US AI Regulation: Federal Framework, State Surge & Silicon Valley Split

White House explores FINRA-like AI regulator (Bessent, SEC); three frontier CEOs agree on need for regulation. Sen. Warner introduces AI AGENT Act and separate six-bill framework. Illinois SB315 signed (mandatory audits, $3M penalties, Jan 2027) completing three-state regime. Great American AI Act discussion draft emerges. FTC draws hard line; R Street pushes back on FTC AI accuracy statement. Robotaxi policy battle – SF Mayor Lurie backs federal Mullin bill. A16z's Andreessen appointed to Fed. Silicon Valley split intensifies – 25 firms sign open letter against open-weight regulation, while OpenAI/Anthropic push for controls. NEW: 14 new state AI healthcare laws. NEW: AI lobbying spending record $109M. NEW: Agentic AI governance gap highlighted. NEW: ARI publishes minimum conditions for federal frontier AI governance. NEW: Over 1,100 AI employees petition for pacing mechanism. NEW: Sam Altman meets White House's Wiles. NEW: NIST to include AI roles in cybersecurity framework. NEW: UK CMA probes Microsoft AI subscription pricing. NEW: German BaFin to monitor banks' AI use. NEW: Enterprise AI governance readiness survey. NEW: AI agent payments regulatory blind spot. NEW: Judge Lin skeptical of Trump admin's supply-chain risk label on Anthropic – legal challenge to executive overreach. NEW: States push for brain data regulation amid AI growth.