Good morning, it’s Monday, October 6, 2025. In today’s edition, Southeastern states move to support shrimp industry; California to allow gig workers to unionize; Spanberger posts biggest lead in months in Virginia:
Top Stories
CONSUMER PROTECTION: Southeastern states are adopting new laws requiring origin labels on shrimp, in an effort to bolster a sagging domestic industry in the face of foreign competition. Texas and Mississippi both enacted laws requiring origin labels this year, after Alabama did so last year and Louisiana approved a bill in 2008. The bills have received opposition from the restaurant industry. (Pluribus News)
About 96% of the shrimp sold in the United States is imported, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
IMMIGRATION: Federal District Court Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order Sunday blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard units to Portland, Ore. Immergut had blocked Trump from deploying Oregon Guard units on Saturday; on Sunday, she blocked Trump from deploying California or Texas Guard units, siding with Oregon and California. (Associated Press, Oregonian)
GIG ECONOMY: California Gov. Gavin Newson (D) has signed legislation allowing ride-share drivers to join a union and bargain collectively. The law is part of an agreement between the legislature and ride-share giants Lyft and Uber that will allow the companies to cut insurance requirements for accidents caused by underinsured drivers. (Associated Press)
California joins Massachusetts as the only states to allow gig workers to unionize.
TECHNOLOGY: California Gov. Newsom has signed legislation to create a statewide strategy for the quantum technology industry. Newsom also signed a bill supporting fusion energy research, aimed at delivering the first fusion energy pilot plant in the next 20 years. (State Affairs)
REDISTRICTING: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) has called lawmakers into special session today to vote on new U.S. House district map lines, three days before a court-ordered deadline to do so. Cox also ordered the legislature to consider new redistricting standards that could make it easier for Republicans to implement GOP-friendly districts. (Salt Lake Tribune)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) has signed legislation barring cashless bail for certain violent crimes and for repeat offenders. The bill also limits the discretion judges have in pretrial release decisions and requires more defendants to undergo mental health evaluations. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: A Washington Post/Schar School of Public Policy poll shows ex-U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) leading Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) 55% to 43%. It’s the largest lead Spanberger has posted since July. (Washington Post)
CALIFORNIA: Early voting begins today in the campaign to enact new U.S. House district map lines. Campaigns supporting and opposing Gov. Newsom’s Proposition 50 have raised a combined $215 million as of Thursday, making it the third-most expensive election in the last decade. (CalMatters)
INDIANA: Attorney Beau Bayh (D) will run for Secretary of State in 2026, challenging incumbent Diego Morales (R). It’s a job his father, former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D), held in the 1980s. (Indianapolis Star)
WISCONSIN: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) is considering not running for re-election in 2026, he said on WISN-TV’s Upfront. Vos, the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin history, has run the lower chamber since 2013.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
By The Numbers
More than 68 million: The number of Americans who are ethnically Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most Hispanic Americans, 39 million, are of Mexican descent, while another 12 million identify as Caribbean Hispanic. The median Hispanic American is 31.2 years old, far younger than the median American of any background, 39.1. (Associated Press)
$4,319: The average cost of owning a car in Delaware, between gas prices, repair bills and insurance premiums, according to a new report from Consumer Affairs. That’s the priciest in the nation, and about double the cost of owning a car in Montana, the cheapest state. (Nevada Current)
Off The Wall
The makers of Busch Light are offering a chance to win free beer for 19 years to anyone willing to change their name to Hunter. The company is making the offer as part of its marketing campaign surrounding the 19th annual release of its camouflage-colored “hunting cans.” (Topeka Capital-Journal)
Michigan Rep. Karen Whitsett (D) has missed 77% of session days this year, according to attendance records. Whitsett has cited the $36 she has to pay to board her dog as an excuse. (Detroit News)
Quote of the Day
“There is no next Melissa Hortman. That’s an impossible task. She was the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history, so I’m not trying to be a carbon copy of Melissa.”
— Minnesota House Democratic Leader Zack Stephenson (D), on his predecessor, who was assassinated in July. Stephenson once served as Hortman’s campaign manager. (Minnesota Reformer)