Good morning, it’s Wednesday, January 14, 2026. In today’s edition, abortion foes target wastewater; Trump threatens cuts to sanctuary states; new poll shows tight Michigan governor’s race:
Top Stories
ABORTION: Opponents of abortion rights are introducing new bills to hold drug manufacturers liable for alleged contamination of public water systems. The bills, introduced in Wisconsin and coming soon to West Virginia, contend that traces of abortion-inducing medication in wastewater pose an environmental and public health threat. Past proposals in at least half a dozen other states have failed to gain traction. (Pluribus News)
MORE: South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) used his State of the State address to urge lawmakers to approve legislation banning the delivery of abortion-inducing medication. Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) has sued a New York-based nonprofit for advertising abortion drugs at gas stations; the nonprofit has countersued over free speech claims. (South Dakota Searchlight)
IMMIGRATION: President Trump’s administration plans to cut off funding to so-called sanctuary states and cities beginning Feb. 1, he said in a speech in Michigan on Tuesday. Trump singled out Democratic governors of California, Illinois and Minnesota. Similar efforts to cut funding to those states were blocked by federal courts during Trump’s first term in office. (MLive)
PUBLIC SAFETY: An Indiana Senate committee has advanced legislation to create a new criminal offense for doxing, intentionally sharing information about a targeted person with the intent to place them in fear of bodily harm. The measure comes after several members of the Senate were targets of swatting incidents during the debate over redistricting last year. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
GUN POLITICS: The Georgia Senate has given final approval to a measure preempting city and county gun storage laws. The bill, aimed at a Savannah ordinance that imposes fines and possible jail time on gun owners who leave their firearms in unlocked cars, allows residents to sue local governments for imposing ordinances. (Associated Press)
ENERGY: Pennsylvania Sen. Lisa Boscola (D) and Rep. Jamie Walsh (R) have introduced legislation to give local communities more say over siting data centers. Boscola’s bill would prohibit utilities from charging residential and small business consumers for electric grid upgrades caused by large data centers. (State Affairs)
HOUSING: Illinois Democrats are advancing legislation to ban junk fees on rental properties. The bill requires all non-optional fees to be explicitly disclosed on the first page of lease agreements. The measure has already passed the Senate. (WAND-TV)
EMINENT DOMAIN: An Iowa House subcommittee has advanced legislation prohibiting carbon dioxide pipeline operators from exercising eminent domain to build. A similar bill died on the Senate floor last year. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Longtime readers will recall last year’s battle over carbon sequestration pipelines that divided lawmakers in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota.
In Politics & Business
MICHIGAN: A new Glengariff Group poll conducted for the Detroit News finds U.S. Rep. John James (R) statistically tied with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) in the race for governor, 34% to 32%, with former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (I) taking 26%. Without Duggan in the race, Benson and James are still in a dead heat, with Benson ahead 47%-45%. (Detroit News)
NEBRASKA: State Sen. Dan McKeon resigned from the legislature on Tuesday, just ahead of a scheduled debate on expelling him from the body. McKeon faced allegations he made sexually charged comments to a legislative staffer and touched her inappropriately during an end-of-session party last year. (Associated Press)
DEMOCRATS: The Democratic National Committee will announce a new multi-million dollar voter registration program, beginning in Arizona and Nevada. Democrats have typically left voter registration drives up to outside groups. The effort will focus especially on younger voters and those without college educations, groups that typically register as unaffiliated. (Associated Press, State Affairs)
PEOPLE: Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) died suddenly at 59, his family said Tuesday. Brnovich served two terms before leaving office in 2023. President Trump nominated him to serve as ambassador to Serbia last year, but the nomination was withdrawn in October. (State Affairs)
Correction: Yesterday, we incorrectly said Wyoming had never elected a woman governor. We overlooked Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state. We’re deeply sorry to our Wyoming readers, and quite embarrassed by the oversight.
By The Numbers
3.5%: The decline in enrollments in health care plans under the Affordable Care Act compared to this time last year. That equates to about 800,000 fewer people signing up for plans as premiums rise. (Associated Press)
2,144: The number of reported measles cases in 44 U.S. states in 2025, the highest yearly total since 1991. There are ongoing outbreaks in South Carolina and along the Arizona-Utah border. (Associated Press)
129: The number of pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities on Oahu, up more than 20% from 2024 and the highest total since 2007. (Civil Beat)
Off The Wall
Michigan’s Department of Motor Vehicles has rejected a total of 30,000 vanity license plates, including about 2,000 last year alone, for inappropriate content. Rejected plates last year included “OHCR4P,” “B4DAZZ,” “ILEGAL” and “REDW1NE.” (Bridge MI)
British inventor Michael Wallhead claims to have built the world’s fastest motorized trash can. Wallhead, who already holds the record with a 55 mph run in 2023, says his wheelie bin can now reach a speed of 66 mph. The contraption includes a two-stroke engine, magnesium go-kart wheels and a five gear box. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“There was a brief lull in the crowd, and you could hear a woman in the back say, ‘I’m not doing that.’ It was my sister, my middle sister, making her opinion known to my mother.”
— Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D), on the time someone introducing her said Virginians will soon refer to Spanberger by the state’s official salutation for a governor, “Your Excellency.” (Northern Virginia)