Good morning, it’s Thursday, April 16, 2026. In today’s edition, California tries again on age-appropriate design code; Virginia redistricting measure leads tight race; polling America’s favorite dinosaur:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: California Assemb. Buffy Wicks (D) will introduce new legislation updating the Age Appropriate Design Code law adopted in 2022 to eliminate provisions of the bill courts have said are likely unconstitutional. Committee hearings are set for today before the Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. Wicks’s new measure would eliminate requirements that platforms conduct data protection impact assessments before making a new online service, product or feature available to the public. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Gaming platform Roblox will implement new protections for young users and pay $12 million to Nevada in an agreement Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) called the first of its kind. The settlement requires Roblox to verify user ages and restrict nighttime notifications for minors. (Associated Press)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Iowa legislature has given final approval to a bill requiring AI chatbots to remind minor users that the programs are not human. The bill requires chatbots to refer minor users to a suicide hotline if the child brings up mental health issues. (Radio Iowa)
ABORTION: The South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee has advanced a measure that would ban nearly all abortions once a pregnancy is clinically diagnosable. The measure would eliminate existing exceptions for rape, incest and fatal fetal anomalies. (Charleston City Paper)
REDISTRICTING: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has delayed the start of a special session on redistricting until April 28. Senate President Ben Albritton (R) said the chamber would consider DeSantis’s map proposal, rather than producing one of their own. DeSantis also added his AI bill of rights to the special session agenda. (State Affairs)
SNAP: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) has signed legislation barring the use of SNAP benefits when purchasing candy and sodas. Alabama will be the 23rd state to accept Trump administration waivers to block those purchases. (AL.com)
CONSUMER PROTECTION: A New York jury has found entertainment giant Live Nation acts as a harmful monopoly over big concert venues. The decision, in a case brought by 22 state attorneys general, could force the company to refund consumers for additional costs added to ticket prices. Live Nation has pledged to appeal. (Associated Press)
GUN POLITICS: The Ohio Senate has advanced legislation granting citizens the right to sue for punitive damages against cities that restrict Second Amendment rights. The bill allows residents to sue over gun laws that are stricter than existing statewide ordinances. (Columbus Dispatch)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: A new State Navigate poll finds Virginia voters favoring next week’s redistricting amendment by a 51% to 45% margin. President Trump’s approval rating stands at just 42%, while 57% disapprove. Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) approval rating stands at 47%, while the same number disapproves of her job performance. (State Navigate)
MASSACHUSETTS: A new Suffolk University poll finds Gov. Maura Healey (D) leading two potential primary challengers by wide margins. The survey finds Healey leading Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll (D) 66% to 10%, and ahead of Auditor Diana DiZoglio (D) 63% to 11%. Healey’s approval rating among Democratic primary voters is 75%. (Suffolk)
MISSISSIPPI: Former House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) has formally entered the race for governor in 2027. Gunn left office in 2024. He joins Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson (R) and Auditor Shad White (R) in the GOP primary; Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) is also likely to run. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
COLORADO: State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) has qualified for the primary election for governor. She will face state Rep. Scott Bottoms (R) and political newcomer Victor Marx (R) in the June 30 primary; both Bottoms and Marx qualified for office through the state Republican convention. (Denver Post)
OKLAHOMA: The state House has approved a resolution adding a measure to the August 25 primary runoff ballot that would ask voters to enshrine voter identification requirements in the state constitution. The measure would allow the legislature to enact laws to specify requirements for proof of identification. (Oklahoma Voice)
By The Numbers
24%: The share of Americans who say their favorite dinosaur is a Tyrannosaurus rex. The brontosaurus came in second at 7%, followed by the triceratops at 6% and pterodactyls and velociraptors at 5% each. Fully 39% of Americans say they don’t have a favorite dinosaur, which feels sad. (YouGov)
$250,000: The amount New Jersey lawmakers spent changing the name of the Juvenile Justice Commission to the Youth Justice Commission. The money pays for email and domain name changes, vehicle wraps, office supplies and uniform updates for the commission’s 300 officers. (New Jersey Monitor)
$250,000 a word? Where do aspiring freelancers sign up?
Off The Wall
The South Carolina Senate has approved legislation protecting statues, monuments and street and building names from removal. The measure also bans QR code stickers that could be scanned by a cellphone to give additional information about historic figures. (Associated Press)
Kentucky lawmakers have adopted legislation naming rescue dogs and cats the official state pet, after years of lobbying by tenacious teenager Ethan Branscum. Branscum, 13, has advocated to honor rescue pets since he was 6 years old. (Kentucky Lantern)
Yale’s Student Fragrance Organization will release a line of school-themed perfumes, five scents under its “Lux et al” brand. The fragrances include scents called “Spring Fling,” “Mory’s” and “Linsly.” (Yale Daily News)
The jokes write themselves. Your author’s alma mater’s signature fragrance might be called “Intern on the Metro.”
Quote of the Day
“Until then, thank you for your work, rest up and enjoy some time away from this place.”
— Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D), dismissing lawmakers until April 29, when they will return to Augusta for a veto session. (Maine Public Radio)