Good morning, it’s Friday, May 29, 2026. In today’s edition, lawmakers want advanced energy technology to improve grid performance; Louisiana redistricting near final vote; two California polls show Becerra, Hilton leading:
Top Stories
ENERGY: Lawmakers in at least a dozen states have introduced more than 20 bills seeking to require utility companies to modernize electric grids before building new infrastructure. The array of hardware and software solutions known as advanced transmission technologies can increase grid capacity, efficiency and resilience. Bills were signed in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, while Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) is expected to sign a measure his legislature passed. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: The Louisiana House has approved new congressional district maps that eliminate one of two Black-majority U.S. House districts. Minor amendments mean the bill will need to be approved by the Senate once again before heading to Gov. Jeff Landry’s (R) desk. (Louisiana Illuminator)
SOCIAL MEDIA: The California Assembly has unanimously approved legislation establishing age restrictions for social media accounts and creating an e-Safety Advisory Commission. The bill defines addictive features and feeds and sets data-use limits for age assurances. (State Affairs)
Colorado Gov. Polis vetoed legislation that would have required social media companies to respond to search warrants within 24 hours. (Denver Post)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The New Jersey Senate has approved legislation creating a new crime of interfering with reproductive health services, including healthcare for trans patients. Those harassing, harming or blocking patients, healthcare providers, staff or volunteers from entering a facility would face up to 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine. (New Jersey Monitor)
TECHNOLOGY: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) announced a new $25 million matching fund program to establish the Quantum Systems Laboratory at MIT. Lawmakers are considering a measure to establish the Massachusetts Quantum Center to vault the state to the head of the emerging quantum computing field. (State Affairs)
ECONOMY: Maryland will no longer work with Moody’s, the bond rating agency, after Moody’s downgraded the state’s ratings from AAA to Aa1. Officials said the downgrade had nothing to do with the reasoning behind replacing Moody’s with Kroll Bond Rating Agency ahead of a scheduled $800 million bond sale next week. (Maryland Matters)
TRANSPORTATION: The Illinois House approved legislation to establish regulations on micromobility transportation options like e-bikes and e-scooters. The bill would require operators of e-bikes that can travel more than 28 miles per hour to have a driver’s license, insurance and an ownership title. (Capitol News Illinois)
IMMIGRATION: The Trump administration is suing Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington for refusing to issue undercover license plates to federal agents. The lawsuit alleges the states are imposing unconstitutional restrictions that impede law enforcement. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
VERMONT: Gov. Phil Scott (R) will seek a sixth term in office in 2026. Scott had not filed papers to run for office, leading to speculation that he would retire. But Scott filed paperwork to run for re-election on Thursday, the filing deadline. He will face the winner of a Democratic primary between economist Amanda Janoo (D) and University of Vermont Medical Center Board Chair Aly Richards (D). (VT Digger)
Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D) and Senate President Phil Baruth (D) both said they will not seek re-election this year. (WCAX)
CALIFORNIA: A new PPIC poll finds former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) leading conservative commentator Steve Hilton (R) 23%-20% in the all-party primary. Billionaire Tom Steyer (D) takes 15%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) at 13% and 12%, respectively. (PPIC)
MORE: A new University of California-Berkeley poll released overnight found Becerra leading with 25%, followed by Hilton at 21% and Steyer at 19%. All three saw their support balloon since the college’s last survey in early March. Bianco takes 11%, followed by Porter at 7%. (Los Angeles Times)
NEW YORK: A state appeals court has ruled that elections regulators erred when denying Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R), the de facto GOP nominee for governor, public matching funds. The ruling doesn’t give Blakeman access to millions in matching funds yet, but it does revive his bid for public cash by curing defects in paperwork he submitted. (Albany Times Union)
By The Numbers
25.3%: The share of all wages in Washington, D.C., that came from federal government jobs. The federal government employs 165,300 people in Washington, D.C., down from 192,300 in March 2025. (DC Office of Revenue Analysis)
About 40%: The increase in the price of tomatoes over the last year, the highest increase of any food product. Coffee prices are up 18.5%, beef roasts have climbed 17.8%, and frozen fish and seafood prices are up 12%, according to the Consumer Price Index. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Massachusetts resident Tyler Andrews climbed Mount Everest in 9 hours and 55 minutes on Thursday, setting a new speed record with the use of supplemental oxygen. Andrews beat the old record, held by Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu, by more than an hour. (CBS News)
Carlos Lamar Dixon, an independent write-in candidate for Wisconsin governor, posted videos of himself stealing the yard signs of gubernatorial candidates Francesca Hong (D) and Tom Tiffany (R). In an interview, Dixon said he wasn’t worried about the consequences of breaking state law. (WISN)
A rocket belonging to space company Blue Origin exploded during a test on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Thursday. The Jeff Bezos-owned company said the explosion took place during an engine-firing test being conducted ahead of a satellite launch planned for next week. No one was hurt, but the video is pretty shocking. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“That was the whole intent, to have a de facto national standard.”
— Illinois Sen. Mary Edly-Allen (D), on new legislation to require frontier AI models to publish safety plans on mitigating catastrophic risk. California and New York already have similar laws on the books. (Pluribus News)