comes from these data centers “urbanizing rural areas [and] forcing rural voters out of their land.”  Republicans’ typical focus on property rights doesn’t jibe with their support for data centers, weakening their ability to craft a credible message.

One.  Rhode Island Joins Tax-The-Rich Club

Rhode Island’s governor on June 12 signed a record $15.2 billion fiscal 2027 budget, featuring a millionaire’s tax, a state inspector general’s office, and additional funds for healthcare, families with children, and the state public transit agency.  The Rhode Island Current had the story.

All 10 Republican lawmakers (and seven Democrats) in the State House voted against the budget. Rhode Island will phase in the 3% tax increase by 1% per year over three years.  Ultimately, the tax on income over $1 million will reach 8.99%. 

The club now includes Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, and Washington state, who have approved higher taxes on those earning $1 million or more annually.  California will have a millionaire tax on the ballot this fall.  An attempt to pass a tax in Virginia failed this spring.

New York state in June passed the “pied-a-terre tax,” which will be imposed on second homes valued at $1 million or more. It’s expected to raise $500 million in revenue.

According to CNBC, the new tax “will more than double property taxes owed by many wealthy luxury apartment owners, according to tax experts.” Properties worth between $1 million and $3 million will face a 4% annual tax; properties valued at $3 million to $5 million will face a 5.25% tax; and those above $5 million will face a 6.5% tax.