Good morning, it’s Monday, July 6, 2026. In today’s edition, privacy fight sparks lobbying war; more states take on data centers; Dems ask USPS to rescind mail-in voting rule:
Top Stories
PRIVACY: Lawmakers in Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Vermont joined 19 other states in approving data privacy protection laws this year, reigniting clashes between privacy advocates and business interests. Laws passed this year largely align with an industry-backed template first adopted in Virginia in 2021, while broader data minimization language first adopted in Maryland in 2024 has struggled to gain traction in other states. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: New Jersey lawmakers approved legislation last week that would require electric utilities to charge a special rate to large power users like data centers. The bill would require a special tariff for users of more than 50 megawatts of electricity. Another bill would end the remaining $250 million in a data center tax incentive program and redirect the money to energy storage projects, among other priorities. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Delaware lawmakers approved legislation to require data centers to provide their own energy. Another bill would prevent large load energy users from applying for state tax incentives, and a third would require data centers to earn approval from the state public service commission. (Delaware Public Media)
A new Washington State law that took effect July 1 ends tax exemptions on equipment repairs and refurbishment for data centers. (Seattle Times)
MEDICAID: Oregon Health Plan members who have certain serious medical conditions can apply to receive up to six months of nutritional benefits under the state Medicaid plan. One program covers fruits and vegetables, while another would pay for meat, fish, dairy products and other pantry staples. (Oregonian)
IMMIGRATION: The Trump administration is seeking help from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission to provide legal services to immigrant children in deportation cases. The commission’s executive director said his organization did not believe they had the experience or the legal mandate to provide such services. (Texas Tribune)
SNAP: Iowa will allow retailers to sell soda, candy and prepared foods to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds after a federal judge last month struck down a federal waiver restricting sales. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has vacated the state’s waiver after the court ruling. (Des Moines Register)
AMERICA 250: A new poll from the libertarian Cato Institute finds 46% of Americans don’t know what the July 4th holiday commemorates. Just 53% correctly said the holiday celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Most Americans, 57%, believe America has strayed from its founding principles, but 86% are grateful and 79% are proud to be Americans. (Cato)
In Politics & Business
VOTING: Nine Democratic governors have asked the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw a proposed rule seeking to require the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create a “citizenship list” for mail-in voting ballots. The letter, organized by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), cited a judge’s ruling blocking President Trump’s executive order on elections. (Associated Press)
COLORADO: First-time candidate Victor Marx (R) maintains a lead over state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (R) in the GOP race for governor. Marx has a lead of about 2,020 votes out of 518,000 cast. The race remains too close to call. Votes remain to be counted in Arapahoe County. (Denver Post)
LOUISIANA: The state Supreme Court on Friday halted a criminal case against Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) after she was indicted on accusations of threatening the jobs of elected officials in New Orleans. The court said local authorities did not follow proper procedures surrounding the indictment. Murrill says she intends to ask a court to dismiss the case. (Associated Press)
ILLINOIS: State Rep. Harry Benton (D) has resigned from the state House, after a legislative inspector general’s investigation into his conduct. House Speaker Chris Welch (D) had called on Benton to resign or face expulsion after what he called “outrageous, unethical and unbecoming” behavior. (Capitol News Illinois)
MINNESOTA: Marisa Simonetti, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate, has been sentenced to three months in a Hennepin County workhouse after she was convicted of gross misdemeanor harassment over an incident in which she allegedly threw a live tarantula at a tenant in her home. (MPR News)
By The Numbers
1,374: The number of homicides reported in California in 2025, down 18.6% from 2024 to the lowest level on record. (Sacramento Bee)
7%: The raise Washington State elected officials received this year, under a plan adopted by the Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials. The panel, established in 1987, takes the power to raise salaries out of the hands of politicians themselves. The wage hike means lawmakers earn $72,494 a year, while Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) pulls in $234,275 a year. (Washington State Standard)
Off The Wall
Several social media accounts critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have been deactivated after allegations from former DeSantis officials that the accounts were tied to Layla Collins, the wife of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R). The accounts appeared connected to a phone number and email Layla Collins used. DeSantis appointed Collins as lieutenant governor last year, though he declined to endorse Collins’s bid for governor. (Florida Politics)
All four living former governors of North Dakota, along with Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R), met Friday in Medora to celebrate the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The $450 million library now sits in a town with a population of fewer than 200 people. (North Dakota Monitor)
Grand Canyon rafting guide Kelsey Pfendler took just 43 days to complete a 2,400-mile journey from Monterey, Calif., to Honolulu in a 21-foot ocean rowing boat. Pfendler broke the previous record of 52 days for a solo journey from California to Hawaii. (Hawaii News Now)
Quote of the Day
“I ask for a yes vote … and then I ask you all to go to sleep.”
— Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee chair Sarah Anthony (D), after lawmakers pulled an all-nighter last week to approve a $75.2 billion budget. Lawmakers gave final approval to the budget just after 8 a.m. on Friday. (MLive)