Good morning, it’s Tuesday, October 1, 2024. In today’s edition, longshoremen walk off the job; California bans ‘captive audience’ meetings; Arkansas boots pot measure off ballot:
Top Stories
LABOR: About 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association began striking today in a bid for a new contract. The union is seeking a 77% pay raise over six years; an alliance of port agencies has offered workers a 50% raise over the span of the new contract. It’s the ILA’s first strike since 1977. (Associated Press)
Just when you thought your supply chain was safe…
MORE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation that would bar employers from delivering political or religious messages to employees. The ban on “captive audience” meetings is a bid to help unionization efforts; the law would fine employers up to $500 per employee for requiring those mandatory gatherings. (Pluribus News)
Seven other blue states already have captive meeting bans on the books, and Illinois’s version takes effect in January.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: California Gov. Newsom signed legislation requiring health care providers to disclose the use of generative AI in communications with patients. He also signed a bill requiring human oversight of any denial or modification of care in a health plan made by AI tools or algorithms. (Pluribus News)
ABORTION: A Fulton County judge has struck down Georgia’s 2019 ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity begins. The ruling means clinics in Georgia will be able to perform abortions up until fetal viability while the state appeals the ruling. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
MORE: Louisiana today will become the first state to classify mifepristone and misoprostol, two abortion-inducing drugs, as controlled dangerous substances. The drugs are still available via prescription, but they are now classified in the same category as some opioids. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC HEALTH: State lawmakers across the country are considering bills to add xylazine to lists of controlled substances and increasing penalties for its possession and distribution. The drug, a cheap animal sedative, is increasingly being mixed with fentanyl and other illicit substances, causing infection and death among drug users. Lawmakers in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia already classify xylazine as a controlled substance. (States Newsroom)
MARIJUANA: California Gov. Newsom has signed legislation allowing local jurisdictions to issue permits to “cannabis cafes” that can serve non-cannabis food and drinks to patrons. Newsom vetoed similar legislation last year; he said the new version included safeguards for employees. (Sacramento Bee)
EDUCATION: California Gov. Newsom has signed legislation banning legacy and donor admissions at private universities and colleges. The law does not carry penalties for violations. Maryland has banned all legacy admissions, and Virginia, Illinois and Colorado ban legacy admissions at public schools. (Los Angeles Times)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: Attorney General Josh Stein (D) has opened a huge 50%-33% lead over Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), according to a new ECU Center for Survey Research poll conducted entirely after CNN’s reporting on Robinson’s online behavior. Stein led by six in ECU’s previous poll. (ECU) A Washington Post poll finds Stein leading 54%-38%. (Washington Post)
ARKANSAS: Secretary of State John Thurston (R) has ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment to expand medical marijuana failed to submit enough signatures to qualify for November’s ballot. Thurston said in a letter to supporters they had only submitted 88,040 signatures, short of the 90,704 they need to win a spot on the ballot. (Arkansas Times)
MORE: Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) has filed suit against YouTube and Google over alleged deceptive and unconscionable trade practices that create a public nuisance. Griffin alleges YouTube has deceived users about the safety of its platforms for minors. (Talk Business & Politics)
INDIANA: U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R), running for governor, has disclosed that a paid campaign ad includes a doctored image of his Democratic opponent. The disclosure is required under a new Indiana law meant to combat generative artificial intelligence. (Indianapolis Star)
By The Numbers
40 trillion: The amount of water, in gallons, that Hurricane Helene dumped on Southeastern states over the weekend, the equivalent of an entire Lake Tahoe — or the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium 51,000 times. (Associated Press)
1,000,181: The number of acres burned in California wildfires this year, after the Line fire in San Bernardino County began spreading rapidly over the weekend. The amount burned this year is roughly in line with five-year averages. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
La Junta, Colo., celebrated its third annual Tarantula Festival this weekend, drawing visitors who wanted to witness mating season. Tarantulas come out at dusk to roam grasslands in search of a mate. (Colorado Public Radio)
We love local festivals, but this is one on which we’ll take a hard pass.
U.S. military officials released video of a close encounter between an Air Force F-16 and a Russian Su-35 jet near Alaska that shows the Russian aircraft flying just feet away from the American plane. In a statement, the commander of NORAD called the Russian actions “unsafe” and “unprofessional.” (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“Not everybody gets 100 years on this earth, and when somebody does, and when they use that time to do so much good for so many people, it’s worth celebrating.”
— Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, who turns 100 years old today. The former president still lives in the Plains home he and his wife Rosalynn built in the early 1960s. (Associated Press)