Good morning, it’s Wednesday, October 9, 2024. In today’s edition, states sue TikTok over alleged child harms; Milton bears down on Tampa; election spending to set new records:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: Attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia are suing TikTok over alleged harms to children and data privacy incursions. The suit alleges the popular app is addictive by design and contributes to body image issues among young users.
The suit comes two years after multiple states launched an investigation of the app, and a year after 33 states sued Meta alleging similar harms caused by Facebook and Instagram. The bipartisan group of AGs are seeking penalties and court orders requiring TikTok to cease “unfair and deceptive” business practices.
In response, TikTok said it had implemented new tools to protect teens, including default screen times and higher privacy settings for minors. But it’s not the only challenge the company faces: Nine other states have lawsuits pending against TikTok — and that’s not counting the federal legislation that could force its parent company to divest. Read more at Pluribus News.
HURRICANES: Hurricane Milton has become a Category 5 storm as it heads toward Tampa and St. Petersburg. The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, is expected to make landfall late Wednesday near Tampa, the first time in a century the metro area has been in the direct path of a hurricane. At least 5.9 million Floridians face mandatory evacuation orders. (Associated Press)
MORE: South Carolina lawmakers do not plan to return for a special session to address recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, leaders said Tuesday. The state has $330 million between a disaster relief and rainy day fund to pay for cleanup costs if needed, lawmakers said. (South Carolina Daily Gazette) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has no plans to call a special session for hurricane relief. (Cardinal News)
IMMIGRATION: Twenty five Republican governors have asked the Biden administration to release more details about the number of Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States under a federal humanitarian parole program. The governors said the influx of immigrants is causing “fear” among local populations. (KSL)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams (R) is urging lawmakers to make it a crime to impersonate an election official if they take up legislation relating to artificial intelligence. Adams compared impersonating an election official with impersonating a law enforcement officer, which is already illegal under state law. (Kentucky Lantern)
TAXES: West Virginia lawmakers approved legislation to reduce the state income tax by 2% and to provide a child care tax credit, sending the bills to Gov. Jim Justice’s (R) desk. Justice had wanted a 5% cut to state income taxes, but he amended his request on Monday in the face of concern from legislators over the revenue implications. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Spending on the presidential contest and congressional elections is expected to hit $15.9 billion, according to an analysis from OpenSecrets, the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog. Outside spending has already reached $2.6 billion, almost $1 billion more than was spent in the 2020 elections. (CNN)
MASSACHUSETTS: A new Suffolk University poll for the Boston Globe finds 59% of voters plan to back Question 3, which would allow gig economy drivers to unionize. Just 34% say they will vote against the measure. A ballot measure to allow the state auditor to audit the legislature is leading with 71% of the vote. (Suffolk)
MORE: Opponents of a new package of firearm restrictions say they have collected more than 90,000 signatures to place a referendum on the 2026 ballot. That’s well more than the 37,287 they needed to qualify for the ballot; supporters of the referendum said they relied entirely on volunteers to collect signatures. (NBC Boston)
NEBRASKA: Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has hosted a series of Industry Roundtables with business leaders who are asked to make a minimum $10,000 contribution to Pillen’s re-election campaign. The events, held at the governor’s mansion, do not violate state or federal campaign finance laws. (Omaha World-Herald)
By The Numbers
More than 170: The number of years in which the Associated Press has compiled vote results and declared winners in U.S. elections. (Associated Press)
$7.1 million: The amount of revenue generated for West Virginia through sports betting in September, a 48% increase over last year. (WV News)
1.3 million: The number of chickens now in care of the Iowa Department of Agriculture, after a Minnesota-based poultry company filed for bankruptcy last month. The company told Iowa officials it could no longer buy feed for chickens on 14 farms in northwest Iowa. (Des Moines Register)
Off The Wall
Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools after an initial request matched the specifications of a Bible endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The new request does not include requirements that the Bibles come with the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. (Associated Press)
Congratulations to Grazer, who won her second consecutive Fat Bear Contest title this week. The annual contest among bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska drew more than 1.3 million votes; Grazer beat runner-up Chunk by more than 40,000 votes. (Associated Press)
No recount necessary here.
Quote of the Day
“In a society that wants immediate gratification, I think our democracy is worth taking a little time to get it right and to create a system where everyone can participate.”
— California Assemb. Marc Berman (D), author of the 2021 law that requires the state to conduct elections entirely by mail, on the amount of time it takes to count ballots. (Associated Press)