Good morning, it’s Thursday, February 5, 2026. In today’s edition, SCOTUS allows California’s new U.S. House maps; Hochul chooses a running mate; Maryland advances immigration bills:
Top Stories
REDISTRICTING: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected a Republican challenge to California’s Proposition 50, the redistricting plan aimed at countering Texas’s Republican-friendly maps. The unsigned order declined to accept an appeal of a 9th Circuit decision upholding the maps. (Pluribus News)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has proposed legislation barring local governments from setting their own policies to protect trans and nonbinary people. The measure would expand a recent law removing gender identity as a protected class under the state’s Civil Rights Act. (Des Moines Register)
IMMIGRATION: The Maryland House and Senate approved bills prohibiting agreements between local police and federal immigration agencies on party-line votes. The Senate advanced legislation banning face coverings for law enforcement officers on duty. (Maryland Matters) Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has ordered local law enforcement to cancel partnerships with ICE. (Virginian-Pilot)
CRYPTO: Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced legislation legalizing crypto staking, which allows cryptocurrency holders to lock or commit their virtual tokens to a blockchain that validates transactions on secure networks. Staking allows crypto holders the opportunity to collect rewards similar to earning interest. Crypto staking is legal in every state except Wisconsin, California, Maryland and New Jersey. (State Affairs)
WORKFORCE: The New Mexico legislature has given final sign-off to bills easing the process for out-of-state doctors and social workers to obtain licenses. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission has already started conversations with the New Mexico Medical Board to implement easier cross-state licensure. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
HOUSING: The Florida Senate unanimously approved legislation allowing the construction of accessory dwelling units in areas restricted to single-family homes. Similar bills passed both chambers last year, but the House and Senate couldn’t agree on a final version. The bill would bar owners from offering units for rent for less than one month. (CBS News)
PUBLIC SAFETY: An Alabama House committee has unanimously backed legislation making it a Class C felony to intentionally disrupt a church service. The bill would apply to anyone intentionally disrupting a worship service, harassing participants or blocking ingress or egress from the building. (Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS: The Missouri House has approved legislation curbing the use of recurring campaign donations. The bill would ban candidates from setting up recurring donations without explicit authorization, and require campaigns to end recurring donations once a campaign is over. (Missouri Independent)
In Politics & Business
NEW YORK: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has selected former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D) as her lieutenant governor running mate, she said Wednesday. Adams is Hochul’s third choice for lieutenant governor: Brian Benjamin (D) resigned in 2022 after being charged with bribery and fraud. Incumbent Antonio Delgado (D) is campaigning against her in the gubernatorial primary. (Associated Press)
MINNESOTA: U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) won 79% of the vote in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s precinct caucus straw poll vote on Tuesday, while 16% of voters chose “uncommitted” as an option. Klobuchar is the only prominent Democrat running to replace Gov. Tim Walz (D). (Minnesota Reformer)
WISCONSIN: The Democratic super PAC A Better Wisconsin Together has launched a seven-figure ad buy targeting conservative Supreme Court candidate Maria Lazar. The group supports liberal candidate Chris Taylor in the race for a seat held by retiring conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley. (State Affairs)
Certainties in life: Death, taxes, expensive Wisconsin Supreme Court races.
MASSACHUSETTS: Secretary of State William Galvin (D) will run for a ninth term in office, the longest stretch anyone has ever held the post. Galvin, first inaugurated in 1995, is the longest-serving Secretary of State in America. He’s never earned less than 64% of the vote in a re-election campaign. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
24,100: The number of deaths caused in the United States every year by chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires. A paper published in the journal Science Advances found that every 0.1 microgram increase in PM2.5 particles caused by wildfires equates to about 5,594 deaths per year. (Associated Press)
756%: The rise in the number of homeschooled students in North Dakota between 2007 and 2025, according to a new report. (Fargo Forum)
Off The Wall
Archaeologists in Utah have unearthed a 150-year old bottle of alcohol. The bottle, found on U.S. Forest Service land used by the Alta ski resort, was still corked. A master distiller at the state’s oldest legal distillery said the flavors remained complex. “There’s quite a bit of age on it,” he said. (UPI)
A New Jersey man upset about a traffic ticket led police officers on a car chase, then called the department to brag about getting away. The man was arrested the next day and charged with eluding police, along with nearly 20 traffic tickets related to the chase. (NJ Advance Media)
Disneyland is offering its Haunted Mansion attraction for weddings for the first time. The venue can be yours for prices ranging from $25,000 to $40,000. Weddings can only be held before the park opens early in the morning, and only 25 guests — not including the happy couple — are invited. (Los Angeles Times)
Quote of the Day
“I am eager to soothe my own raging beast with a civil conversation with three governors who know the importance of respect and bipartisanship even as we may disagree about the president.”
— Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), appearing with former Govs. John Engler (R), Jim Blanchard (D) and Rick Snyder (R) to promote civility in the legislature. (State Affairs)