In The States

ELM GROVE, Wis. (AP) — Standing on the sidelines of her son's soccer practice in this upscale suburb, Laura Hahn looked skyward for answers when asked how she would rate President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office.  Overall, Biden... Read More

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesotans spent 18 months worrying over whether the 2020 census would finally cost them a precious seat in Congress, expecting to lose one to faster-growing competitors in the South  and West even if they found and counted... Read More

BUCHANAN, N.Y. (AP) — Indian Point will permanently stop producing nuclear power Friday, capping a decades-long battle over a key source of electricity in the heart of New York City's suburbs that opponents have called a threat to millions living... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A California law that requires nonprofit organizations to disclose their donors met with skepticism among most of the U.S. Supreme Court’s justices during a hearing Monday. The law is opposed by coalitions of nonprofit organizations that say the... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former Rep. Joe Cunningham put an end to months of speculation Monday, formally announcing that he will challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in this year’s gubernatorial race. Cunningham became a political sensation in the Palmetto State... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Washington, D.C.’s attorney general sued baby food maker Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. this week with claims the company misled consumers by failing to disclose toxic metals in its food. The lawsuit filed in District of Columbia Superior Court incorporates... Read More

LOS ANGELES — Former Olympic athlete and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday in a press release she will launch a campaign to become the next governor of California. Jenner, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of current... Read More

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma House and Senate unveiled new legislative district maps last week, revealing a plan in which no incumbents would be forced to run against each other. “These districts are based on unprecedented public input gathered through... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to make the District of Columbia the 51st U.S. state at a time political support for the legislation is the strongest it has ever been. The bill, entitled H.R. 51,... Read More

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's first-ever, independent citizens redistricting commission got off to a rocky start earlier this month after its decision to hire an alleged Democratic activist as an advisor inspired a strong backlash from the state’s Republican party. The... Read More

WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday formally threw its support behind the D.C. Statehood bill, saying it would provide the residents of the District with "long overdue full representation in Congress." "Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan delegation of governors is urging Congress to pass legislation that would allow banks and credit unions to provide services to licensed cannabis dispensaries.  The governors of 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands circulated a letter... Read More

ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden called Georgia's new voting law an "atrocity." A leading Black bishop called for a national boycott of companies headquartered in the state. But when Stacey Abrams, the state's well-known voting rights advocate, is asked... Read More

Thirty-five states are at extreme or high risk of partisan gerrymandering, according to an in-depth report by the nonpartisan RepresentUs organization. The Gerrymandering Threat Index rates all 50 states, and its authors argue their findings underscore the urgent need to... Read More

RICHMOND -- The Commonwealth of Virginia is expanding eligibility to get a COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 or older, beginning Sunday. The expansion of eligibility comes as Virginia reaches a new milestone in its vaccination program— approximately half of all... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department has released updated guidance on its pre-award requirements for state and local governments to receive direct coronavirus relief payments under the American Rescue Plan Act. It particular the guidance outlines the “immediate” steps municipalities need... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bill that would make the District of Columbia the 51st state made it out of the House Oversight and Reforms Committee on Wednesday, and will come up for a vote in the full House next week. Last... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy is continuing its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic but not fast enough for tourism officials who testified before a Senate subcommittee Tuesday. They said their industry was the hardest hit during the pandemic shutdown and... Read More

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland's General Assembly on Saturday enacted the nation’s most sweeping police reform legislation to make officers more accountable to the public. The new rules place more restrictions on use of force and no-knock warrants. Other provisions require... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability.The figures in the... Read More

In a sign that the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is continuing, the Washington D.C. area’s largest hotel -- the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor -- will reopen July 1. Hotel owner Ryman Hospitality Properties lost more than a... Read More

The CDC has issued a report finding that small, yellow-tinged songbirds from the finch family were linked to 19 infections of salmonella across the U.S.   Rachel Curtis-Robles, a public health educator and outreach officer for the California Department of... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans are moving to pass their own set of limits on voting as legislation restricting early voting access awaits a House committee assignment.  The Texas bill, one of 361 bills pending nationwide with restrictive provisions, passed... Read More

An executive order on Tuesday from Texas' governor that prohibits state agencies from using tax money for vaccine passports is kicking up a dispute over the breadth of public health laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines and other private companies... Read More

WASHINGTON - Nearly 200 companies have come out against Republican voting legislation critics say is simply a blatant attempt to disenfranchise millions of Black and minority voters. The chief executives of Dow, Levi’s Survey Monkey, PayPal and Uber were among... Read More

Major League Baseball said Friday it would move its annual All-Star Game out of Georgia, citing the state government’s recent decision to put in place more restrictive measures on who is able to vote in coming elections. “Major League Baseball... Read More

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Friday instituting a forensic science task force as an advisory body within the Michigan Department of State Police.  The task force’s role will be to provide recommendations to improve... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. - Democrats are used to long odds in the Republican controlled legislature, and perhaps that explains why 26 of them have decided to advance a plan to put control of the state’s upcoming redistricting effort in the hands... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The backlash continued Thursday against Georgia’s new elections law while Congress moved ahead with a bill that could eliminate much of states’ rights to determine the conditions for which residents vote, when they vote and where.  Civil rights... Read More

New York adults over the age of 21 can now possess and use marijuana — even in public — under a legalization bill  signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, though legal sales of recreational-use cannabis won't start for an estimated... Read More