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Good morning, it’s Thursday, July 16, 2026. In today’s edition, states enact AI laws despite Trump warnings; data center laws gain traction; new polls in South Dakota, Pennsylvania, California:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Twenty-nine states enacted 109 laws related to AI this year, even after President Trump’s efforts to squelch a patchwork approach to AI regulation. A new analysis finds states focused on topics less likely to draw administration scrutiny, like child safety and chatbots. Concerns over losing access to federal broadband funds killed some AI regulation bills, largely in Virginia. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) has signed legislation creating a framework for responsible AI use across government. Green said the measures were meant to strengthen services for the state’s older population. (Hawaii News Now)
ENERGY: Lawmakers in 14 states have introduced bills to implement statewide data center construction moratoria. None have passed yet, though Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) issued an executive order pausing new construction. Other states have required data centers to report their water and energy usage, or rolled back tax exemptions for construction and supplies. (Pluribus News)
MORE: California lawmakers are advancing bills to require data centers to report water usage estimates. (Sacramento Bee) Virginia’s Corporation Commission heard arguments this week over whether to require data centers to bear the cost of infrastructure they require to operate. The state’s largest utility estimates they would have to build 230 substations at a cost of $6 billion to $12 billion to satisfy data center demand. (E&E News)
HOUSING: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation simplifying the state’s affordable housing programs. The bill streamlines public subsidy applications to create a one-stop shop for new funding for developers, which could save an estimated $40,000 per unit. (State Affairs)
MEDIA: Newsom announced a $20 million state contribution to the California Civic Media Program, which is meant to fund local news outlets. Newsrooms are eligible for grants of up to $250,000. Google, which lobbied against a mandate that tech giants pay journalism outlets to use their content, said it would match the state contribution. (Sacramento Bee)
WILDLIFE: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the federal government will authorize state agencies to assume day-to-day management of grizzly bear populations. The move is seen as a precursor to a decision removing grizzlies from the list of endangered species. (Flathead Beacon)
In Politics & Business
SOUTH DAKOTA: A new Emerson College poll finds Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) leading the gubernatorial runoff against businessman Toby Doeden (R) by a 62% to 32% margin. Doeden finished ahead of Rhoden 31% to 25% in the June 2 primary, but candidates need to clear 35% to avoid a runoff. (KELOLAND)
PENNSYLVANIA: A Quinnipiac University poll finds Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) leading Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) 53% to 40%. Shapiro’s favorable rating stands at 51%, compared with 22% for Garrity, and 56% approve of Shapiro’s job performance as governor. (Quinnipiac)
From the same poll: 76% of voters say they are following news about AI data centers very or somewhat closely.
CALIFORNIA: A new Public Policy Institute of California poll finds former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) leading conservative commentator Steve Hilton (R) by a 61% to 36% margin. Nearly three-quarters of voters said they backed a ballot initiative to reform environmental review policies under the California Environmental Quality Act. (Los Angeles Times)
MINNESOTA: President Trump has endorsed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell (R) for governor. Lindell faces businessman Kendall Qualls, who won the state GOP endorsement, and House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R), who has led recent polls. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
WISCONSIN: A super PAC tied to the Republican Governors Association appears to be boosting state Rep. Francesca Hong (D) in the Democratic primary. The PAC is spending $2.2 million on ads that will air in liberal Madison and Milwaukee, criticizing Hong as too liberal, showing clips of her opposing ICE enforcement during an appearance with liberal live-streamer Hasan Piker. (New York Times)
OHIO: Elon Musk has donated $5 million to a super PAC backing entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the race for governor. The contribution comes after Musk and Ramaswamy clashed over leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency in the first year of the Trump administration. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman also donated to the PAC. (Columbus Dispatch)
By The Numbers
$2 billion: The surplus Indiana has on the books, a reversal from last year when lawmakers expected a budget deficit. (Indianapolis Star)
108 million tons: The amount of manure produced by livestock in Iowa last year. A new report from the Environmental Working Group estimated the state has 15,309 animal feeding operations. The amount of manure equates to 33 tons of waste for each person living in Iowa. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Off The Wall
California will require about 11,000 drivers to retake written licensure tests after the state discovered “abnormalities” in their results. The state suspects those drivers of cheating on their written exams. (Los Angeles Times)
A baseball featuring the signature of hitting legend Pete Rose is among the thousands of items housed in Iowa’s unclaimed property trove. The baseball came from a safe deposit box owned by a man in Mason City, whom the state treasurer’s office has been unable to contact. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Quote of the Day
“When you’re a new parent and you don’t know what the hell you’re doing, you don’t think about this kind of stuff.”
— California Assemb. Marc Berman (D), on legislation he’s sponsored requiring diaper manufacturers to disclose ingredients on packaging. (Sacramento Bee)