In The States

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Four student teams from three North Carolina universities recently prevailed where so many others have failed of late — coming up with several “innovative and impactful” and best of all, practicable ideas for how to restore... Read More

Abortion providers in three states filed a lawsuit Monday aimed at preserving access to the abortion pill mifepristone, even as the drug is threatened by a separate Texas lawsuit winding its way through U.S. court system. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District... Read More

The shooter who killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall was wearing a patch that read “RWDS” — short for “Right Wing Death Squad” — a phrase that has been embraced in recent years by far-right extremists who glorify violence against their... Read More

BOISE, Idaho — A coalition of community groups and civic organizations filed a citizen ballot initiative this past week with the intention of giving state voters the chance to cast their ballots in open, nonpartisan primary elections. The coalition, Idahoans... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears to be considering dropping the current term’s most consequential election case now that a ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court has likely rendered the justices’ opinion moot. The case, Moore v. Harper, tests... Read More

In an alternate universe, the new crop of privacy laws in Iowa, Indiana and Tennessee could have been cause for celebration, marking a growing number of consumers around the country enjoying strong new protections over their personal data. In reality,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, made it official Wednesday morning: He’s launching a bid to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024. Allred’s formal announcement came via a three-minute 11-second video posted to Twitter, though his intentions were... Read More

HONOLULU, Hawaii — Par Hawaii, a refiner of renewable fuels, is now the first entity of its kind in the nation to win federal approval to produce its goods in a Foreign-Trade Zone. Now that the U.S. Commerce Department has... Read More

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made a little history on Monday, not only signing his first bill into law, but also signing a first-of-its-kind in the nation bill eliminating all costs for preventative breast cancer screenings for women... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ben Cardin, Maryland’s senior U.S. senator, a Democrat and winner of 36 elections, including primaries and general election contests, announced Monday he will not seek reelection next year. Cardin’s decision will bring to an end an astonishing... Read More

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge on Monday temporarily blocked a unique rule that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill several other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such... Read More

LANSING, Mich. — A three-judge appellate panel in Michigan last week revived a lawsuit challenging a change in a local zoning ordinance that led to a township approving the permit for an industrial solar farm. In a unanimous ruling, the... Read More

BUFORD, Ga. (AP) — A slate of Georgia Republicans led by Gov. Brian Kemp handily won reelection last year over far-right primary opponents endorsed by Donald Trump and backed by the state party chairperson, showing the limits of the former president and his... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. — Five months after gaining their first majority in nearly a decade, Republicans on the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned the court’s earlier ruling in a closely watched district map case, holding there is "no judicially manageable standard... Read More

WASHINGTON — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice officially declared his candidacy for the Senate on Thursday, setting up a potential challenge to incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in 2024. For months, the popular two-term Republican governor, who is often accompanied... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California approved Thursday a first-in-the-nation, ambitious rule limiting rail pollution to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state's latest move to establish itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The rule... Read More

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Nicole Teliano used to play games on her phone in the mayor’s office while her mother worked down the hall several evenings a month, tending to the tedious, often acrimonious task of serving in local government.... Read More

WASHINGTON — As one of the most isolated populated places on Earth, Hawaii has long faced a litany of unique communications challenges. But those days — and the island state’s heavy-duty reliance on submarine cables — are on the verge... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration has a message for residents of Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia: It has heard your complaints about the ever-present helicopter noise in the area and is taking steps to address it. Helicopter pilots... Read More

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama and Mississippi closed most government offices Monday for Confederate Memorial Day as efforts have stalled to abolish state holidays that honor the old Confederacy. Legislation has been introduced in the ongoing Alabama legislative session to... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will provide 100% of the water requested by cities and farms for the first time in years thanks to winter storms that filled reservoirs and runoff from a record snowpack, regulators announced Thursday. The State... Read More

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Atop a 100-foot barge tied up at the Port of Los Angeles, engineers have built a kind of floating laboratory to answer a simple question: Is there a way to cleanse seawater of carbon dioxide... Read More

North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill into law that restricts transgender health care in the state, immediately making it a crime to give gender-affirming care to people younger than 18. Gender-affirming care for minors has been available... Read More

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointees on Wednesday began trying to reshape Disney World's governing body with proposals to eliminate a planning board and prohibit mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccine requirements in an evolving showdown between the... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Republicans upset with Donald Trump’s indictment are escalating their war on the prosecutor who charged him, trying to embarrass Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on his home turf partly by falsely portraying New York City as a place overrun by... Read More

HELENA, Mont. — A bill moving through the Republican-led Legislature in Montana would rewrite the rules for a single electoral contest in 2024 — the party’s uphill battle to take down three-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. “This bill is... Read More

COLUMBIA. Mo. (AP) — Missouri's attorney general announced new restrictions Thursday on gender-affirming care for adults in addition to minors in a move that is believed to be a first nationally and has advocacy groups threatening to sue. Attorney General... Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The second of two Black Democrats who were kicked out of the Republican-led Tennessee House followed his colleague back to work at the Capitol on Thursday, a week after their expulsion for participating in a gun... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is taking the next official step toward a bid for president in 2024. In a video released Wednesday morning, Scott announced he was forming an exploratory committee, which moves him closer... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sued Rep. Jim Jordan on Tuesday, an extraordinary move as he seeks to halt a House Judiciary Committee inquiry that the prosecutor contends is a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack”... Read More