Indiana election officials have canceled or rejected the voter registrations for hundreds of immigrant Hoosiers under a recent proof of citizenship law. One analysis found 981 existing voters had registrations canceled, and another 644 prospective voters have been rejected — or about 62% of the 2,602 people processed.

Charrie Stambaugh was one of those people. Stambaugh has been a U.S. citizen for nearly three decades and has cast a ballot in every election since she became eligible to vote. 

In Episode 36, you’ll hear from Stambaugh about the frustrating re-registration process and the importance of election integrity to  Indiana voters. 

You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They got you covered on the latest on: the offshore wind industry, immigration detention centers and the future of skill games in Pennsylvania.  

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. 

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: American flags sit atop a wooden table before a naturalization ceremony at the federal courthouse in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement coming into Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania seems familiar to some people there – and not in a good way.

Many residents had no idea a detention center could be built there until reading about it in a news article. They felt blindsided by their local politicians. Now community members worry their area will get taken advantage of again. 

In Episode 35, we explore the risks the project in Schuylkill County pose to an area that’s already struggling to mitigate harms from unwanted industries past and present. 

Because of the absence of public input regarding the ICE detention center, residents worry whether their local officials will hold DHS accountable for how the town’s resources will be used.  

“ICEd Out: Detention center plans meet resistance in Pennsylvania’s coal region” is a series that explores how commonwealth residents are pushing back against the facilities.

The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Emily Previti spent time in Coal Region to find out how the plan is landing with residents, elected leaders and business owners.

ICEd Out is a limited series from Folo PA, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s podcast, produced by Emily Previti and edited by Tim Lambert. Special thanks to WITF for the use of their studios. 

You can listen to the full series here.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. 

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo:  A sign advertising a fish fry at the Tremont Borough Fire Company in Tremont, Schuylkill County on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Pennsylvania Capital-Star).

Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, has only one stop light, but the 300-person community is now at the center of the national immigration debate. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to convert an old warehouse in the area into a 7,500-person detention facility. Many of Tremont’s most vocal residents are wary about whether their township can support the ICE facility. 

Some see the planned detention center as a workforce opportunity, while others fear it will only exacerbate the community’s economic and environmental problems.

In Episode 34, we’re handing the reins to our States Newsroom colleagues at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star for Part 2 of their series “ICEd Out.”

“ICEd Out: Detention center plans meet resistance in Pennsylvania’s coal region” is a new series that explores how commonwealth residents are pushing back against the facilities.

The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Emily Previti spent time in Coal Region to learn how the plan is being received by residents, elected leaders and business owners.

She found people grappling with being thrust into the national immigration debate and – once again – with the possibility of exploitation by outsiders.

ICEd Out is a limited series from Folo PA, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s podcast, produced by Emily Previti and edited by Tim Lambert. Special thanks to WITF for the use of their studios. 

You can listen to the full series here.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. 

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: Bernie Gardula walks with his dog Jade near his office at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park in Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

For months, The New Hampshire Bulletin investigated case after case of abuse and neglect in the state’s intellectual and developmental disability care system, which relies on private agencies to provide care to individuals. 

What they found exposed systemic failures in oversight and harm prevention, publicly reporting families’ stories of loss and trauma for the first time. 

In Episode 33, you’ll hear from reporter William Skipworth from The New Hampshire Bulletin. 

Skipworth won the prestigious 2026 Livingston Award for local reporting for the three-part series, A System of Harm.

Previously, as a reporter in Missouri, he wrote about abuse of Missourians with developmental disabilities within the state’s care system.

Finally, Daybreak newsletter author Madyson Fitzgerald shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: Community Bridges, based in Concord, is one of 10 nonprofit area agencies in New Hampshire serving people with disabilities. The agencies “operate within the guidelines and regulations established by the Department of Health and Human Services.” (Photo by Allegra Boverman/For the New Hampshire Bulletin)

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana versus Callais decision gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, more than a dozen states moved to redraw their congressional district maps. Ten succeeded in quickly pushing through new lines.

Louisiana’s state legislature passed a new map that redrew the majority-Black district seat currently held by Democratic Representative Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge. His voters were at the center of the Callais decision. 

Even though his district was redrawn in an effort to bolster Republican ranks in Congress, Fields remains optimistic. 

In Episode 32, Fields discusses why the fight for voting rights isn’t over. 

Over in South Carolina, the White House pressured the Republican-led state legislature to pass a new GOP-friendly map. If passed, it would have dismantled the district held by the lone Democratic representative of the state.

Jessica Holdman, senior reporter from the South Carolina Daily Gazette, will explain what ended up happening.

Finally, Evening Wrap newsletter author Danielle Gaines shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: Photo: Louisiana U.S. Representative Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, spoke at the Baton Rouge Press Club luncheon July 28, 2025. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in January challenging trans athlete bans in Idaho and West Virginia. A decision is expected early this summer.

In 2020, Idaho became the first state in the nation to implement this kind of ban, which prohibits transgender athletes in girl’s and women’s sports.

In recent years, state lawmakers passed a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. The measures have included a bill requiring forced outing of youth and a bathroom ban that criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, including in private businesses.

Many advocates have described the measures as the most extreme in the nation. For one Idaho family of medical providers, the bathroom ban was their last straw. Now, they’re figuring out if they can move out of the state.

