Good morning, it’s Monday, March 23, 2026. In today’s edition, Trump wants to block state AI laws; SCOTUS to hear mail-in ballot challenge; California considers banning minors from social media:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Trump administration’s new National Policy Framework on AI urges Congress to preempt state-level laws around the new technology, and to prohibit states from regulating AI development. The framework calls for some steps that states have taken, including protecting children and guarding against some harms. But critics said it was a gift to big tech. (Pluribus News)
ELECTIONS: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today challenging Mississippi rules for counting mail-in ballots. Republicans are challenging a law that allows officials to count ballots postmarked by Election Day, but that arrive up to five business days later. If justices void the Mississippi law, similar laws in at least 18 other states would be open to legal challenges. (New York Times)
SOCIAL MEDIA: California lawmakers are considering legislation to restrict social media use for minors under 16. The bill would bar those under 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts. Industry groups say they don’t believe a ban will achieve the legislature’s goal of reducing harm to minors. (Los Angeles Times)
We talked with the bill’s sponsor, Assemb. Josh Lowenthal (D), last month. Read our Q&A here.
ENVIRONMENT: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has unveiled proposed changes to the state’s Climate Act, preserving the transition to low-carbon energy sources while ending requirements to comply with short-term mandates. Hochul said those short-term mandates would raise utility costs too quickly. (Albany Times Union)
HEALTH CARE: The Tennessee Senate Health Committee has advanced a bill to curtail the state’s certificate of need laws that govern hospitals and medical facilities. A deal between Senate Finance Committee chair Bo Watson (R) and the Tennessee Hospital Association would delay major provisions of the rollback to 2030 so that acute care hospitals have time to adjust. (State Affairs)
We wrote in January about the push to loosen certificate of need laws amid the rural health care crisis.
ECONOMY: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has signed a 60-day suspension of the state’s gas tax. Kemp also signed legislation giving tax refunds of $250 to individuals, $350 to heads of households and $500 to married couples filing jointly. Gas prices in Georgia have jumped from $2.71 a gallon before the outbreak of war with Iran to $3.79 as of Friday. (State Affairs)
IMMIGRATION: The Tennessee Senate has voted to delay consideration of a bill to require school districts to provide counts of noncitizen students. The legislature asked for, but never received, guidance from the federal Department of Education about whether the bill would put federal funding at risk. (State Affairs)
DEATH PENALTY: The Arizona Senate has advanced a proposed ballot measure that would allow state voters to decide whether to conduct executions by firing squad. The bill’s chief sponsor said it is necessary after problems experienced with lethal injections. (Arizona Republic)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: A full machine recount of the race between Senate President Phil Berger (R) and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page (R) showed the exact same result as before, with Page leading by just 23 votes. Berger is likely to call for a sample hand recount, which could lead to a full recount if discrepancies are discovered. (State Affairs)
CALIFORNIA: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R), who is running for governor, has seized about 650,000 ballots cast in a November special election, ostensibly to investigate a ballot count discrepancy. Bianco claims the alleged discrepancy amounts to about 45,800 votes, numbers county elections officials have disputed. (Associated Press)
MISSOURI: A state judge has ordered the Secretary of State to publish a new, toned-down description of a ballot proposal to void Republican-friendly redistricting maps. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) had originally written a ballot summary describing existing maps, in which Republicans control six of eight seats in Missouri’s congressional delegation, as “gerrymandered.” (Associated Press)
VIRGINIA: State Democrats are getting nervous about next month’s vote to adopt new congressional district lines that would favor their party. Republicans have shown some favorable early voting numbers, while the April date is unusual, leading to Democratic worries about turnout. Supporters of the redistricting measure have spent $17.2 million on TV ads, while the chief opponent has booked just $1 million in ads. (NBC News)
By The Numbers
$57 million: The amount two prominent groups backing attorneys general candidates raised through the end of 2025. The Republican Attorneys General Association raised $29 million through the end of the year, while the Democratic Attorneys General Association pulled in $28 million. Both are records for their respective groups. (Associated Press)
$429: The average amount Oregon taxpayers are receiving from a kicker refund, which takes place when the state pulls in more money than anticipated. Taxpayers have received kicker refunds in just 14 of the last 45 years. (Oregonian)
110 degrees: The high temperature recorded on March 19 in Martinez Lake, Ariz., the highest March temperature ever recorded in the United States. (Arizona Republic)
Off The Wall
An outside group has sent mailers to residents in Germantown, Wis., urging them to re-elect Eric Brown to the local school board. The only problem: Brown isn’t running for re-election. “Don’t Minnesota my Wisconsin,” the mailer reads, warning of “liberal activists” planning to change board policies. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
A new exhibit at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis features documents signed by every president in American history, largely contributed from a collection amassed by former Gov. Eric Holcomb (R). Holcomb, who began collecting presidential memorabilia 25 years ago, finally added a George Washington autograph to complete the set. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Quote of the Day
“I’ve just been bringing the baby into work every day, but I’m gonna have to do that solo April through May.”
— Vermont Rep. Mary-Katherine Stone (D), who has a new child, on financial struggles she faces earning just $15,000 a year as a lawmaker. (Michigan Advance)