Good morning, it’s Wednesday, May 27, 2026. In today’s edition, states increase tick-based illness surveillance; South Carolina rejects GOP redistricting plan; new polls in New Mexico, South Carolina:
Top Stories
PUBLIC HEALTH: Lawmakers in Missouri and Oklahoma have joined more than a dozen other states in requiring public health departments to track cases of alpha-gal disease, the tick-borne illness that is spreading across the country. Similar bills are pending in Illinois and Ohio. Emergency room visits associated with tick bites have climbed to the highest levels since 2017 in most of the United States, according to the CDC. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: The South Carolina Senate rejected a Republican plan to cancel ongoing congressional elections to install a new map aimed at carving up U.S. Rep. James Clyburn’s (D) seat. Republicans who opposed the plan said it was simply too late in the year to revise maps. (Associated Press) A Florida judge has rejected efforts to stop the state’s congressional redistricting plan. (State Affairs)
MORE: A panel of three federal judges issued a preliminary injunction blocking Alabama from using a Republican-drawn U.S. House district map that eliminated a Black-majority district. The Alabama plan would have called a special primary election on Aug. 11, during which Alabama would use a map lawmakers approved in 2023 that had previously been blocked. (AL.com) Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) filed notice that he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. (AL.com)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: New York Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D) has introduced legislation to require businesses with more than 50 employees to report annually how many workers were fired and replaced in whole or in part by AI. The bill has won approval in Assembly and Senate committees, with further committee votes ahead. (Albany Times Union)
SOCIAL MEDIA: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation requiring parental consent for minors under 16 to open a social media account. The new law will require those accounts to default to the highest privacy settings, allowing parents to limit a child’s use. It bans infinite scrolls and autoplay videos, as well as push notifications. (Minnesota Reformer)
HEALTHCARE: Alaska lawmakers have approved legislation allowing pharmacists to write prescriptions for basic ailments. The bill would allow prescriptions to treat flu, strep throat, urinary tract infections and other common illnesses. The measure had been opposed by anti-abortion activists who worried it would allow access to abortion-inducing medication. (Anchorage Daily News)
HOUSING: The Hawaii legislature has advanced legislation reviving Individual Housing Accounts, a program established in 1982 that allows residents to save money tax-free to purchase a first home. The measure increases the cap on savings from $5,000, established 40 years ago, to $20,000 for an individual or $40,000 for a married couple. (Maui Now)
LABOR: Massachusetts has become the first state to formally recognize a union representing drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. Union leaders said it was the largest private-sector organizing campaign since autoworkers at Ford unionized in 1941. The union will represent about 70,000 drivers statewide. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R) has won the GOP primary for attorney general, beating U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R) by a 55% to 45% margin. Former Tarrant County GOP chairman Bo French (R) leads Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright (R) in the runoff by about 15,000 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast, a margin of about 1%. The Associated Press has not yet called the race. And state Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D) defeated union leader Marcos Vélez (D) by a 68% to 32% margin in the race for lieutenant governor. (Texas Tribune, Texas Tribune, Texas Tribune)
SOUTH CAROLINA: Two new polls out show Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) statistically tied with other candidates at the head of the gubernatorial field. A Trafalgar Group survey puts Evette at 20% of the vote, virtually tied with Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) and businessman Rom Reddy (R) at 19%. U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R) takes 16%, followed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) at 15%. A South Carolina Policy Council poll shows Evette at 16%, Norman at 15%, Wilson at 14%, Mace at 13% and Reddy at 10%. (Trafalgar, SCPC)
In the Democratic primary, the SCPC poll finds state Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D) leading with 27%, followed by businessman Billy Webster at 14% and attorney Mullins McLeod (D) at 6%.
NEW MEXICO: A Public Opinion Strategies survey of Republican primary voters finds former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull (R) leading the gubernatorial primary field with 33%, followed by businessman Doug Turner (R) at 30% and cannabis businessman Duke Rodriguez (R) at 12%. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
WASHINGTON: State Rep. April Berg (D) will challenge House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D) when lawmakers choose caucus leaders after November’s elections. Reps. Liz Berry (D) and Dariya Farivar (D) are also rumored to be considering bids for the speaker’s gavel. (Washington State Standard)
By The Numbers
$24,500: The minimum bid required to purchase three islands in Oregon’s Lower Umpqua River, to be offered at auction by a local timber company. The islands, ranging from two to 12 acres, are zoned for estuarine conservation. (Oregonian)
$314,000: The size of the contract Los Angeles County Superior Court has signed with Learned Hand, an AI company that will test a large language model to draft orders and produce legal research memos. Judges are currently testing the product in civil cases, but the program may be expanded to criminal cases. (CalMatters)
Off The Wall
The Bible that George Washington used when he was sworn in as president will be on display at the Greenwich, Conn., Public Library in honor of America 250 celebrations this year. The Bible, printed in 1767, was also used in inaugurations of Presidents Harding, Eisenhower, Carter and George H.W. Bush. (Greenwich Time)
The Eldred Rock Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest lighthouse, will soon be open to the public for the first time. The lighthouse, located north of Juneau, was first commissioned in 1906, eight years after a steamship ran aground on the rock. (Anchorage Daily News)
Quote of the Day
“Kids need the opportunity to chase their American dreams, and that starts in a distraction-free learning environment.”
— Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), who signed legislation requiring school districts to restrict cell phone use on campus. (McCarville Report)