From the States
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Pritzker, GOP candidate say they support a free press, differ on tax credits
Pritzker spoke at the Illinois Local News Summit in Chicago on Friday and said Illinois was the first state in the nation to launch a tax-incentive program for local news.
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Only 41% of Washington drivers comply with ignition interlock mandate after DUIs
Washington state lawmakers allocated $400,000 in 2024 to the bipartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to examine installation rates and issue recommendations to improve them. Staff returned on Wednesday with three after realizing that no one was responsible for tracking compliance.
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Illinois proposal would give unemployment benefits to striking workers
Opponents include the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and associations representing manufacturers, retail merchants, construction, trucking and transportation builders.
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Investigation finds over half of Alexandria restaurants in Louisiana serving imported shrimp
The findings show Alexandria’s shrimp mislabeling rate is roughly in line with other inland cities. Baton Rouge had a 30% inauthenticity rate, while New Orleans fared better, with only 13% of restaurants caught mislabeling.
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Rep. LaHood weighs gubernatorial run as Pritzker faces scrutiny after hearing
Pritzker has not officially announced he’s seeking a third term for the 2026 gubernatorial election, but Illinois U.S. Rep Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, didn’t rule out running against him for governor.
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Federal government commits $10M for East Palestine health study
The money and the study came at the urging of Vice President J.D. Vance, who worked with former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on train safety and other East Palestine legislation in the months and years following the derailment and subsequent toxic chemical release.
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LA’s $20M response to protests illustrates problems of officer shortages and overtime pay
Of LA's $1.1 billion in overtime in 2024, $265.5 million went to the LAPD, which has just 8,688 officers, or nearly a thousand officers short of its full authorized strength of 9,500.
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NC Sen. Tillis says both sides were wrong in Padilla-Noem dispute, Lander’s detainment
California Sen. Alex Padilla was in the wrong, and so too was the team safeguarding Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, says arguably one of the nation’s most vulnerable U.S. senators in the 2026 election cycle.
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Texas Gov. Abbott signs several pro-business bills into law
The council was tasked with reviewing government efficiency for Texas businesses and providing recommendations to cut unnecessary government regulations.
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CA Legislature passes record $325B budget with $10-$20B deficits ahead
Over the past decade, state spending has doubled while the population has remained largely flat. Officials say employees of the state now earn an average of $177,000, up 42% from 2019.
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9th Circuit hears arguments over Trump's authority to call in the National Guard
Newsom and Bonta sued Trump early last week to take back control of the National Guard, which the president deployed in response to the protests and riots over mass ICE raids.
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Kansas GOP Senator Marshall wants to revise federal budgeting process, change CBO estimates
The Budget Reform Act of 2025, introduced Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., would change the appropriations schedule from annually to every two years and establish strict, penalty-carrying budget deadlines for Congress and the president.
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Trump breaks from Gabbard on Iran nuke program
President Donald Trump appears to break from his intelligence director on earlier claims that Iran wasn’t producing military weapons.