Good morning, it’s Tuesday, June 9, 2026. In today’s edition, Dems plan redistricting push; lawmakers crack down on private equity in hospital sales; voters head to the polls in four states:
Top Stories
REDISTRICTING: Democrats are targeting as many as 13 states for new congressional district map lines after this year’s midterm elections. In a memo to donors, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said the party would seek to redraw lines in states where Democrats already have supermajorities (Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey and New York), are close to supermajorities (Nevada, Oregon and Washington) or where the party hopes to win total control this year (Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Hampshire). (Pluribus News)
HEALTHCARE: Lawmakers in Illinois, Vermont and Connecticut have approved bills in recent weeks to limit the role private equity plays in healthcare. Connecticut’s first-in-the-nation law imposes a blanket ban on hospital sale-leaseback transactions, in which hospitals split their operations from real estate and sell land to investment trusts. Similar bills were enacted in California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington this year. (Pluribus News)
ENVIRONMENT: New Jersey’s Senate Environment and Energy Committee voted Monday to approve legislation charging large fossil fuel companies $50 billion over the next 20 years to fund climate mitigation and other environmental projects. New York and Vermont previously approved superfund laws, which are being litigated in court. Lawmakers in 11 other blue states have introduced similar bills. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will roll out a regulatory framework for the operation of nuclear fusion machines today, a first-in-the-nation set of rules aimed at spurring nuclear construction. A Knoxville-based company is expected to be among the first to receive a state license to operate a fusion development campus. (Nashville Post)
MEDIA: The New Jersey Senate Economic Growth Committee is considering legislation that would allow the state Public Broadcasting Authority to auction off millions in tax credits to generate funding for hyperlocal news outlets and public media organizations. The tax credits, meant for film companies, have gone unused. (New Jersey Monitor)
HOUSING: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has signed legislation requiring homeowners associations to act reasonably in the exercise of discretionary powers. The bill codifies a 2007 court decision requiring HOAs to treat members fairly. (State Affairs)
TOBACCO: A coalition of 19 attorneys general are calling on the FIA and Formula 1 to end sponsorships involving tobacco and nicotine products. In a letter to the racing organizations, the attorneys general specifically referred to nicotine pouches like Zyn and Velo, which they said appeal to minors. (Hawaii News Now)
ALCOHOL: The Massachusetts legislature has given final approval to legislation extending last call at bars and restaurants during this year’s World Cup. The bill will allow cities and towns to establish designated public alcohol consumption districts through the end of July. (State Affairs)
And yet Massachusetts still won’t allow happy hours.
In Politics & Business
Voters are voting! Primary elections are taking place in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina today.
SOUTH CAROLINA: One final pre-primary poll shows a tight race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) takes 22%, statistically tied with Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) at 21%. Businessman Rom Reddy (R) takes 18%, followed by U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R) at 16% and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) at 14%. (Trafalgar Group)
If no one clears 50%, the top two finishers head to a late June runoff.
FLORIDA: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (D) has suspended his campaign for governor after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Demings’s exit clears the field for former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (D). Democrats haven’t won the governorship since 1994. (State Affairs)
IOWA: Auditor Rob Sand (D) has named Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer (D) as his lieutenant governor running mate. Muhlbauer operates a farm in Manilla, a rural western Iowa town. (Des Moines Register)
KANSAS: All five incumbents on the Kansas Board of Education up for re-election this year have dropped their campaigns. Three of the five members had served a single term, another was already retiring, and the fifth has accepted an offer to serve as running mate to gubernatorial candidate Charlotte O’Hara (R). (Kansas Reflector)
WISCONSIN: Former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan (D) has become the first Democratic candidate for governor to launch TV ads. Brennan faces former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D), Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (D), state Rep. Francesca Hong (D) and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez (D) in the crowded Democratic primary field. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
PEOPLE: Mississippi state Rep. Bo Brown (D) has died at 81. Brown had been suffering from a long illness, his family said. He first won election to the state House in 2019. (Supertalk)
By The Numbers
1970: The year the Anaconda Leader was founded. The twice-weekly newspaper in the southwest Montana town announced Monday it had closed, citing inflation and rising operations costs. (Montana Free Press)
35%: The share of new teenage drivers in Michigan who have signed up to be organ donors, well below the national average. Michigan’s overall organ donor registration stands at 58%, below the 63% national average. (BridgeMI)
Off The Wall
A fireworks display broke out on Interstate 75 near Chattanooga on Saturday when a truck carrying celebratory explosives caught fire. No injuries were reported. (UPI)
Pope Leo XIV, during a weeklong trip to Spain, weighed in on the country’s major soccer rivalry. Asked on the papal plane whether he favors Barcelona or Real Madrid, La Liga’s two top teams, Leo said: “The pope is for all teams, but (Robert) Prevost is Real Madrid.” Leo will lead a prayer vigil outside Real Madrid’s stadium on Saturday. (AFP)
Is Leo the most pro-sports pope in history?
Quote of the Day
“The only concern about this bill is people will think it actually does something.”
— Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, on legislation requiring utility companies to report connecting data centers to Arizona’s electrical grid. (State Affairs)