Good morning, it’s Monday, February 2, 2026. In today’s edition, app stores losing the age verification lobbying war; Maryland House backs redistricting plan; Dems score upset win in Texas special election:
Top Stories
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SOCIAL MEDIA: Lawmakers are advancing bills to require app store operators Apple and Google to age-gate their products as a way to protect minors. The Alabama House passed a measure last month, while bills have received hearings recently in Kansas and New Hampshire. Other measures are still alive in at least ten states. (Pluribus News)
The national lobbying fight between app stores and app developers — led by Meta — is tilting decidedly toward the developers.
MORE: The first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors against Meta gets underway with jury selection today in Santa Fe. Attorney General Raul Torrez (D) filed suit in 2023, accusing the Facebook parent company of creating a “breeding ground” for predators who target children. (Associated Press)
REDISTRICTING: The Maryland House has approved legislation redrawing state congressional district lines over Republican objections. The bill targets the Eastern Shore district held by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R), the sole Republican in Maryland’s eight-member House delegation. (Maryland Matters)
IMMIGRATION: A federal judge has rejected Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s (D) requests to immediately halt the federal immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities. Judge Katherine Menendez ruled the state was unlikely to succeed in its argument that the surge violated the 10th Amendment. (Associated Press)
MORE: The Maryland Senate has advanced bills prohibiting cooperation agreements between local police and federal immigration agencies, and banning face coverings on officers on duty. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) said the bills could come up for final passage on Tuesday. (Maryland Matters) New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is pushing the legislature to ban agreements between local police and federal immigration authorities. (Albany Times Union)
PUBLIC SAFETY: The Alabama House has passed legislation requiring medical personnel, educators, law enforcement and clergy members to report when a child smells like marijuana. Reports would be investigated the same way suspected child abuse and neglect are investigated. (AL.com)
HEALTH CARE: The Florida House Health Care Facilities and Systems Subcommittee has advanced legislation banning Medicaid payment to any “prohibited entity” under federal law, including Planned Parenthood. The bill also includes work requirements for SNAP recipients up to age 64. (Florida Politics)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: Taylor Rehmet (D) defeated Leigh Wambsganss (R) by an 11-point margin in a special election for a state Senate seat in Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth. The district voted for President Trump by 17 points in 2024. Rehmet will be the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1983. (Bloomberg)
MARYLAND: Former Del. Dan Cox (R) has launched his second bid for governor, alongside running mate Rob Krop, a gun store owner in Frederick County. Cox lost his bid against Gov. Wes Moore (D) in 2022 by a 65%-32% margin. (Maryland Matters)
DEMOCRATS: The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee has approved applications from 12 states seeking to hold early nominating contests in the 2028 elections. Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia will get to make their case to the committee in future meetings. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
CRIME BLOTTER: Georgia Rep. Dexter Sharper (D) has been indicted on felony fraud charges for allegedly illegally obtaining nearly $14,000 in pandemic-era unemployment benefits. He’s the third House member charged with pandemic-related fraud in recent months, following Reps. Sharon Henderson (D) and Karen Bennett (D). (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
26%: The share of homes in the Las Vegas metropolitan area that are owned by corporate investors. That’s the second-highest share of homes owned by investors in any metro area, after Asheville, N.C. (Nevada Independent)
More than 13,300: The number of suggested names Chicago residents offered for the city’s newest snowplow. About 9,200 of those suggestions were for the name “Abolish ICE.” Other favorites: “Blizzard of Oz,” “Derrick Froze,” “Live, Laugh, Plow,” and “This Isn’t Florida.” (WTTW)
Off The Wall
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, forecasting six more weeks of winter. Phil’s handlers held up signs reading “Brrr! More Snow” and “Freezing Rain.” (Associated Press)
Friendly (and hopeful) reminder: Phil is wrong more than half the time.
Worcester County, Md., has requested federal assistance to deal with unexploded ordnance from World War II that keeps washing up on beaches near Assateague Island. The Ocean City Fire Marshal’s office deployed bomb squads to deal with two relics that washed ashore this weekend. (Baltimore Sun)
A stretch of Highway 99 in Tulare County, Calif., was closed for more than five hours on Saturday after a 59-vehicle pileup in heavy fog. Several people with mild to moderate injuries were taken to local hospitals. (Los Angeles Times)
Quote of the Day
“The one thing that hasn’t changed is Marty.”
— Connecticut lobbyist Vinnie Mauro Jr., a longtime aide to Sen. Martin Looney (D), who’s beginning his 46th year as a legislator. House Speaker Matt Ritter (D) wasn’t born yet when Looney took office in 1981. (Hartford Courant)