Good morning, it’s Friday, October 3, 2025. It’s our three-year anniversary! In today’s edition, states consider neural privacy; Newsom threatens universities over Trump plan; Dems kill independent redistricting in Nevada:
Top Stories
TECHNOLOGY: Connecticut and Montana this year approved bills amending existing privacy laws to incorporate protections for neural data, following first-in-the-nation laws in California and Colorado last year. Brain privacy bills were introduced in at least five other states as legislators consider the implications of wearable technology and the data it produces.
The American Medical Association this year adopted a resolution backing efforts to regulate neurotechnology. A study by privacy backers found at least 30 companies selling wearable neurotechnology with few limits on their right to collect, process and sell user data. The wearable device market is expected to grow from $15 billion today to $56 billion by 2034. (Pluribus News)
EDUCATION: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has threatened to cut billions in state funding from universities that agree to a Trump administration compact enacting conservative policies on campus. The White House asked major universities — including USC — to adhere to administration views on gender identity, admissions, diversity and free speech in exchange for favorable access to research grants and funding. (Los Angeles Times)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Twenty states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over a Justice Department directive aimed at restricting programs supporting crime victims to those who could prove legal status. The directive is unconstitutional, the attorneys general say, because it adds retroactive and ambiguous conditions to grants that have already been awarded. (Arizona Republic)
TRANS RIGHTS: The Kansas legislature will consider a bill banning residents from changing gender markers on drivers’ licenses during an upcoming special session that will also tackle redistricting. The state Supreme Court on Monday denied Attorney General Kris Kobach’s (R) appeal in a suit over a 2023 bill defining gender along the lines of sex assigned at birth. (Kansas Reflector)
HOUSING: A new California law approved earlier this year caps the maximum amount a homeowners association can fine a resident at $100, down from hundreds of thousands of dollars. The law also bans HOAs from charging late fees or interest on fines, with exceptions for rules impacting safety or public health. (CalMatters)
Bonus By The Numbers: 67% of all new single-family homes built in 2024 were in communities with HOAs.
MARIJUANA: The Michigan legislature approved a long-delayed budget early Friday, including a 24% wholesale tax on marijuana sales. The tax is meant to fund a road-building and maintenance plan hammered out between lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). (Detroit Free Press)
In Politics & Business
NEVADA: Supporters of a ballot measure aimed at establishing an independent redistricting commission will withdraw their proposal in the face of a court challenge. Democratic lawyer Marc Elias alleged the measure violated a constitutional provision barring unfunded mandates. (Nevada Current)
WISCONSIN: The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association will spend $2 million to boost Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s bid for governor next year. The group said it was the largest commitment it’s ever made to help one of its own win a contested primary. At least nine candidates are running in the Democratic field. (State Affairs)
ALASKA: Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson (R) is the 12th Republican to enter the race to replace outgoing Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R), he said Thursday. Bronson served one term as mayor before losing re-election in 2024. (Anchorage Daily News)
OREGON: House Republicans have picked Rep. Lucetta Elmer (R) as their new minority leader. Elmer replaces Rep. Christine Drazan (R), who is angling for an appointment to a seat in the state Senate. (Oregonian)
PEOPLE: Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) has died at 74. Kennedy served his constituents in Lowell for half a century in various roles, starting when he won a seat on the city council at age 26. (State House News Service)
By The Numbers
2.7%: The decline in Medicaid managed care enrollment over last year, according to a yearly study by Health Management Associates. (HMA)
50%: The share of Mississippi adults who describe themselves as highly religious, making the Magnolia State the most religious in the country. Vermonters are least likely to describe themselves as highly religious, at just 13%. (Pew Research Center)
Off The Wall
West Virginia will spend more than $7,000 a day to keep national parks open and operating in spite of the federal government shutdown. The funding for Harpers Ferry and New River Gorge will cost the state almost $100,000 for two weeks, just as leaf-peeping season kicks off. (WV Metro News)
Future attorneys arguing before the Utah Supreme Court might not need to worry about the Bar exam: The high court has approved a “skills based” pathway to becoming a licensed attorney in lieu of passing the test, including 240 hours of legal practice under the direction of a qualified attorney. (Deseret News)
Police in San Bruno, Calif., recently pulled over a Waymo taxi for making an illegal u-turn — but they couldn’t issue a ticket, because the car had no driver. State law requires police to issue tickets to a human driver or operator for a moving violation. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“It’s certainly something that is not too far removed from my brain.”
— Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R), 83, contemplating another run for the office he held for four terms in the 1980s and 1990s. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)