Good morning, it’s Thursday, October 16, 2025. In today’s edition, blue states form health alliance; North Dakota legislature turns to AI; Illinois Gov. Pritzker’s amazing year at the casino:
Top Stories
PUBLIC HEALTH: Democratic Governors from more than a dozen states have rolled out the Governors Public Health Alliance, meant to facilitate data-sharing and communication about health threat detection, emergency preparedness and response. Governors said they could no longer rely on information coming from the federal government under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
More than 20 states have already decoupled their vaccine policies from federal guidelines. And states have also joined regional alliances to coordinate public health guidelines and to align immunization policies based on recommendations from national medial organizations rather than revised recommendations from a Kennedy-appointed federal group. (Pluribus News)
MORE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation requiring restaurants to list major food allergens on menus beginning in 2026. The first-in-the-nation law applies to businesses with at least 20 locations, which will have to disclose ingredients including milk, eggs, shellfish and tree nuts. (Associated Press)
EDUCATION: New Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields (R) has rescinded a mandate from his predecessor, Ryan Walters (R), ordering schools to place Bibles in classrooms and to incorporate the Bible in lesson plans. The mandate had faced a lawsuit from parents, teachers and religious leaders. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC SAFETY: The Wisconsin legislature has approved a measure making license plate “flippers” illegal under state law. Gov. Tony Evers (D) plans to sign the measure, which applies to devices that allow drivers to conceal or switch license plates to avoid detection points. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
BUDGETS: Connecticut lawmakers plan to return to special session next month to allocate up to $500 million from last year’s budget surplus to back-fill cuts to human service programs in the federal budget. Lawmakers haven’t reached a final deal on exactly how much to spend or which programs to fund, but they plan to meet in special session Nov. 12 and 13. (CT Mirror)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The North Dakota Legislative Council has adopted Meta’s AI system to automate bill summarizations. The automation is expected to drastically shorten the time needed to summarize bills introduced by lawmakers. Lawyers spent about 1,300 hours on bill summaries last year. (Fargo Forum)
NATIONAL GUARD: A federal district court judge has extended her order blocking the Trump administration from using federalized National Guard troops in Oregon or other states to conduct operations in Portland for another two weeks. Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, extended temporary restraining orders after a hearing on Wednesday. (Sacramento Bee)
In Politics & Business
NEW JERSEY: A new Quinnipiac University poll finds U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) leading former Assemb. Jack Ciattarelli (R) 50% to 44% among likely voters. Ciattarelli leads by 11 points among men, while Sherrill leads by 21 points among women. Sherrill’s lead was 8 points in the last Quinnipiac survey, in September. (Quinnipiac)
TEXAS: State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) has entered the race against Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in 2026. Abbott, seeking an unprecedented fourth term, has more than $80 million in his campaign account. Hinojosa will face at least seven other candidates in the primary, including investment firm CEO Andrew White (D), the son of former Gov. Mark White (D). (Associated Press)
MISSOURI: Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) says signatures gathered to block a referendum over new congressional district maps won’t count if they were gathered before Wednesday. That potentially invalidates about 100,000 signatures already gathered by opponents of a new Republican-friendly map. Those opponents must collect about 106,000 signatures to force a referendum on the 2026 ballot. (St. Louis Public Radio)
SOUTH CAROLINA: The head of the South Carolina Election Commission has been fired after a $28 million contract for new voting machines ended up costing $4 million more than planned. The agency’s deputy was also fired after being caught on video planting a listening device in the election commission’s meeting room. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
$40 million: The amount the federal government will withhold from California over its failure to enforce an English language requirement for truckers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the funding would be withheld under a June executive order issued by President Trump. (Associated Press)
74: The number of Southern resident K pod orca whales in Washington’s Puget Sound, the lowest number tallied in an annual census since scientists began keeping track. (Seattle Times)
72: The number of mountains in the contiguous United States that stand above 14,000 feet. Spanish mountaineer Kilian Jornet climbed all of them in just 31 days, running and biking between peaks in Colorado, California and Washington. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) reported $10.7 million in income in 2024, including $1.4 million in gambling winnings. A campaign spokesperson said Pritzker had won the money at a Las Vegas casino, though they didn’t specify his game of choice. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R/D/I) îs considering running for his eighth office in the last 20 years — this time, mayor of St. Petersburg. Crist, 69, said he has friends encouraging him to take the plunge. (Tampa Bay Times)
The California Highway Patrol cited a driver of a Nissan Sentra for driving with a homemade license plate. The Merced CHP office gave the driver “points for creativity,” and a $197 ticket. (Los Angeles Times)
Quote of the Day
“I was not in a position of, you know, just under four years old, to make a decision on where I wanted to live.”
— Indiana Secretary of State candidate Beau Bayh (D), on his dad, former Sen. Evan Bayh (D), moving the family to Washington, D.C., when he won election to the Senate. (State Affairs)