Good morning, it’s Friday, April 3, 2026. In today’s edition, CFTC sues states over prediction markets; Mississippi aims to outlaw distribution of abortion drugs; Virginia redistricting plan tight in new poll:
Top Stories
TRANSPORTATION: Maryland lawmakers are pushing a plan to require the state to align transportation priorities with climate goals. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to include expanded transit or other transportation options alongside any future big road expansion projects. Similar laws are in place in Colorado and Minnesota, while other blue states have introduced versions. (Pluribus News)
GAMBLING: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois, challenging their efforts to regulate prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. All three states have sent cease and desist orders to prediction market operators accusing them of violating state gambling laws. (State Affairs, Associated Press) The Wisconsin legislature has sent Gov. Tony Evers (D) a bill to allow online gaming. (State Affairs)
ABORTION: The Mississippi legislature has given final approval to legislation making it a crime for anyone to distribute abortion-inducing medication. Anyone convicted under the bill would face up to ten years in prison. (Associated Press)
ELECTIONS: The Kentucky legislature has given final approval to legislation limiting the forms of identification that are accepted at voting booths. The bill eliminates Social Security and public benefit cards as proof of identification; allows judicial candidates to disclose political party affiliations; and raises limits on donations to individual candidates. (Kentucky Lantern)
CONSUMER RIGHTS: Lawmakers in at least eight states have introduced bills to block the use of surveillance pricing, in which stores use technology to adjust prices in real time. A Pennsylvania version would still allow stores to offer loyalty programs that give preferential pricing. (State Affairs)
EDUCATION: The Iowa House has given final approval to make it a crime to lie about having an academic degree or other credentials. Knowingly and intentionally falsely representing oneself as having a credential would be a simple misdemeanor, subject to up to 30 days in prison. (Des Moines Register)
IMMIGRATION: Idaho lawmakers have revived legislation requiring law enforcement agencies to apply for 287(g) cooperation agreements with ICE. Law enforcement agencies registered their opposition to the bill, which passed in a close vote in the waning hours of session. (Idaho Statesman) A proposed public health budget would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to report the immigration status of people using state HIV prevention services. (Idaho Statesman)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Missouri House has approved legislation to study psilocybin and ibogaine therapy for veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD. The bill requires the Department of Mental Health to provide $2 million in grants for research on alternative therapies. (Missouri Independent)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds a narrow majority of likely voters, 52%, say they back the Democratic redistricting plan up for a vote later this month, while 47% are opposed. The poll found Republicans and opponents of the measure are more enthusiastic about casting ballots than are Democrats and supporters. (Washington Post)
OHIO: Supporters of a proposed ballot measure to block the construction of data centers that require more than 25 megawatts of energy can begin circulating petitions, the state Ballot Board ruled Thursday. They have to collect about 413,000 valid signatures from at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties by July 1 to get on the November ballot. (State Affairs)
RHODE ISLAND: Businessman Ken Block will run for governor as an independent. Block took 6% in the 2010 race for governor, running as a member of the Moderate Party, and 45% in the 2014 GOP primary. (Boston Globe)
PEOPLE: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is back in the governor’s mansion after a two-night stay in the hospital. Ivey underwent a successful procedure to remove fluid in her lungs. (AL.com)
By The Numbers
100: The number of lawsuits Democratic attorneys general have filed against the Trump administration. Of the 67 cases that have reached a court ruling, the attorneys general have won 55. (Rhode Island Current)
Almost 60%: The share of Utah land that is now classified as in extreme drought, up from just 7% last week. More than 80% of the state is facing at least a severe drought. (KSL)
84.9%: The share of Minnesota high school students who graduated in four years, slightly up from last year and among the highest rates in the nation. (Fargo Forum)
Off The Wall
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) and her family will move into Drumthwacket, the state’s official governor’s mansion. Sherrill will be the first governor to live in Drumthwacket full-time in more than 20 years. (New Jersey Globe)
We admit it, we just like writing the word Drumthwacket.
Astronauts aboard the Artemis II are heading to the moon alongside Rise, a stuffed toy created by 8-year-old California resident Lucas Ye. The toy indicates when astronauts reach weightlessness, a tradition dating back to Yuri Gagarin’s Vostok 1 mission in 1961. A SpaceX crew recently used a Baby Yoda as their zero gravity indicator. (Los Angeles Times)
Headline of the day: “World’s oldest tortoise caught in viral crypto death scam” (The Guardian)
Quote of the Day
“Because I haven’t met that dude yet, so I don’t know what he’s interested in, what he’s even good at, so I’ll find out.”
— Washington Rep. Timm Ormsby (D), announcing his retirement. Ormsby says he hasn’t made post-legislature plans yet. (Washington State Standard)