Good morning, it’s Friday, June 7, 2024. In today’s edition, GOP efforts to guarantee contraception deliver mixed results; New Hampshire poised to legalize pot; polls show abortion measures winning in Arizona, Nevada, Florida:
Top Stories
ABORTION: An effort by mostly women Republican lawmakers to protect access to contraception ahead of November’s election is meeting with mixed results in the states. Lawmakers in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia have approved laws requiring insurers to cover multi-month supplies. Other bills have stalled in Missouri, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) have vetoed other contraception measures. (Pluribus News)
How much will abortion matter in November? A study published this week found one in four ads paid for by Democrats mentioned abortion rights.
MARIJUANA: New Hampshire House and Senate conferees have reached a compromise agreement on marijuana legalization, setting up a final vote next week. The compromise reflects most of what the Senate wanted, creating a state-run market similar to the New Hampshire Liquor Control Commission’s oversight of wine and spirits. (Boston Globe)
New Hampshire is the only New England state that doesn’t have a recreational marijuana market.
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signed legislation blocking transgender residents from bathrooms that align with their gender identities in schools, jails, domestic violence shelters and government buildings. (WWNO)
PUBLIC HEALTH: California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) and Sen. Josh Becker (D) have introduced a bill to allow for the use of psilocybin or psilocyn psychedelics in therapeutic treatment for military veterans and first responders in three counties. Jones had been an opponent of mushroom therapy. (Sacramento Bee)
MORE: The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed legislation barring the use of masks in public while engaging in criminal activity. Legislators negotiated with Democrats to add an exception for those who use masks to prevent the spread of disease. (Associated Press)
RANKED CHOICE VOTING: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed legislation erecting new barriers to ranked-choice voting. The bill requires a dozen counties to use ranked-choice voting before it can be adopted statewide. (Denver Post) Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) has established a working group to explore ranked-choice voting. (Associated Press)
GUN POLITICS: Rhode Island lawmakers have given final approval to legislation requiring safe storage of firearms. Gov. Dan McKee (D) has said he will sign the bill. (Providence Journal)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: A new East Carolina University poll shows Attorney General Josh Stein (D) and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) statistically knotted, 44% to 43%. (East Carolina University)
The latest polls we’ve seen in North Carolina: Stein +1, Robinson +2, tied, Robinson +5. So, yeah, about as close as you can get.
ARIZONA: Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) is launching an investigation into Sunshine Residential Homes, which operates about 30 group homes for children and which has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns. The investigation comes at the request of Sen. T.J. Shope (R), who suggested the company might have violated pay-to-play laws. (Arizona Republic)
The company and Gov. Katie Hobbs’s (D) office denied wrongdoing.
MORE: A new Fox News poll shows 70% of Arizona voters intend to vote in favor of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights. (Fox News)
NEVADA: A Fox News poll shows 73% of voters intend to vote for a constitutional amendment to establish the right to an abortion. The same poll shows 84% would vote in favor of an amendment requiring voters to show identification when casting a ballot. (Fox News)
FLORIDA: Yet another Fox News poll shows 66% of voters favor a constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana for adults over the age of 21. The poll found 69% back an amendment that guarantees the right to an abortion up until fetal viability. (Fox News) Those numbers are significant: Florida law requires a 60% majority to pass amendments.
Thanks for the polls, Fox News!
WISCONSIN: Democrats have fielded candidates to run in all 16 state Senate races up this year, for the first time in more than 20 years. New legislative maps, approved after a court order, are likely to help Democrats make gains, though Republicans remain favored to keep the Senate. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
By The Numbers
16,000: The number of cruise ship passengers who will be allowed to visit Juneau, Alaska, on Sundays through Fridays, beginning in 2026. The measure is intended to limit congestion in Juneau, which has gone through a tourism boom since the end of the pandemic. (CBS News)
92% of capacity: The amount of water in Utah’s reservoir system, its highest point in 13 years. Just two years ago, Utah’s reservoirs were at 42% capacity. (KSL)
Off The Wall
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives devolved into chaos Thursday while honoring former U.S. Capitol Police Officers Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021. At least one Republican shouted at the officers and several walked out. Other Republicans accused Democrats of politicizing their visit; Dunn and Gonell are on a tour promoting President Biden’s re-election campaign. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak hangs up his giant spinner tonight when his final episode airs. Sajak has been on air for 41 years, racking up more than 8,000 episodes. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“History isn’t repeating itself. It isn’t happening.”
— The Oregon State Parks department, denying reports that it intends to blow up a beached whale carcass that has been rotting on the shore in Nehalem Bay State Park. (Oregonian) Longtime readers know we will use any excuse to link to the 1970 video of the last time Oregon officials blew up a whale carcass.