The States

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial nomination despite having dropped out of the race, defeating Rep. Francesca Hong and setting up a November matchup against Republican Tom Tiffany, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar won Minnesota's Democratic nomination to face House Speaker Lisa DeMuth. In Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated 78-year-old, 14-term Rep. John Larson, while Vermont's progressive challengers largely lost to moderate incumbents.

West Virginia state Delegate Tristan Leavitt said Flock Safety's government relations head, Kevin Kane, testified the company's cameras had never been hacked despite past incidents including unauthorized access to 60 cameras in Bakersfield, California, and misleading testimony in Connecticut about sharing data with federal law enforcement. Leavitt said lawmakers are weighing what safeguards and warrant requirements should govern license plate reader data, noting the technology has both aided criminal investigations and raised civil liberties concerns nationwide.

Also, in this episode:

A state judge temporarily blocked New York City's rollout of its 4% surcharge on second homes worth over $5 million, ordering the city to remove a public list of 900,000-plus flagged properties, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration won an appeal keeping the tax fight alive ahead of August 31 oral arguments.

The tax, projected to raise over $500 million annually, has an appeal deadline of September 18 for the roughly 17,000 flagged property owners, with a further appeal option through March 2027.

A Center Square investigation found Illinois gave the nonprofit Erase PTSD Now roughly $770,000 in Veterans Cash Grant Program funds for a neck-injection PTSD treatment developed by Dr. Eugene Lipov, despite clinical trials showing no more effect than a placebo and grant applications overstating remission claims.

The investigation found nearly all of the nonprofit's grant money went to Lipov's own clinic, and its executive director, Colleen LaCosta, draws roughly $100,000 salaries from two separate nonprofits while neither she nor a board member who received the shot has been diagnosed with PTSD.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday sued TikTok, alleging its 13+ age rating and "restricted mode" fail to shield minors from inappropriate content and that the platform is intentionally designed to be addictive.

The Ninth Circuit rejected Meta's bid to dismiss thousands of federal addiction lawsuits, following a $942 million New Mexico jury verdict and a $6 million Los Angeles County verdict against social media companies, while Illinois' 2028 youth social media restriction law faces industry opposition from NetChoice.

Seattle City Council members criticized Mayor Katie Wilson over a five-hour delay in addressing the Bite of Seattle Festival shooting that killed three.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania landlord Ed Benz says a 36% property tax hike is cutting into his rental profits.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $32 million in federal security grants for 157 nonprofits at risk of hate crimes or terror attacks.  

21 Democratic state attorneys general sued the Trump administration over proposed 2027 ACA marketplace insurance changes.

Plus America's Talking:  

Washington: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_1f7486da-90b4-429f-83bf-6ff7e5e25dd5.html

Pennsylvania:  https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_e4fd56dd-4eaa-4f20-974f-cb483dac113d.html

New York: https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_york/article_69852e01-68bc-435b-b508-81388e87adfc.html

Arizona: https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_ed21084f-b37d-408d-9508-47c1ec4bb53d.html

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

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Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, Vermont, and Alabama held primaries under widely varying voter ID requirements, with attorney Stephen Kaufman arguing that federal and state voter-ID/citizenship-documentation efforts amount to voter suppression rather than integrity measures. The U.S. Senate's Save America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, remains stalled short of the 60 votes needed, while a related California ballot measure (Proposition 39) requiring in-person voter ID and partial ID numbers on mail ballots faces ongoing litigation over ballot language.

Also, in this episode:

Wisconsin governor primary: Democratic candidates State Rep. Francesca Hong (44% in the latest poll), Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (22%), and State Sen. Kelda Roys are focused on affordability, health care costs, and child care subsidies, while Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany remains the frontrunner on pledges to freeze property taxes and cut regulations.

The U.S. Justice Department deployed Civil Rights Division agents to monitor polling sites in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, prompting criticism from Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, as voters choose nominees for governor (following Gov. Tim Walz's decision not to seek a third term) and several competitive congressional primaries.

Trump-endorsed Mike Lindell is competing for the Republican gubernatorial nomination against House Speaker Melissa Demuth and Kendall Qualls, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar is among Democratic candidates for governor.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Suncor v. Boulder County Commissioners on October 5, addressing whether states can use local law to regulate out-of-state energy companies over climate-related conduct, with the 2022 pork-producer case National Pork Producers v. Ross seen as a key precedent; Justice Samuel Alito is confirmed to remain on the bench for the term's start.

Economist Orphe Divounguy said June's owner's-equivalent-rent measure rose just 0.1% (the smallest increase since January 2021) due to a prior apartment-construction surge, but warned rent growth is now reaccelerating as builders pull back, with a persistent 4.3 million-unit gap between housing supply and demand.

The Center Square's ongoing investigation found a North Carolina-funded nonprofit promotes gender-affirming care resources for minors despite a state law banning such treatments for children, and an Illinois nonprofit, Erase PTSD Now, has paid millions to businesses owned by its founder, Dr. Eugene Lipov.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams said nearly 4,000 nonprofits receive government funding covering 50% or more of executive salaries, calling for mandatory annual audits of nonprofits receiving public money.  

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

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The Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling that upheld a Maryland school district's policy requiring teachers to use students' preferred pronouns without notifying parents, citing conflict with the Court's earlier ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. The group also sent demand letters to Washington, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey over similar state-level policies allowing students to socially transition at school without parental notification, arguing the practices violate FERPA and constitutional parental rights.

