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Good morning, it’s Wednesday, July 31, 2024. In today’s edition, tech industry fights back over new state laws; Texas can keep river barrier, for now; Arizona Republicans choose election deniers in primary:
Top Stories
DIGITAL PRIVACY: Two leading tech industry groups are suing to block a 2023 Texas law that seeks to keep young users safe online. The tech groups allege the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment Act restricts free speech rights; it requires social media operators to block content on accounts belonging to minors.
The same two groups have previously sued over Florida and Texas laws seeking to prevent social media companies from censoring political content. One of the groups, NetChoice, won injunctions to block online and social media regulation laws from taking effect in Arkansas, California, Mississippi and Ohio, and another suit is pending in Utah.
Legislators across the country have been sprinting to protect kids online, the low-hanging bipartisan fruit in the midst of an increasingly partisan landscape. But the social media companies that would be subject to those regulations have found enough legal ground to launch successful challenges, hurdles other states are going to have to leap over in their own bids to keep kids safe. Read more at Pluribus News.
IMMIGRATION: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed Texas to maintain a floating barrier in the Rio Grande River meant to discourage migrants. The Biden administration is suing to force the state to remove the barrier; that trial is set to begin August 6. (Associated Press)
WORKFORCE: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed legislation creating new standards for working conditions for children 15 and under. The law prohibits minors from working more than 18 hours during a school week or more than 40 hours when school is out. Minors are barred from working in cannabis dispensaries, adult entertainment businesses, gambling establishments and gun ranges. (Chicago Tribune)
HEALTH CARE: Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring private insurers and Medicaid to provide coverage of oral contraception, including over-the-counter pills. Only six other states have laws on the books requiring coverage of over-the-counter birth control. (Detroit Free Press)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Massachusetts Senate has unanimously approved legislation expanding the legal definition of a parent, to include parents who might not have genetic ties to a child. The bill is meant to cover LGBTQ parents who face legal hurdles to establish parentage. (Boston Globe)
In Politics & Business
ARIZONA: Voters headed to the polls to pick party nominees in primary elections Tuesday. Among the results: Former state Rep. Mark Finchem (R) ousted state Sen. Ken Bennett (R). Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer (R) lost his primary to state Rep. Justin Heap (R). And former state Sen. Vince Leach (R) narrowly leads Sen. Justine Wadsack (R) in a rematch from four years ago, though more votes are yet to be counted. (Arizona Republic)
Finchem was last seen losing his bid for Secretary of State in 2022 by five percentage points. He never conceded.
FLORIDA: Pinellas County commissioners have voted to approve spending $312 million on a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays, after the St. Petersburg City Council voted to spend $417 million on the project earlier this month. That’s a little more than half the costs of the $1.3 billion park. (Associated Press)
ALASKA: Seven women have applied to replace retiring Supreme Court Chief Justice Peter Maassen, meaning the state Supreme Court will have a female majority for the first time in its history. Two of the court’s five current members are women. (Alaska Beacon)
CRIME BLOTTER: Former Alabama state Rep. John Rogers (D) has been sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for his role in a kickback scheme involving public funds. Rogers must repay $197,950 to a Jefferson County community service fund. (Yellowhammer News)
By The Numbers
More than $1 billion: The amount Massachusetts will spend on emergency shelter systems through the next fiscal year, an increase over the $915 million the state had budgeted. The shelters alone account for about three-quarters of those costs. (Boston Globe)
751,000: The number of acres burned by wildfires in California this year, a land mass almost the size of Rhode Island. That’s about five times the five-year average for this point in the year, according to CalFire. (Los Angeles Times)
Nearly $720,000: The amount former Vice President Mike Pence’s failed presidential campaign will receive in federal matching dollars. Pence’s committee has about $1.3 million in debt. (Indianapolis Star)
Off The Wall
The U.S. Army struck an $11 million marketing deal with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the United Football League. Internal documents show the marketing campaign may not have led to a single new recruit — and Army officials think the campaign actually cost a net loss of 38 enlistments. (Military.com)
A retired federal worker in Maryland won nearly $600,000 in a state lottery game after playing the same five numbers on 25 different tickets. The woman matched all five numbers in the game, making each ticket worth about $23,000. (Fox 5)
Quote of the Day
“I’m a Vikings fan all the way so I might not help in that swing state.”
— Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), on his chances of helping Vice President Kamala Harris carry neighboring Packer-crazy Wisconsin if she picks him as her running mate. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)