Good morning, it’s Monday, December 22, 2025. In today’s edition, Hochul signs AI, social media bills; Trump admin seeks role in red state elections; U.S. Rep. Stefanik drops governor bid:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed legislation aimed at regulating powerful frontier AI systems in an effort to prevent catastrophic events. The law requires companies to produce safety protocols and to report quickly if a critical safety event takes place. Hochul nixed some elements of the bill and exempted smaller AI models that train off frontier models.
New York is the second state to adopt a measure seeking to limit catastrophic harm from AI models, following California’s lead. Hochul signed the measure in the face of intense lobbying pressure from the AI giants. Those tech barons have established a super PAC that has already begun funding ads against the AI bill’s lead sponsor, Assemb. Alex Bores (D), who is running for Congress. (Pluribus News)
SOCIAL MEDIA: New York Gov. Hochul has signed legislation requiring warning labels on social media apps, joining California and Minnesota. Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D), the bill’s lead Senate sponsor, compared social media companies to Big Tobacco companies. The law will require warnings to be displayed every time a user accesses a platform. (Pluribus News)
The tech industry won a temporary injunction against a Colorado law that required regular pop-up warnings on social media platforms, but this sort of warning label has yet to face legal scrutiny.
ELECTIONS: The federal Justice Department has sent a confidential draft agreement to more than a dozen states that would require election administrators to remove any alleged ineligible voters identified during a federal review from voter rolls. The agreement would represent a major new federal role in election administration. (Nevada Current)
The acting head of the Justice Department’s Voting Section said at a court hearing that Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia are all interested in the agreement. Colorado and Wisconsin rejected the memorandum.
ENERGY: Louisiana regulators have adopted a new rule suspending certain consumer protections if utility companies need to build power plants for data centers that require massive amounts of energy. The rule requires large-scale energy consumers to pay for half the cost of new power plants. (Louisiana Illuminator)
TRANSPORTATION: Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) has rolled out a $3 billion transportation funding plan over the next decade. The plan would spend about $1 billion repairing highways, about $1 billion repairing Bridgets, and about $1 billion adding three new ferries to the state fleet. (Washington State Standard)
Washington has 3,427 bridges, 10% of which are more than 80 years old.
MARIJUANA: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has signed legislation banning intoxicating hemp products. DeWine vetoed a provision that would have allowed the continued sale of THC-infused beverages until a federal ban takes effect. He also vetoed a provision that would disqualify people with felony convictions from working in the marijuana industry. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
GEORGIA: A new InsiderAdvantage poll finds Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) leading the GOP primary for governor with 24%. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) takes 14%, while Attorney General Chris Carr (R) finishes with 9%. Almost half of voters, 49%, remain undecided. (InsiderAdvantage)
NEW YORK: U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) suspended her campaign for governor on Friday and said she would not seek re-election to Congress. Stefanik said she decided challenging Gov. Hochul would be a long shot in a year that’s shaping up to be good for Democrats. (Albany Times Union) President Trump endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) after Stefanik’s exit. (State of Politics)
MINNESOTA: President Trump threw his support behind MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (R) in the GOP race for governor, during a Dec. 19 rally in North Carolina. (USA Today)
TEXAS: Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and his wife Sen. Angela Paxton (R) have reached an agreement to unseal their divorce records. The records do not shed light on Angela Paxton’s allegations of infidelity, but more records will be produced as the case continues. (Texas Tribune)
By The Numbers
3.2 billion: The number of MetroCards issued by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority since the iconic yellow cards were introduced in 1994. The MetroCard’s last day of sales will be Dec. 31. They will be replaced by tap-and-go technology. (New York Times)
15.1%: The share of Idaho kindergarteners whose parents have opted them out of childhood vaccinations, the highest in the country and almost five times the national average. Utah has the second-highest opt out rate, 10%, followed by Oregon at 9.7%. (Willamette Week)
Nearly $5 billion: The projected surplus Indiana will see by the middle of 2027, after new and much higher tax revenue projections. The surplus is nearly double what officials expected when the budget was finalized in April. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Off The Wall
A landmark new law in North Dakota approved earlier this year accidentally includes two fake names in a list of critical minerals. The law lists friezium and stralium as minerals covered under the legislative text — an apparent reference to Christopher Fritz and David Straley, attorneys for North American Coal who were involved in drafting the bill and its amendments. Straley said they weren’t responsible for adding their own names to the bill. (Fargo Forum)
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) has been working with Wizards of the Coast, the Renton-based producer of Dungeons & Dragons, to donate game kits to libraries across the state. Hobbs has been a D&D fan since he was a kid, rediscovering the game about a decade ago when he served in the state Senate. (Tacoma News Tribune)
Quote of the Day
“No one has the same two experiences with bears.”
— Mason Trumble, deputy commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which held listening sessions this year on bear management. (Connecticut Public Radio)
There have been a LOT of headlines about bears in Connecticut this year. One would think Yogi and Boo Boo are around every corner.