Good morning, it’s Thursday, January 29, 2026. In today’s edition, Dems seek to boost data privacy; legislators advance immigration measures; Klobuchar makes gubernatorial bid official:
Top Stories
CONSUMER RIGHTS: Lawmakers in half a dozen Democratic-led states are advancing bills to ban data brokers from selling people’s precise location data, amid growing concerns that the data could be used to target immigrant populations. Geo-privacy laws are already in place in Maryland and Oregon. A report earlier this month found ICE had purchased access to tools enabling the agency to track mobile phones. (Pluribus News)
IMMIGRATION: The California Senate has approved legislation allowing residents to sue federal agents for excessive use of force, unlawful home searches or interfering with the right to protest. (Los Angeles Times) The legislature is also considering bills to tax for-profit detention companies and to ban law enforcement officers from moonlighting as federal agents. (State Affairs)
MORE: The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee has advanced bills to ban agreements between local police and federal immigration authorities, and to bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks. (Maryland Matters) The Kansas Senate has adopted legislation to repeal in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants living in the state. The bill will also bar undocumented people from receiving food aid or other welfare programs. (State Affairs)
EVEN MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has directed public universities and state agencies to freeze new H-1B visa applications. Abbott ordered schools and agencies to submit detailed reports to the Texas Workforce Commission laying out the number of new or renewed petitions filed in 2025 and the number of H-1B visa holders those institutions currently sponsor. (Texas Tribune)
SOCIAL MEDIA: Connecticut lawmakers are advancing a bill to reduce children’s exposure to social media algorithms. The bill would require limiting children’s contact with unconnected adults, ban notifications between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. and set a one-hour daily use limit, adjustable by parents. A similar bill passed the House but didn’t get a Senate vote last year. (Hartford Courant)
MORE: The Alabama Senate has advanced legislation requiring app store providers to verify user ages for minors. The bill also requires parental notification for downloading or updating apps. (Alabama Reflector)
HEALTH CARE: The Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has approved legislation creating a prescription drug affordability board with the authority to set upper payment limits on medications. The bill exempts certain rare disease drugs and plasma-based treatments. Then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed similar bills twice. (Virginia Scope)
ENVIRONMENT: Maine lawmakers advanced a climate superfund measure requiring oil companies to pay for damages from burning fossil fuels. The state estimates climate change has cost the government $100 million in the last few years. Republicans warned the bill will invite lawsuits similar to those challenging superfund laws in Vermont and New York. (Maine Public Radio)
SNAP: A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration order that would have required Colorado to recertify families receiving food assistance. The order required Colorado to participate in a USDA pilot program that would have required in-person interviews for more than 100,000 households that receive SNAP benefits within 30 days. (Colorado Public Radio)
In Politics & Business
MINNESOTA: U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) formally entered the race for governor Thursday morning, citing the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants in the Twin Cities. Klobuchar won her latest term in 2024 by 16 points, winning 135,000 more votes than then-Vice President Harris did in Minnesota. (Associated Press)
Klobuchar is the fourth U.S. senator — along with Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) — running for governor this year.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Julia Williams, the daughter of former Gov. John Lynch (D), is considering her own run for governor in 2026. Williams serves as executive director of Mass General Brigham. (Boston Globe)
WISCONSIN: Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann (R) has dropped his bid for governor, after President Trump endorsed his rival, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R). Tiffany will face the winner of a crowded Democratic primary. (State Affairs)
VERMONT: Former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Esther Charlestin will run for lieutenant governor in 2026. She will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray (D) and congressional aide Ryan McLaren (D) in the Democratic primary. (VT Digger)
CRIME BLOTTER: A Denver jury has found former Colorado Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D) guilty of three counts of forgery and one charge of attempting to influence a public servant. The case stemmed from allegations that Jaquez Lewis mistreated aides while in the legislature. (Denver Post)
By The Numbers
54%: The decline in wrong-way crashes on Michigan’s U.S. 131 in Grand Rapids, after the state installed wrong-way detection systems. Wrong-way crashes have been increasing statewide. (Associated Press)
39.7 inches: The amount of snow that has fallen in Anchorage, Alaska this month, eclipsing a record set in 2000. The National Weather Service said that amount of precipitation is equal to what the city usually gets from Jan. 1 to about May 10. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
The Indiana Senate has voted to advance a bill requiring mergers between townships based on their financial health. The question of what to do about township governments has been raging in Indianapolis for a decade. Indiana taxpayers fork over about $20 million in salaries for township trustees or board members every year. (Indianapolis Star)
Several zoos in Japan held a longest-bath contest featuring their respective capybaras. The winner was the aptly-named Prune, who spent an hour and 45 minutes in its bath at the Nagasaki Bio Park. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“How about since Trump dislikes Minnesota so bad and we’re so out of control, let’s join Canada. Instead of Canada becoming the 51st state of America and lose their health care … I’d like to see Minnesota, all of us, become Canadians.”
— Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (I), appearing on the SpinSisters podcast. (MLive)