Good morning, it’s Monday, June 30, 2025. In today’s edition, SCOTUS ruling threatens to divide states; California takes up CEQA reform; U.S. Rep. Johnson to run for South Dakota governor:
Top Stories
SUPREME COURT: The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling limiting the use of nationwide injunctions. The 6-3 decision, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett and joined by her fellow conservatives, threatens to create two tiers of states, one in which attorneys general willing to sue the Trump administration enjoy greater freedoms than those in other states where attorneys general align with President Trump. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The high court upheld a 2023 Texas law requiring adult websites to verify user ages. The law requires sites to verify user ages if at least one-third of their content is sexual material. Violators would face fines of up to $10,000 a day for noncompliance. Almost half the states have adopted similar age verification laws. (Pluribus News)
HOUSING: The California legislature will debate a bill today to make massive overhauls to the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, to spur new housing projects. A clause in the state budget Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed last week says the entire budget will be rendered void unless lawmakers approve the CEQA overhaul and send it to Newsom today. (Sacramento Bee)
GUN POLITICS: The Oregon legislature has approved a bill banning bump stocks, Glock switches and other rapid-fire activators that allow firearms to fire more rapidly. Bump stocks have been banned in 17 other states, and Glock switches are now illegal in more than two dozen states. (Oregonian)
AUTOMOBILES: New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has signed a budget bill that will end required vehicle inspections and emissions testing. Current law requires annual inspections that cost $50 per year. (WMUR)
BUDGETS: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has signed a $17.6 billion budget, averting a potential government shutdown that would have begun today. The budget bills won bipartisan support in both the House and Senate late last week. Republicans claimed they won concessions, but the final expenditures will be only $28 — not a typo — less than the original budget proposal. (AZ Mirror)
STADIUMS: Arizona Gov. Hobbs signed legislation that would direct more than $1 billion to improve the Arizona Diamondbacks’ stadium in Phoenix. The bill redirects sales taxes paid on purchases at Chase Field to the stadium to pay for improvements. (Arizona Republic)
In Politics & Business
SOUTH DAKOTA: U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) is expected to announce a run for governor on Monday. Johnson will kick off his campaign with $6 million in his political accounts. Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) has not said whether he will seek a full term. Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) said he’s planning to seek Johnson’s seat in Congress. (South Dakota Searchlight)
CONNECTICUT: Liberal Democrats are promising a challenge to Gov. Ned Lamont (D) in next year’s primary after Lamont vetoed an affordable housing bill. Sen. Saud Anwar (R) wrote an op-ed last week urging Lamont to step down. (Hartford Courant)
The irony: Lamont got his own start in politics by challenging an incumbent — then-Sen. Joe Lieberman (D) — over Lieberman’s support for the war in Iraq.
IOWA: House Speaker Pat Grassley (R) will run for re-election, forgoing a run for governor in 2026. Five other Republicans are running for or exploring a run for governor after Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she would retire. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
MONTANA: State Republicans have elected former state Sen. Art Wittich (R) to serve as their party chair. Wittich won election over three rivals during the party’s annual convention in Helena. (Daily Montanan)
By The Numbers
11: The number of states where older Americans over 65 outnumber children younger than 18, according to new Census Bureau numbers released last week. Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania join eight other states that had already reached that threshold. (Washington State Standard)
$2 million: The amount Michigan will spend on “critical” security upgrades at the state Capitol. Fixes include new bulletproof windows for the governor’s ceremonial office. (Bridge MI)
1,061%: The increase in challenges to Kentucky public library books between 2023 and 2024, according to a new state report. The report found 302 instances of challenged books last year, up from 26 the year prior. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Off The Wall
California Gov. Newsom has sued Fox News alleging the network defamed him by accusing him of lying about a phone call he had with President Trump. Newsom is seeking $787 million in damages — the same amount Fox News paid to Dominion Voting Systems, the company that alleged the network defamed it with lies about the 2020 elections. (Associated Press)
Connecticut state Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan (D) is due in court tomorrow to be arraigned on a larceny charge after allegedly shoplifting at a local Target. Allie-Brennan is accused of leaving the store with $26.69 in unpaid goods. He said he inadvertently forgot to scan the items. (CT News Junkie)
Quote of the Day
“It points to a very significant division or problem within the leadership team.”
— Former Arizona Senate President Ken Bennett (R), on a surprise vote to oust Majority Leader Janae Shamp (R) on the legislature’s closing day. Sen. John Kavanagh (R) will be the new Arizona Senate Majority Leader. (Arizona Republic)