Good morning, it’s Monday, July 15, 2024. In today’s edition, breaking the cycle of political violence; states loosen raw milk restrictions; 7 states will vote to ban non-citizen voting:
Top Stories
PUBLIC SAFETY: Saturday’s assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump claimed the life of a local former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, who died while shielding his family. Two other rally-goers remain in critical condition after the assault.
The attack was shocking — but not entirely surprising. Threats against elected officials are on the rise in recent years, from conspiracy theorists spreading lies about election integrity to constituents confronting lawmakers and the anonymous trolls of social media. A Brennan Center study out earlier this year found 43% of state legislators experienced threats or attacks in recent years.
States have increasingly approved legislation heightening penalties against those who make threats against public servants and elected officials. But it’s up to the lawmakers who write those bills to make a change of their own, one that embraces the better angels of our politics, and our opponents. It won’t be easy to shift our entire political consciousness — but the consequences, on display Saturday, are too awful not to try.
CONSUMER SAFETY: Delaware lawmakers have approved legislation loosening restrictions on unpasteurized milk, the fifth state — along with Iowa, Louisiana, North Dakota and West Virginia — to expand sales in recent years. Pennsylvania regulators expanded legal raw milk products to include butter as consumer demand for raw products increases. (Pluribus News)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has signed legislation imposing longer sentences for some drug offenses related to fentanyl. The bill also increases penalties for domestic violence-related offenses and reclassifies child pornography to include abuse material. (Anchorage Daily News)
MORE: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is promoting five criminal justice bills during a special session this week. The bills include harsher penalties for felons in possession of firearms and a ban on panhandlers in narrow medians in busy intersections. (KRQE)
EDUCATION: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said more than 30,000 private school students have been approved for state-funded education savings accounts for the upcoming year. A Reynolds administration spokesman said the state had received more than 35,000 applications. (Des Moines Register)
In Politics & Business
CITIZENSHIP: Voters in seven states will decide on proposed constitutional amendments to bar non-citizens from voting in elections. Only a small handful of cities in California, Maryland, Vermont and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in local elections; federal law prohibits non-citizen voting in House, Senate or presidential contests. Republicans see the measures as a way to boost turnout. (Pluribus News)
GOVERNORS: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has been elected to lead the National Governors Association next year. Polis’s chair’s initiative will be to promote education systems that prepare students for the workforce. (Denver Post) Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) will serve as vice chair, and will take over as chairman next year.
DELAWARE: The state Democratic Party has formally endorsed Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long (D) for governor. Hall-Long faces New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer (D) and former cabinet secretary Collin O’Mara (D) in the Sept. 10 primary. (Delaware Public Media)
MASSACHUSETTS: Gov. Maura Healey (D) is extending a freeze on state hiring through October. The hiring freeze, started in April, has saved about $17 million on 250 unfilled jobs. Budget officials cited volatile tax revenues. (Boston Globe)
By The Numbers
$20.3 million: The amount Massachusetts will spend to repair the State House’s iconic golden dome and cupola, the first major repair work in more than a decade. Part of the 127-year old cupola broke off last year; it’s been held together with orange bracing and chicken wire ever since. (Boston Globe)
$2 billion: Total sales of cannabis in Illinois in Fiscal Year 2024, up significantly from the previous two fiscal years. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said sales in calendar year 2024 topped $1 billion on July 1, nearly two weeks earlier than last year. (Fox 32)
921: The number of National Guard members from 12 states who have deployed to the Texas border this year. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pledged to send 1,050 troops, though it’s not clear whether any Florida Guard members have deployed. (Texas Tribune)
Off The Wall
Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten (D) has notched two wins for the Sioux City Explorers, a minor league club near his district, after manager Steve Montgomery discovered one of his starters was injured. Scholten, who gave up his minor league career before entering politics, last pitched for a professional club in the Netherlands in 2023. (Washington Post)
Alabama Sen. April Weaver (R) is recovering after being hit by a car while in a pedestrian crosswalk at a grocery store. Weaver, a delegate to the Republican National Convention that begins today, is still hoping to make it to Milwaukee. (Yellowhammer News) We’re glad Sen. Weaver is safe, and we wish her a fast recovery.
Quote of the Day
“They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Good to know Delaware has a crush on our crushes.”
— Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), after Delaware lawmakers approved a bill naming the Orange Crush the official state cocktail. The Orange Crush was invented in a bar in West Ocean City, Md. (Baltimore Sun)