Good morning, it’s Thursday, June 18, 2026. In today’s edition, states tackle AI in education; Georgia GOP abandons redistricting plans; California billionaires tax headed to the ballot:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: More than a dozen laws enacted this year are meant to help prepare students for the age of AI. Laws in Idaho and Oklahoma require the Department of Education to develop a statewide framework for AI use in schools. New Maryland and Utah laws require computer science standards to include AI literacy. Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to require school boards to adopt AI policies that address privacy and discrimination. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) has signed legislation allowing residents to use plug-in solar panels, the sixth state to authorize the cost-saving strategy this year. The legislation exempts plug-in solar systems from requirements to enter into interconnection agreements with utilities. Utah was the first state to authorize plug-in solar last year. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Trump administration will pay developer Invenergy $765 million to abandon four U.S. wind leases and invest instead in geothermal and fossil fuel projects. The company will abandon two projects in Maine, one in New York and one off the coast of California and direct resources instead to natural gas plants in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. (Los Angeles Times)
REDISTRICTING: The Georgia legislature has shelved plans to take up a Republican-friendly redistricting plan in a special session. Republican leaders said they wanted more time to include input from voters and to understand the legal ramifications of their actions. (State Affairs)
UNEMPLOYMENT: The U.S. Labor Department has told all 50 states they need to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud, threatening to withhold future funding. The department cited problems in California, Illinois and New York. Government audits show nearly one in nine dollars spent on unemployment insurance were overpayments. (Associated Press)
HEALTHCARE: Louisiana lawmakers have approved a bill allowing treatment of obesity via telehealth. The measure is meant to allow the prescription of GLP-1 medications via telehealth. Louisiana has the third-highest obesity rate in the country. (Baton Rouge Advocate)
ANTITRUST: Oregon lawmakers have approved a bill allowing Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s (D) office to hire 16 new employees dedicated to fighting high-profile mergers. Rayfield said he is taking on more antitrust cases as the federal Justice Department backs down. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
IMMIGRATION: Florida and federal officials have removed detainees from the state’s “Alligator Alcatraz” facility, following reports the facility will shut down. ICE officials cited the threat of hurricanes for the decision to move detainees to other facilities. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
MINNESOTA: A SurveyUSA poll conducted for KSTP finds MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (R) leading the Republican primary field with 27%, followed by House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) at 22% and frequent candidate Kendall Qualls (R) at 17%. Lindell does best with voters under 50, while Demuth leads among older voters. (KSTP)
MASSACHUSETTS: A Suffolk University poll finds Medical technology executive Michael Minogue (R) leading the Republican primary for governor with 45%, followed by former MBTA executive Brian Shortsleeve (R) at 13%. Fully 40% of voters have yet to decide on a gubernatorial candidate. (Suffolk)
CALIFORNIA: A proposal to tax billionaires has gathered enough signatures to appear on this year’s ballot. The Secretary of State’s office said Wednesday it had validated more than enough signatures to clear the 875,000-signature threshold. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has until June 25 to reach a last-minute deal to avoid the measure. (New York Times)
HAWAII: Survivors of the 2023 fires on Maui have begun receiving notices about how much money they could receive under a $4 billion settlement. Claimants have 30 days to accept the amount of the settlement or contest it. (Hawaii News Now)
By The Numbers
40%: The increase in the number of primary tax-filers reporting adjusted gross incomes of more than $100,000 who moved across state lines between 2020-2022, compared with 2017-2019. The increase helped Idaho, Florida and South Carolina expand their high-income tax-filing populations by more than 15% in just five years. (Pew Research Center)
$513 million: The amount of medical debt Connecticut has canceled under an initiative spearheaded by Gov. Ned Lamont (D). Nonprofits that purchase and cancel medical debt can buy it for less than a penny on the dollar. (Pluribus News)
30: The number of gray whales that have been found dead on the Washington State coast this year. Three more were found this week. (Seattle Times)
Off The Wall
The California legislature has unanimously approved a bill to create Bruce Lee Day, celebrated every May 17. The iconic martial artist and actor was born in San Francisco. (California Legislature)
Massachusetts tax rules mean players in this year’s World Cup are subject to 5% income taxes on their salaries if they play at Gillette Stadium. The taxes will apply to players from France, Norway, Scotland, Haiti, Morocco, Ghana, Iraq and England, as well as other teams that play in later knockout round games. (State Affairs)
Jonathan the tortoise has turned 194. The Seychelles giant tortoise, living on the island of St. Helena, has lost his vision and sense of smell, but he’s still eating, sunbathing and mating, caretakers said. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“We didn’t expect good news. But the study underscores, again, that we’re in a really bad place.”
— Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, on a new report showing Lake Mead could drop 29 feet below its all-time low. The reservoir is only 29% full. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)