Good morning, it’s Monday, August 18, 2025. In today’s edition, business groups step up AI lobbying; Texas, California return for redistricting wars; Pennsylvania Treasurer Garrity launches governor bid:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Business groups are intensifying a lobbying campaign against AI regulation bills as California lawmakers return to Sacramento after summer recess. The Business Software Alliance is running a targeted ad campaign opposing one measure, while the Consumer Technology Association is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to veto five AI-related bills and the Chamber of Progress is targeting AI safety legislation.
The lobbying reflects the ongoing tensions between lawmakers pushing for AI guardrails and industry representatives who warn about the risks to innovations. Just 118 of more than 1,000 AI-related bills introduced this year have won approval, and more than half of those new laws relate to AI deepfakes, a less controversial target than regulating models. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: Texas lawmakers return to Austin today to begin a second special session meant to redraw state political boundaries. House Democrats, who forced an early end to the first special session by fleeing the state, are set to end their quorum break and return home. (Associated Press)
MORE: California lawmakers will spend this week advancing new congressional district maps to counter the Texas effort. State Democrats unveiled their new map on Friday; they plan hearings and votes this week ahead of Gov. Newsom’s planned Nov. 4 special election. (Associated Press)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is getting more serious about his own attempt at a mid-decade redistricting. U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s (D) Fort Lauderdale district is in the crosshairs. (Orlando Sentinel)
IMMIGRATION: The federal Department of Justice has sent letters to 32 sanctuary states and cities threatening to take action unless those jurisdictions repeal policies barring law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities. Exactly what legal action the federal government could take is unclear. (Oregonian)
SOCIAL MEDIA: The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block enforcement of a Mississippi law requiring social media companies to verify user ages in an effort to protect kids. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that the plaintiffs, NetChoice, stand a good chance of succeeding in their suit challenging the law, but that they failed to show it should be blocked as the suit plays out. (Associated Press)
MORE: Attorneys general from 37 states are calling on Meta to turn off location sharing options for minors. Meta recently added a location sharing option that users must opt into. (State of Politics)
ENERGY: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed legislation requiring state utilities to disclose votes at meetings held by PJM, the nation’s largest grid operator. Murphy also directed the Bureau of Public Utilities to investigate PJM’s pricing model. (New Jersey Globe)
For more on state anger over PJM and its role in raising electricity costs, click here.
In Politics & Business
PENNSYLVANIA: State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) will challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) in 2026, she said Monday, launching a long-awaited campaign by tying herself to President Trump. Garrity received more votes in her 2024 re-election bid than any other candidate running for statewide office. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
INDIANA: Beau Bayh (D), the 29-year old son of former Gov. and Sen. Evan Bayh (D), addressed Orange County Democrats in French Lick, Ind., on Friday, ahead of a potential run for state office. The younger Bayh is expected to mount a bid for Secretary of State.
MICHIGAN: A bipartisan coalition of current and former political operatives are launching a new campaign to oppose a constitutional convention. Michigan law requires voters to approve or reject a constitutional convention every 16 years, and 2026 is the next time it will hit the ballot. Voters last approved a constitutional convention in 1960. (State Affairs)
CRIME BLOTTER: Prosecutors have indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) in an alleged years-long scheme to conceal a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Cantrell has been charged with fraud, conspiracy and obstruction. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
Between $150 million and $200 million: The amount South Dakota lawmakers plan to spend restoring the state Capitol Building in Pierre, the first full makeover in almost 40 years. (South Dakota Searchlight)
118,093: The number of attendees at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. Overall attendance topped 1 million for the year, even before the fair’s final day on Sunday. (Des Moines Register)
More than 25%: The decline in restaurant reservations in Washington, D.C., in the days following the Trump administration’s moves to take over the city’s police department, according to OpenTable data. Every other major American city, except Las Vegas, has seen restaurant reservations increase this month. (WUSA)
Off The Wall
Richard Guilford, a retired Michigan autoworker, has his wallet back, after losing it in 2014 while on the assembly line. A mechanic in Minnesota found the wallet under the hood of a 2015 Ford Edge with 151,000 miles on it. The wallet still had $15, Guilford’s driver’s license, work ID, gift cards and lottery tickets. (Associated Press)
The Colorado Rockies are headed toward their worst season ever, but long-suffering fan Emily Sauvageau will remember this season after she made $44,322 auctioning off a ball Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani crushed into the stands in June. It was Ohtani’s 300th career home run. (Denver Post)
Quote of the Day
“I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle.”
— Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who opposes remapping plans in both Texas and California. (Associated Press)