State / Local

Trump Administration Sues Another State for Sensitive Voter Data
The Trump administration has sued another state — Virginia — in its quest to obtain sensitive voter data, despite two recent legal setbacks in suits against other states. The suit against Virginia is the latest in a monthslong quest to obtain voters’ private information.
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States Go Their Own Way as RFK Jr. Shifts Federal Vaccine Policy
In response to the new federal vaccine guidance, advanced by anti-vaxx activists now determining vaccine policy at HHS, many states have created formal alliances to share health information and formulate science-based policies for their residents. “The science is clear. Vaccines remain the best protection for keeping children and communities healthy,” the Northeast Public Health Collaborative said in a statement.
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Two States Designate Muslim Group as Terrorist, but Other GOP Governors Mum
The governors of Texas and Florida have declared the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group a foreign terrorist organization, but they may stand alone. None of their Republican counterparts in other states seem ready to follow suit.
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“Construction Can’t Continue": South Texas Builders Say ICE Arrests Have Upended Industry
More than 300 people attended an impromptu meeting that industry leaders in the Rio Grande Valley hosted to draw attention to the chilling effect ICE arrests have had on construction.
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Feds Demand Compromise on Colorado River While States Flounder Amid Water Shortage
Western states that rely on the Colorado River have less than two months to agree on how to manage the troubled river – and pressure is mounting as the federal government pushes for a compromise and a troubling forecast for the river’s two biggest reservoirs looms.
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A Huge Cache of Critical Minerals Found in Utah May Be the Largest in the U.S.
A Utah company says it has unearthed a massive deposit of minerals crucial for building electric vehicles, semiconductors, satellites, magnets, and more. The discovery could reshape the clean energy supply chain.
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Colorado Adopts First-of-Its-Kind Water Protections in U.S.
In a bipartisan move, Colorado environmental leaders approved landmark water protections in reaction to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that they believed weakened regulations in Western states.
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A West Texas County Wants to Better Prepare for Floods. Paying for It Will Be Tricky.
Ector County has boomed since the 1970s, when the drainage system was last updated. Officials hope state and federal funds will help pay for the update despite some grant programs ending under the Trump administration.
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South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect of Vaccine Misinformation
For the first time in more than two decades, the United States is poised to lose its measles elimination status, a designation indicating that outbreaks are rare and rapidly contained. The confluence of larger national trends —including historically low vaccination rates, skepticism fueled by the pandemic, misinformation, and “health freedom” ideologies promoted by conservative politicians —have put communities at risk for the reemergence of a preventable, potentially deadly virus.
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How a Billionaire’s Plan to Export East Texas Groundwater Sparked a Rural Uprising
As fast-growing cities and suburbs scramble for new water sources, farmers in East Texas are turning to government regulation to keep their wells from running dry.
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Will Texas Actually Run Out of Water?
You asked our AI chatbot about Texas’ water supply. We answered some of the questions that it couldn’t.
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What Really Happened in Portland Before Trump Deployed the National Guard
President Donald Trump said there was a need to deploy National Guard troops to “War ravaged” Portland to protect “under-siege” ICE agents. The president’s claims were divorced from the reality on the ground. In the two months before Trump’s decision, criminal charges were announced against only three people. On nights when physical conflict did erupt, it often came from police firing on, shoving, pepper-spraying, and tackling protesters.
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Arizona Looks to Legal Immigration with Trump's Border Security
In Arizona, state and local leaders have called on the federal government to enforce illegal immigration more strictly for years. But Arizona legislators have also been pushing Congress to develop an additional legal immigration pathway in the state.
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Drought Is Quietly Pushing American Cities Toward a Fiscal Cliff
Municipal bond defaults of any kind are extraordinarily rare, let alone those linked to a changing climate. But drought is set to pose a greater risk to the $4 trillion municipal bond market than floods, hurricanes, and wildfires combined.
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The West’s Power Grid Could Be Stitched Together — If Red and Blue States Buy In
A regional electricity market could provide benefits, but state leaders say the details matter.
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