Good morning, it’s Wednesday, September 24, 2025. In today’s edition, blue states backfill Planned Parenthood’s coffers; Texas Gov signs bathroom bill; Virginia sets early voting record:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: Blue states are making plans to reimburse Planned Parenthood for providing non-abortion services to Medicaid patients after Congress eliminated federal reimbursement shares. Washington and Colorado have already committed to making reimbursements, while Massachusetts plans to spend $2 million to fund non-abortion services.
Hawaii, New York and Oregon are all considering their own plans to replace slashed federal funding. On the other side of the coin, the North Carolina Senate voted Monday to end Medicaid coverage for non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood, following Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas, which have done the same over recent years. (Pluribus News)
TRANS RIGHTS: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed legislation requiring people to use bathrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth in schools and government-owned buildings. The measure does not allow exceptions for transgender inmates housed in prisons and jails. (Texas Tribune)
ENERGY: California lawmakers this month approved legislation requiring data centers to report projected water use before they begin operating. The bill would require existing data centers to certify their existing water use. Large data centers can use up to 500,000 gallons of water per day. (Los Angeles Times)
MARIJUANA: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation rolling back taxes on recreational marijuana in an effort to provide relief for the struggling industry. The law will temporarily revert excise taxes to 15%, after lawmakers boosted those taxes to 19% earlier this year. Legal pot growers say the black market is still hindering their business. (CalMatters)
MORE: The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has created an emergency rule banning the sale of THC products to those under 21. The rule comes about two weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order requiring agencies to ban sales to minors. (KXAN)
REDISTRICTING: Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) says lawmakers should break norms to redraw congressional district lines to aid President Trump. House Speaker Todd Huston (R) and Senate President Rodric Bray (R) have been silent since lawmakers met in caucus two weeks ago. (State Affairs) Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R) says his members are “considering seriously” a plan to redraw his state’s maps. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: Former Assemb. Ian Calderon (D) will run for governor in 2026, joining a crowded Democratic field. Calderon, 39, is the only Millennial in the race. He pitched himself as a tech-hip, crypto-friendly candidate. (Associated Press)
WISCONSIN: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) formally entered the race to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers (D). Tiffany has positioned himself as a staunch ally of President Trump since winning a special election to the House in 2020. (State Affairs)
CALIFORNIA: The political committee backing Gov. Newsom’s push to redistrict the state has rolled out a new ad starring U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). The committee opposing the plan, funded by GOP donor Charles Munger Jr., is using former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) recent comments against gerrymandering in its own new ad campaign. (Sacramento Bee)
CRIME BLOTTER: Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R) has been sentenced to three years in prison for public corruption. Casada’s former chief of staff got two and a half years in the case. (State Affairs) Former Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D) was sentenced to six months in jail for a burglary conviction, though she will be allowed to serve her time on work release. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
By The Numbers
More than 32,000: The number of Virginia voters who cast ballots on Friday, the first day of early voting ahead of this year’s gubernatorial election. That’s more than twice as many voters who turned out on the first day of early voting in 2021. (WTVR)
Almost 388,800: The number of attendees at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer this year, a new record and up from the 370,485 who attended last year. A grand total of 8,831 people entered exhibit categories for everything from baked goods to beekeeping. (Anchorage Daily News)
Off The Wall
A team of researchers in Patagonia has uncovered the most complete skeleton of a megaraptor ever found. The Joaquinraptor, named for the son of the lead researcher, was a 23-foot tall predator with massive claws. The Argentinian skeleton had a crocodile bone in its mouth. (New York Times)
Sister Rene Parman, a Catholic nun in Ohio, celebrated her 105th birthday by hitting the links at Knoll Run Golf Course in Lowellville. Parman, a nun since she was 18, has been teaching younger colleagues to play golf for years. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“The program is certainly being utilized and the savings are substantial, there’s no question about that.”
— North Dakota Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus, on a tax incentive program that saved data center operators $41 million last year. North Dakota exempts data centers from the state’s 5% sales tax. (Fargo Forum)