In Episode 31, you’ll hear from Michael and Dr. Angie Devitt from Boise. They have been outspoken in defending LGBTQ+ rights in the Idaho state legislature. 

You’ll also hear from Idaho Capital Sun reporter Kyle Pfannenstiel, who has been following the debate over the anti-LGBTQ+ bills and how they will impact the state.

Finally, Daybreak newsletter author Madyson Fitzgerald shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. 

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected].

Photo: Michael and Dr. Angie Devitt reflect on their decision to move from Idaho after years of the Legislature and the governor approving anti-LGBTQ+ bills. (Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)

In recent months, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security spent more than one billion dollars buying nearly a dozen warehouses in several states. The plan is to convert them into immigrant detention centers as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation initiative.  

Two are being pursued in rural Pennsylvania: Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, and Upper Bern Township in Berks County. As it stands, infrastructure in the area cannot support an operation of that scale. That reality has essentially opened the door for the state government to stall the project. 

In Episode 30, we’re handing the reins to our States Newsroom colleagues at The Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

“ICEd Out: Detention center plans meet resistance in Pennsylvania’s coal region” is a new series that explores how commonwealth residents are pushing back against the facilities.

The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Emily Previti spent some time in the Coal Region to find out how the plan is landing with residents, elected leaders and business owners.

She found people in limbo, grappling with being thrust into the national immigration debate and – once again – with the possibility of exploitation by outsiders.

"ICEd Out" is a limited series from Folo PA, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s podcast, produced by Emily Previti and edited by Tim Lambert. Special thanks to WITF for the use of their studios. 

You can listen to the full series here.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. 

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: Joyce Wetzel's Kids-R-Kids daycare center at Route 209 and Rausch Creek Road, adjacent to the former Big Lots distribution center recently purchased by the federal government for conversion into a 7,500-person capacity Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and processing facility as part of its mass deportation push. (Photo credit: Jessica Kourkounis for The Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

This year, nearly every state has introduced some form of AI regulation legislation. That’s according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan public officials’ association.

Over in Michigan, the state is starting to use AI to process SNAP applications, and it’s sparking some concerns.

And in Pennsylvania, counseling experts are pushing for AI legislation in healthcare. This comes after some people have died by suicide after seeking out AI chatbots for assistance with their mental health. 

In Episode 29, you’ll hear from Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson. He’s monitoring how state officials are using the AI to read food assistance applications and where lawmakers are trying to regulate AI elsewhere. 

Then, you’ll hear from Curtis Taylor, the executive director of Authentic Wellness & Empowerment based in Eerie, Pennsylvania. He has been a vocal proponent of regulating AI chatbots in counseling and healthcare.

Finally, Evening Wrap newsletter author Danielle Gaines shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo:  A young woman asks AI companion ChatGPT for help in January 2026 in New York City. States are pushing to prevent the use of artificially intelligent chatbots in mental health to try to protect vulnerable users. (Photo by Shalina Chatlani/Stateline)

It’s still uncertain if an abortion medication can be prescribed over telehealth. Mifepristone is one of two drugs used to terminate a pregnancy before 10 weeks and to treat miscarriages, but could require an in-person visit before it’s dispensed, depending on a U.S. Supreme Court decision. 

In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a rule that allowed mifepristone to be dispensed through telehealth appointments. However, the state of Louisiana says the policy undermines their state law banning abortion and sued the FDA.

On May 1, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals took Louisiana's side and blocked remote access to abortion medication nationwide. However, that was paused when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on May 4. Now, the Supreme Court ruled telehealth abortion can resume while Louisiana's lawsuit continues.

In Episode 28, you’ll hear from Professor Jessica Waters to understand how the abortion policies from just one state are upending access nationally. Waters is the director of the American University School of Public Affairs Leadership Program. Her research focuses on reproductive rights law and policy. 

States like Florida, Oklahoma and Texas already have laws that specifically ban providers from mailing abortion pills to patients. 

Iowa is on its way to join that list, after state legislators sent a bill to the governor’s desk. You’ll hear from Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter, Robin Opsahl, who has been covering the debate. 

Finally, Daybreak newsletter author Madyson Fitzgerald shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Photo: A hearing in the Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration case on telehealth access to abortion medication took place at the John M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse in Lafayette, La., in late February. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais altered Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

The decision could upend American politics and hold sweeping consequences for how states and local governments draw district lines at all levels of government, from Congress to school boards.

What does that mean for this year’s midterms, as well as future elections?

In Episode 27, you’ll hear from Jonathan Shorman, democracy reporter for States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau. From lawmakers scrambling now to redraw congressional maps to the pause of Louisiana’s U.S. House primaries, Shorman has been watching how the states are reacting to the decision. 

Then, Professor Rick Hasen unpacks how this could re-shape future elections, and what would need to happen to prevent even more drastic changes. Hasen is an expert on election law and teaches at UCLA School of Law.

Finally, Evening Wrap newsletter author Danielle Gaines shares the top stories she’s watching.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.

Click here for the full transcript: 

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: 

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at [email protected]

Photo: A crowd fills the Senate State and Local Government Committee meeting on May 6, 2026, to protest against legislative maps that split Memphis from one into three districts. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)