State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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news
Texas Governor Signs Bill Defending Chick-Fil-A
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Monday state legislation to protect the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A from discrimination. The legislation—Senate Bill 1978, dubbed the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill—specifically prohibits local governments in the state “from retaliating against anyone based on their affiliation or support of a religious organization,” according to KEYE-TV, the CBS affiliate in Austin,… -
news
Maine Will Allow Non-Doctors to Perform Abortions
Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill Monday permitting non-doctors to perform abortions in Maine. The law will allow physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to perform abortions, according to a press release from Mills’ office. “Allowing qualified and licensed medical professionals to perform abortions will ensure that Maine women, especially those in rural areas,… -
opinion
Washington State May Have Triggered the Next Major Religious Liberty Case
One year ago last week, in a major religious liberty case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian cake artist Jack Phillips. Yet just one year later, a floral artist in Washington state now finds herself in similar circumstances to Jack. Her case could prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the matter. In… -
news
A Michigan Hotel Wants to Help Out-of-State Women Get Abortions
The manager of a small-town Michigan hotel is offering a free room for women looking to get abortions, particularly from states that have recently restricted or banned access. Shelley O’Brien, the manager of the Yale Hotel in Yale, Michigan, posted the offer on Facebook in May. The post offers several free nights at the hotel plus a… -
opinion
We Hear You: Visiting the Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas
Editor’s note: The Daily Signal’s audience responded to the reporting our Fred Lucas did from the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo, Texas. Here’s a sampling. Write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I live on Social Security and do not have funds to donate, but I read and appreciate the information The Daily Signal publishes…. -
news
Democratic Louisiana Lawmaker Defends State’s Abortion Ban
Bucking her party’s fervently pro-choice stance on abortion at the national level, a Democratic state lawmaker in Louisiana is hailing that state’s enactment of legislation that would prohibit abortion after detection of a fetal heartbeat. Appearing on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” Monday on the Fox News Channel, Louisiana state Rep. Katrina Jackson said a… -
news
California Lawmakers Move to Expand Medicaid for Illegal Immigrants
The California Assembly voted 44-11 in favor of a bill last week that broadens state Medicaid coverage to include illegal immigrants to the tune of more than $3 billion annually. Under federal law, Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, provides health care to low-income citizens. Assembly Bill 4, if passed, would eliminate the existing citizenship… -
opinion
Why Gun Control Is Wrong Response to Tragic Virginia Shooting
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that claimed the lives of 12 people, Gov. Ralph Northam has called for a special legislative session to address gun-related violence. Using the shooting as a call to action, he then proposed a variety of restrictions on lawful gun owners—not one of which would… -
opinion
Idaho’s Spring Cleaning for Regulations an Idea Worth Replicating
Imagine if government rules had an expiration date. What if, each decade, every state law, regulation, or administrative rule ended by default unless lawmakers took specific action to keep it on the books? Idaho just did that — but not on purpose. The Idaho Legislature’s inaction in April allowed more than 8,000 pages of administrative… -
news
Border Patrol Catches 116 Africans at Texas Border
The Border Patrol is seeing an increase in migrants from African countries who are blending in with the large numbers crossing the southern border illegally through Central America. Agents assigned to at the Del Rio, Texas, sector apprehended 116 individuals last week from African countries as they crossed the border from Mexico. Those caught around… -
news
Judge’s Decision Means Missouri’s Last Abortion Clinic Remains Open
A judge in St. Louis, Missouri, ruled to temporarily block the state from preventing the state’s only Planned Parenthood from performing abortions on Friday. Judge Michael F. Stelzer issued a temporary restraining order in favor of Planned Parenthood, according to NBC. The state would have been the first without one abortion clinic. The clinic would have closed… -
news
These Are the Hollywood Studios Threatening to Boycott Georgia Over Pro-Life Law
A growing number of Hollywood studios said they will consider no longer conducting their filming business in Georgia should the heartbeat law take effect in 2020. The film industry adds about $9.5 billion to Georgia’s economy, but a variety of Hollywood studios said the heartbeat law violates Roe v. Wade and that they are considering… -
news
Disney Threatens to Boycott Georgia but Partners With China, Which Puts Muslims in Internment Camps
The Walt Disney Company is considering boycotting Georgia over its new abortion law, even as Disney profits from doing business in China, a notorious human rights violator that is putting Muslims in internment camps. Disney CEO Bob Iger told Reuters on Thursday the company is likely to cease filming in Georgia if the pro-life law… -
news
Missouri Could Become the First State Without an Abortion Clinic
Attorneys for the state of Missouri and Planned Parenthood met in court Thursday in a battle over whether or not Planned Parenthood’s only remaining abortion clinic in the state would be able to remain open. The license for Planned Parenthood’s last Missouri abortion clinic expires Friday, and in a press briefing on Wednesday, Missouri Gov…. -
news
Illinois GOP Lawmakers Want to Cut off Chicago, Create New State
A group of Illinois Republicans are sponsoring legislation that would split the state in two: Chicago, and everywhere else. State Rep. Brad Halbrook, a Republican representing Shelbyville, Illinois, spoke with The Daily Signal about the effort to win better representation for the people of rural Illinois, whose traditional and economic values are affected by policies… -
news
No Border Wall, but This Will Have to Do for 1 Texas City
LAREDO, Texas—Pulling up in an SUV outside the 10-foot-tall fence at Laredo College, Narcizo Ramos recalls the problems the school used to have with unwanted visitors. “I actually came to this college as a student,” Ramos, a special operations supervisor for the U.S. Border Patrol, told The Daily Signal. “I can tell you, this little… -
opinion
The Supreme Court Delivered a Mixed Verdict on 2 Indiana Abortion Laws. Here’s What That Means.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a provision of Indiana law that requires abortion providers to bury or cremate fetal remains, while declining to review a portion of Indiana’s law—struck down by a lower court—that banned abortions on the basis of sex, race, and disability. Although the Supreme Court’s opinion in Box v. Planned Parenthood… -
news
Netflix Says It Will ‘Rethink’ Georgia Investments If Pro-Life Bill Takes Effect
Netflix’s chief content officer said in a statement that the company will “rethink” its Georgia-based investments should the “heartbeat bill” ever come into effect. Following the passing of Georgia’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion bill, which mandates that abortions are considered illegal beyond the point when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, entertainment industry boycotts have emerged… -
news
I Toured the Texas-Mexico Border. Here Are 8 Things I Learned.
LAREDO, Texas—Guarding this sector of the southern border involves a set of challenges that is quite different than nearby stations in the Lone Star State. I learned this during a tour of the border last week that included this city of about 250,000 across from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, just a few hours away across the… -
news
North Carolina Governor Under Fire for Proposing Freezing School Voucher Program
A billboard campaign in North Carolina is taking aim at Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper after his announcement proposing freezing and eventually ending a scholarship program that has benefited minority students—more than 30% of which are African-American, according to North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. The billboard says the governor is “failing when it comes to…