Good morning, it’s Thursday, June 5, 2025. In today’s edition, Trump threatens California’s high-speed rail; Nebraska adopts trans athlete ban; Jolly makes Florida governor campaign official:
Top Stories
TRANSPORTATION: The Trump administration has threatened to cut $4 billion in grants to California’s long-planned high-speed rail line connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. In a letter to state regulators, federal officials said the agency responsible for the line had “no viable path” to complete the project. (Pluribus News)
The rail line’s cost has ballooned by more than $100 billion since voters first approved it in 2008.
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has signed legislation requiring student athletes on K-12 and college teams to compete in leagues that match their sex at birth. Sen. Kathleen Kauth, the bill’s author, said she would reintroduce legislation next year to require sex-based restrictions on school bathrooms and locker rooms. (Nebraska Examiner)
AGRICULTURE: Pennsylvania has sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding to a $1 billion aid program that allows states to purchase food from farms for schools, child care centers and food banks. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) administration said USDA did not explain its reasoning for ending the pandemic-era program. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Texas lawmakers have approved legislation banning SNAP recipients from using public benefits to purchase soda and candy. The bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk; Abbott has already requested a federal waiver to ban such purchases. (Texas Tribune)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Connecticut lawmakers have unanimously approved legislation increasing confidentiality protections for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault at transitional housing and shelter locations. The bill prohibits public agencies from disclosing information about the location of victims. (Hartford Courant)
CHILD CARE: The North Carolina Senate has unanimously approved legislation allowing larger class sizes in child care centers. Lawmakers also approved a bill to allow home-based child care centers to be treated as residences rather than commercial buildings. (NC Newsline)
EDUCATION: The California Assembly has approved a bill creating a grant program for school districts to pay student teachers the same amount they pay substitutes, about $140 a day. Currently, teachers training to earn their certificates must have 600 hours of classroom experience, time that they work unpaid. (CalMatters)
WORKFORCE: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has rolled out a $2.3 million digital skills training and workforce readiness program. The program will help build high-speed internet infrastructure for rural communities, while outside companies and organizations provide digital literacy and cybersecurity training. (KRSL)
In Politics & Business
FLORIDA: Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (D) has formally declared his candidacy for governor. Jolly won a Tampa Bay-area House seat as a Republican in 2014. (Associated Press)
Democrats haven’t won Florida’s governor’s office since Lawton Chiles won re-election in 1994.
ALABAMA: Former Congressional candidate Ken McFeeters (R) will run for governor next year, challenging U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) in the GOP primary. McFeeters won 6% of the vote against U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R) in the 2024 primary. (Associated Press) Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate (R) will run for lieutenant governor, setting up a clash with Secretary of State Wes Allen (R). (Associated Press)
NEW JERSEY: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal group closely aligned with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has endorsed Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop (D) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) in next week’s gubernatorial primary. The group warned against voting for front-runner U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D). (New Jersey Globe)
2028: The Democratic National Committee has booted Iowa member Scott Brennan from the Rules and Bylaws Committee, while New Hampshire has gained a second seat on the panel. The committee oversees the presidential nominating calendar; Brennan’s exit is a bad sign for the Hawkeye State’s hopes of holding the first-in-the-nation caucus in 2028. (Des Moines Register)
By The Numbers
58: The number of Fortune 500 companies based in California, the most in the nation. Texas is home to 54 of those companies, and New York hosts 53. (California Governor’s Office)
11.8 million acre-feet: The amount of groundwater lost in the Colorado River’s Upper Basin between 2002 and 2024, according to a new study published by researchers at Arizona State University. That’s enough water to fill all 17 reservoirs that serve Denver, 16 times over. (Colorado Sun)
$37.5 million: The amount New Jersey gubernatorial candidates have received in state matching funds. Candidates who participate in the program can spend no more than $8.7 million in primary elections, and $18.5 million for the general election. (New Jersey Monitor)
Off The Wall
Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles rejected 361 vanity license plates last year, including plates that read “STOLEN,” “URMOM,” “HIOFFCR” and “IMLOST.” The agency accepted 6,300 other proposed vanity plates. (Hearst Connecticut)
Maryland’s new official state cocktail is the Orange Crush, after Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed legislation earlier this year honoring the beverage. Delaware named the Orange Crush its official state cocktail last year. (WYPR)
Quote of the Day
“You try to understand the other fellow’s point of view. Sometimes he’s right and I’m wrong. Sometimes it’s the other way. Sometimes we’re talking about the same things but using different words.”
— South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), on his good relationship with the legislature. (Associated Press)