Good morning, it’s Monday, April 27, 2026. In today’s edition, Trump admin sues over Colorado AI law; Maine governor vetoes data center moratorium; new polls in Georgia, New Mexico:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Trump administration on Friday joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn Colorado’s first-in-the-nation law aimed at ensuring high-risk artificial intelligence systems do not discriminate. The filing is the administration’s first formal challenge to a state AI law after President Trump issued an executive order in December aimed at thwarting state-level regulation. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Florida Senate is expected to approve Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) AI bill of rights measure this week. The Senate approved the measure during regular session in a bipartisan vote, but the state House didn’t take up its version, and it’s unclear whether the House has the votes to advance it. (State Affairs)
The measure would establish rights of parents to control AI use by children and require AI chatbots to tell users they are not speaking to a human.
ENERGY: Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has vetoed legislation that would have enacted a first-in-the-nation moratorium on the development of new data centers. Mills said she rejected the bill, which would have delayed new projects until November 2027, over concerns about an ongoing project in Jay, a small town north of Lewiston. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a Republican challenge to new congressional district lines approved by voters last week. Republicans allege the Democratic-led General Assembly violated procedural requirements in getting the referendum on the ballot. (Associated Press)
MORE: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) will call lawmakers back into special session to consider new congressional district boundaries. Reeves set no specific date for a session, but he said he would ask lawmakers to meet three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Louisiana v. Callais, the case challenging Louisiana’s maps under the Voting Rights Act. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
If the Supreme Court strikes down the Louisiana map, it could open the door for Southern states to target districts drawn to ensure minority representation in Congress. Read SCOTUSBlog’s background on the case here.
PUBLIC HEALTH: Connecticut lawmakers have given final approval to legislation allowing the state Public Health Commissioner to establish vaccine recommendations for adults and children. The bill would guarantee insurance coverage of recommended shots and allow the commission to purchase doses from sources other than the CDC. (Associated Press)
TAXES: Supporters of a measure to levy new taxes on billionaires in California say they have collected more than 1.5 million signatures, enough to qualify for the November ballot. The measure calls for a one-time 5% tax on assets of residents with at least $1.1 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) opposes the measure, and opposition campaigns are being funded by Silicon Valley billionaires. (New York Times, Los Angeles Times)
In Politics & Business
GEORGIA: A new InsiderAdvantage survey finds businessman Rick Jackson (R) leading the Republican gubernatorial field with 32% of the vote, followed by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) at 25%, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) at 11% and Attorney General Chris Carr (R) at 6%. (InsiderAdvantage)
NEW MEXICO: A new Research & Polling Inc. survey of Democratic primary voters finds former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (D) leading Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman (D) 52% to 30%. Haaland’s lead is largest among those with advanced degrees, whites and women. Bregman does best among independents and those who call themselves conservative. (Albuquerque Journal)
MASSACHUSETTS: State Republicans have advanced two potential gubernatorial candidates to the September primary ballot at their annual convention this weekend. Medical tech executive Mike Minogue (R) won 70% of the delegate votes, while former MBTA administrator Brian Shortsleeve (R) narrowly cleared the 15% threshold. Former Cabinet secretary Mike Kennealy (R) won just 14% of the vote, falling short of the ballot. (State Affairs)
CALIFORNIA: Supporters of voter identification have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would require voters to show ID at the polls and include a four-digit PIN code for mail-in ballots. The measure would also require election officials to verify registered voters are U.S. citizens. Supporters turned in more than 1.3 million signatures to make the ballot. (Los Angeles Times)
PEOPLE: Former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R), who later served as Interior Secretary under President George W. Bush, has died at 74. (Associated Press) North Dakota Rep. Liz Conmy (D) was killed in a small plane crash on Saturday. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from a small airport near Minneapolis. (Associated Press) Tennessee Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D) has died at 71. Hardaway had been in poor health in recent months. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
$10.4 billion: The amount of money political candidates and their supporters will spend on advertisements this year, according to a new forecast from Kinetiq Political Insights. Spending is expected to be highest in Michigan, where voters will weigh in on an open governor’s race, an open Senate contest and several competitive U.S. House races. (State Affairs)
$784,000: The amount lobbying groups spent to influence Idaho legislators during this year’s session. Groups that back school choice legislation led the way; for three out of the last four years, the American Federation for Children, a pro-school choice group based in Washington, D.C., spent more than any other. (Idaho Capital Sun)
$87 million: The amount in tax revenue Nebraska could generate from legalized online sports betting over five years, according to a new report from a gaming research firm. Supporters of online gaming are circulating a petition to try to qualify for the November ballot. (Nebraska Examiner)
Off The Wall
Anita LeBrun, 82, is celebrating after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation allowing nursing homes to serve alcohol to residents. LeBrun, a resident of an assisted living facility in Champlin, Minn., had advocated for the “Grandparents’ Happy Hour” legislation. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
You’re never too old to lobby.
A lobster fishing boat off the coast of Cape Cod caught a split-color lobster earlier this month. The lobster, half black and half orange, was donated to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, where it will be available for public viewing. Odds of a lobster splitting colors are about 1 in 50 million, officials said. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“I can’t wait to get out of this place and get back to some level of normalcy.”
— Maryland Sen. Cory McCray (D), on the end of the legislative session and his return to his regular job at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union. (Maryland Matters)