Good morning, it’s Monday, September 11, 2023. In today’s edition, X sues California over misinformation law; auto workers poised to strike; New Mexico governor bans open carry in Albuquerque:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: The social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a federal lawsuit challenging California’s 2022 law that requires social media companies to publish terms of service and report on enforcement of rules against hate speech and misinformation. The lawsuit alleges the law violates state and federal constitutional free speech guarantees. (Pluribus News)
MORE: A federal appeals court sided with attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri that the Biden administration violated the First Amendment by threatening social media companies over posts that spread misinformation. The three-judge panel vacated much of a lower court’s ruling barring the government from communicating with those social media companies. (St. Louis Public Radio)
LABOR: Negotiations between auto workers and three major manufacturers are progressing slowly ahead of a Thursday deadline to reach a new contract. About 146,000 auto workers are set to strike if General Motors, Ford and Stellantis do not agree to raise wages and restore benefits. The United Auto Workers have asked for a 46% pay increase over four years, a 32-hour work week and defined benefit pensions for new hires. (Associated Press)
9/11: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will sign legislation to notify thousands of people who may be eligible for assistance through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund or the World Trade Center Health Program. The new law will require businesses that operated near Ground Zero to notify employees about federal benefits and health monitoring. (State of Politics)
GUN POLITICS: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on Friday issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque to address violent crime. The National Association for Gun Rights filed suit in federal court seeking to block the order. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R) has established a select committee on hurricane resiliency and recovery, to be chaired by House Majority Leader Michael Grant (R). The committee will be charged with helping recovery efforts after Hurricanes Idalia, Ian and Nicole, and for ways to protect the state against future storms. (Florida Politics)
HEALTH CARE: California lawmakers will decide this week whether to place two measures on the March 2024 ballot that would raise $4.7 billion to build substance abuse treatment facilities to care for 10,000 patients. The measures are expected to pass, but advocacy groups have raised concerns that the new model could shift resources away from existing services. (Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation to require insurance companies to offer coverage for hearing-related devices and services for children. One of the measures introduced in the state House, requiring insurers to provide coverage for hearing evaluations and hearing device adjustments, has bipartisan support. (Michigan Advance)
TAXES: Arkansas lawmakers return to Little Rock today for a special session to cut the state’s top individual tax rate from 4.7% to 4.4%, and the top corporate income tax rate from 5.1% to 4.8%. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) wants lawmakers to approve a $150 tax credit for those who make less than $90,000 a year. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
In Politics & Business
WASHINGTON: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) endorsed Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) as his successor. Ferguson formally launched his campaign this weekend with events in Seattle, Pasco and Spokane. (Seattle Times)
COLORADO: Senate Democrats have chosen Sen. Robert Rodriguez (D) as their new majority leader. He replaces Sen. Dominick Moreno (D), who resigned to take a job in Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration. (Denver Post)
OHIO: State Rep. Bob Young (R) will resign from office effective Oct. 2, in the face of domestic violence allegations. Thirty-four House Republicans and Gov. Mike DeWine (R) had called on Young to quit after he allegedly violated a restraining order tied to the case. (Columbus Dispatch)
BUSINESS: Supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons will sell 413 stores and eight distribution centers to a New Hampshire-based grocery company to assuage regulators as they pursue a merger. Attorneys general from across the nation have raised concerns that the merger would reduce consumer options. (Oregonian)
By The Numbers
$255.7 million: The amount Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) says the city will spend to address a growing migrant crisis. Johnson’s administration plans to move migrants into “winterized base camps” before temperatures plunge. (Chicago Sun Times)
54: The number of days this year when the mercury topped 110 degrees in Phoenix, breaking the previous record set in 2020. Maricopa County says at least 194 people have died from heat-related causes this year. (Arizona Republic)
Off The Wall
Sand Springs, Okla., resident John Patrick has given the state Historical Society an official copy of the legislature’s 1913 bill appropriating money to build the state Capitol building. Patrick found the bill in a pile of papers owned by his grandfather, a postmaster and civil war veteran. (McCarville Report)
Passengers flying on a Swiss Airlines flight from Zurich to Bilbao on Saturday waited more than two hours for their luggage to appear after landing — but none of their bags made it off the tarmac in Zurich. The airline blamed staff shortages for the pilot’s decision to take off without anyone’s bags on board. (AFP)
Quote of the Day
“Of course not. By definition. Won’t happen.”
— California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), asked on Meet The Press whether he could imagine running against Vice President Kamala Harris (D). (Sacramento Bee)