Good morning, it’s Wednesday, June 24, 2026. In today’s edition, Trump admin making steeper Medicaid cuts; Wilson wins South Carolina GOP nomination; Utah Senate president ousted in upset:
Top Stories
MEDICAID: The Trump administration is using regulatory decisions to scale back Medicaid programs beyond major changes approved in last year’s Republican reconciliation bill. New rules and guidance issued in recent weeks could make it harder for enrollees to claim exemptions from work requirements, reduce money states are allowed to direct to hospitals to supplement reimbursement rates, and increase federal oversight of pilot programs allowing states to expand the reach of Medicaid benefits. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: The New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee has advanced legislation that would force certain energy producers to fund climate change adaptation projects. The bill would collect $50 billion over 20 years from 82 companies responsible for more than a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 1995 and 2024. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Missouri lawmakers have sent a letter to Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) asking him to call a special session to address large-scale data centers. Republicans who signed the letter said they want to address infrastructure improvement costs, protections for property owners and taxpayers and water supplies. (KMBC)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Pennsylvania House Communications and Technology Committee approved legislation increasing safety restrictions on AI chatbots. The bill requires chatbot makers to include protocols for detection and response to suicidal thoughts, protections for minors and disclosures that users are not communicating with humans. (State Affairs)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has signed an emergency rule including 7-OH-related compounds of kratom as a Schedule I substance, limiting sales at gas stations and smoke shops. The rule limits chemicals to one milligram per gram for solids and pills, or one milliliter for liquids. It allows the felony arrest and prosecution of illegal manufacturers and sellers. (News4Jax)
ELECTIONS: A federal judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking access to Maryland’s voter records. It’s the ninth time the Justice Department has lost a suit seeking the release of a state’s voter data. The department has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking such records. (Associated Press)
BUDGETS: California lawmakers have introduced legislation that would amend the state constitution to double the cap on what could be saved in the state’s rainy day fund. The measure, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), would appear on this November’s ballot if it wins legislative approval on Thursday. (State Affairs)
The deadline for California unions and business interests to agree on a deal to keep a proposed billionaires tax off the November ballot looms tomorrow. So far, the sides haven’t reached an accord. (Sacramento Bee)
In Politics & Business
SOUTH CAROLINA: Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) took 69% of the vote in the GOP runoff for governor, besting Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R). Wilson won all but three counties in the state. He will face state Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D) in November. (The State)
MARYLAND: Former state Rep. Dan Cox (R) won the Republican nomination for governor with 45%, besting retired bank executive Ed Hale (R), who took 36%. Cox will face a rematch with Gov. Wes Moore (D), who won election in 2022 with 65% of the vote. (Baltimore Sun)
UTAH: State Senate President Stuart Adams (R) has conceded defeat to challenger Stephanie Hollist (R). Vote tallies show Hollist won 43% of the vote, compared with 35% for Adams and 22% for Braden Hess (R). Adams, one of the most powerful politicians in Salt Lake City, had held his seat for 16 years. (Utah News Dispatch)
TEXAS: A Texas Politics Project Poll finds Gov. Greg Abbott (R) leading state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) 47% to 40%. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) leads state Rep. Vikki Goodwin 43% to 36%, while state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R) leads state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D) 41% to 36% in the race for attorney general. (Texas Politics Project)
Another interesting nugget in the poll: 56% somewhat or strongly oppose the construction of data centers in their communities.
By The Numbers
49: The number of apartments Alaska lawmakers will have access to, after the Juneau Community Foundation gifted legislators 16 new two-bedroom units. Fifty-seven of the 60 lawmakers do not live in Juneau. The gift is part of a long-term effort to keep the state capitol in town. (Alaska Beacon)
$1.5 million: The amount sports betting companies have spent on Colorado primary elections this year. It’s part of a $41 million campaign to influence state legislative races nationally. (Colorado Sun)
$110 million: The sales price of an oceanfront home in Laguna Beach, the highest price ever for a home in Orange County, Calif. The previous record was another Laguna Beach property that sold for $70 million in 2021. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
Residents in Mauriceville, Texas, were warned to stay indoors over the weekend after a semi truck carrying an estimated two million bees overturned on a local roadway. The driver was uninjured, but the bees escaped. Local beekeepers arrived to help round them up and transport them to a local honey farm. (UPI)
Neighbors were abuzz all day. Okay, we’ll show ourselves out.
Colorado farmers are forecast to produce just 33.6 million bushels of wheat this year, a 52% drop from the state’s 10-year average. Forecasters blame freezing temperatures and a lack of snowfall for damaging this year’s harvest. (Colorado Sun)
Chad Caruso traveled from Venice Beach, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla., in just 39 days — on a skateboard. Caruso averaged about 72 miles a day during his trip, breaking his previously-set world record of by almost two weeks. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“We’re in the midst of a budget right now and almost to the end, and what we need is a little pep talk. Whatever you said before Game 6, maybe say some of that.”
— North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall (R), to Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, visiting the capitol to celebrate the team’s Stanley Cup victory. (NC Newsline)