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Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 26, 2026. In today’s edition, big tech pushes back against New York AI bill; New Jersey governor signs law enforcement mask ban; Idaho advances strict bathroom ban:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: New York lawmakers pushing to prevent AI-powered platforms from impersonating licensed professionals are receiving opposition from the Consumer Technology Association, a group of more than 1,200 tech companies. The group argues the legislation would interfere with chatbots providing basic information while exposing companies to frivolous lawsuits. (Pluribus News)
SOCIAL MEDIA: An Illinois House committee has approved legislation requiring social media companies to confirm a user’s age through a device’s operating system. The bill prohibits companies from sending nighttime notifications to users under 18, and to establish default privacy settings to protect a minor’s location data. (Capitol News Illinois)
IMMIGRATION: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) has signed legislation barring law enforcement agents from wearing masks during interactions with the public. Sherrill also signed bills to bar local police from assisting with federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant, and prohibiting state agencies from sharing a person’s immigration status without a warrant. (NJ Advance Media)
MORE: The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation has adopted a new rule requiring those seeking a professional license to prove they are in the country legally. A separate panel stopped issuing commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens, while the Department of Motor Vehicles imposed new strict photo ID requirements for vehicle registrations. (Texas Tribune)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Idaho lawmakers are considering a bill to make it a crime for transgender people to use bathrooms that match their gender identity, even inside privately owned businesses. Other states have banned transgender people from some bathrooms, but none go as far as Idaho’s, which the state Senate is expected to take up this week. (Associated Press)
MORE: The Ohio House has approved legislation creating a new offense of “unlawful adult cabaret performance,” requiring drag shows to be confined to adult venues. Penalties range from a first-degree misdemeanor to a fourth-degree felony. The bill contains a provision shielding breastfeeding mothers from public indecency charges. (State Affairs)
ABORTION: The Ohio House also backed legislation requiring women to meet with a physician at least 24 hours before elective abortions are performed. A previous version of the law was blocked by a Franklin County judge for running afoul of language protecting abortion rights in the state constitution. (State Affairs)
HEALTH CARE: The Kansas legislature has approved a bill increasing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers. The bill requires rebates, credits and incentives PBMs receive to be used to reduce out-of-pocket prescription costs and health insurance premiums. The bill also establishes a drug reimbursement rate and requires PBMs to pay $10.50 dispensing fees for every prescription. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: A Marquette University Law School poll shows liberal Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor leading conservative Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar 23%-17%, while 53% remain undecided. The election takes place April 7. Democratic voters are more likely to say they will turn out to vote than Republicans. (State Affairs)
IOWA: The State Objection Panel has cleared the way for state Rep. Eddie Andrews (R) to appear on the June 2 primary ballot. The panel found Andrews qualified with just enough signatures in three key counties, after his candidacy was challenged by fellow candidate Adam Steen. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
NEW YORK: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s (R) campaign is circulating an internal poll showing him trailing Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) by a 52%-43% margin. That’s a much closer margin than public polls, which show Hochul with a big lead. (City & State)
MICHIGAN: Former state House Speaker Joe Tate (D) will not seek re-election this year. Tate, the first Black person to serve as House speaker, still had two terms left before he hit term limits. (Detroit News)
By The Numbers
About 75%: The share of U.S. counties where overall population growth either slowed or turned negative between July 2024 and July 2025, according to new Census Bureau estimates. Net immigration fell in every metro area in 2025. (New York Times)
24: The number of the nation’s top 25 newspapers that saw circulation declines between 2024 and 2025, according to the Alliance for Audited Media. The only paper that saw its circulation increase: The Villages Daily Sun, in Florida. (Press Gazette)
$700: The amount Maryland will loan federal workers who are going without pay because of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. That includes TSA staff, Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. (Baltimore Sun)
Off The Wall
Mississippi will become the first state in the country to prohibit “cell-cultured milk.” The bill also bars the sale of food products branded as meat that don’t actually contain meat. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson (R) said the bill was a win for the roughly 50 dairy farms that still operate in Mississippi. (Supertalk)
Wildlife experts are warning against discarding vape products after a squirrel was caught vaping on camera in a London park. “Other photos and videos posted to various social media sites have captured other incidents of squirrels handling, chewing on and even buying discarded vape devices,” in what we hope is today’s most hilarious typo. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Sometimes we’ll do things that aren’t the best things. I think we have to always be open to adjusting and I think that’s what the legislation reflects.”
— Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D), on a bill he signed erasing an increase in estate taxes lawmakers approved last year. (Washington State Standard)