Also, in this episode:

President Trump signed executive orders targeting birth tourism, restricting visas for people suspected of traveling to the U.S. specifically to give birth, following the Supreme Court's June ruling that upheld birthright citizenship and struck down his earlier executive order banning it.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin criticized the action as an unconstitutional attempt to undermine birthright citizenship, while White House officials said the order targets alien enemies, foreign terrorist organization members, and foreign lobbyists rather than birthright citizenship itself.

A Center Square investigation found government grants to nonprofits nearly doubled from $149 billion across 56,000 nonprofits in 2016 to $319 billion across more than 100,000 nonprofits by 2022, with 10% of a sampled 11,000 nonprofits receiving taxpayer money and at least one executive earning over $300,000 annually.

The investigative team cited Illinois State Rep. Carol Ammons' federal fraud case, involving nonprofits allegedly funneling state money to pay her daughter, as an example of the accountability concerns driving the ongoing series.

California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a state-funded EV rebate program ($3,500 for new, $1,750 for used vehicles) to replace lapsed federal incentives, while criticizing oil companies and defending the state's investment in EV manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid.

Illinois reopened its EV rebate program August 1 with a $14 million state allocation, offering up to $4,000 for low-income buyers on vehicles priced under $80,000, joining other states including New York, Colorado, Washington, Texas, Maryland, and Oregon that maintain their own EV incentive programs.

Colorado saw nearly 60,000 background checks in July — almost triple the prior year — ahead of a new semi-automatic firearm restriction law taking effect August 1.

Investigators allege a "smurfing" scheme funneled unauthorized ActBlue political donations attributed to Wisconsin donors.

Illinois Governor Pritzker signed over 75 bills including rideshare driver unionization and restrictions on new ICE detention center locations.

74% of Florida voters support Amendment 3's property tax relief proposal, which would cost local governments an estimated $12 billion annually if passed.

Plus, America's Talking:  

Colorado: https://www.thecentersquare.com/colorado/article_bb90254b-0d75-451d-9e2e-12000dcc913b.html

Wisconsin: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_3bc6df48-b954-4365-8fd5-697f8a10d3dd.html

Illinois: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_835c4e76-591c-4eb5-bb9a-6cac0500ba08.html

Florida: https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/article_431215c8-304d-4cd8-b0fc-351210d0e7fc.html

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this edition of the Center Square Radio Hour, thirty-one states have opted in to the federal Education Freedom  Scholarship Program, while 19 states and Washington, D.C. have not, ahead of the January 2027 deadline. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife released the last four years of tax returns late last week, providing a glimpse into their financial life over the last four years of Newsom’s  time in office.

The notary public who certified that a Georgia judge's brother signed a  will 12 days before his death once certified another signature for the  judge's family—by a dead woman.

And Mortgage rates just hit their highest level in a year, and new economic data shows it's the lower end of the housing market getting squeezed while high-end buyers keep winning — we break down why, plus what it means for the Fed's next move on interest rates. 

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Confidential documents show nearly two dozen state attorneys general, including 21 Democrats, signed a plan as early as April 2024 — nine months before Trump took office — to coordinate litigation against his administration, with a former Republican AG calling the practice a politicized waste of resources.

A federal judge in Texas ruled the NFA's registration requirement for short-barreled rifles and suppressors unconstitutional, reasoning that Congress can't require registration tied to a $200 transfer tax that lawmakers eliminated last year; the ruling is stayed seven days and currently applies only to plaintiffs in gun-rights associational groups.

Also, in this episode:

Vice President J.D. Vance told congressional Republicans the task force has identified more than $230 billion in suspected fraud and called for legislation requiring state-federal data sharing on welfare programs, alongside advisers Andrew Ferguson and Stephen Miller, who said over 95% of fraud could be addressed with better data sharing and AI verification tools.

DeKalb County, Georgia notary Jacqueline Walker lost her commission after a Center Square investigation found she had notarized a document for a woman who'd been dead three weeks, raising credibility questions about a separate contested will she notarized for the same family, involving DeKalb County Judge Rothelia Stroud's relatives.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed bills allowing state regulators to review and reject excessive home and auto insurance rate increases.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is simultaneously running for reelection as secretary of state and for Chicago mayor.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Republican secretary of state candidate Diane Harris criticized Giannoulias for running for both offices at once, with Mendoza citing his prior oversight of a $100 million loss in the Bright Start college savings program.

Declassified documents show prosecutors declined to charge a hacker who stole 633,000 Maricopa County, Arizona voter records before the 2020 election.

Nearly 5,000 New York City property owners are seeking exemptions from the new second-home tax.

The ACLU of Nevada sued Las Vegas police over records-request fees exceeding $6,800.

California's Assembly Republican Caucus replaced Minority Leader Heath Flora with Alexandra Macedo following ethics investigations into Flora.

Plus, America's Talking:

Elections: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_a6ad90fe-3f92-4166-a4b0-57557c72ff66.html

New York: https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_york/article_d439c2f7-394b-4aa7-8725-66b97afc2ca9.html

Nevada: https://www.thecentersquare.com/nevada/article_2829596a-35da-4fe9-9ccb-bac9d434f9de.html

California: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_d465af54-659d-485b-beea-5466e3b62192.html

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yesterday several states went to the polls to decide primary contests ahead of November's midterm election. Progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by roughly 16,000 votes in Michigan's Democratic primary and will face Trump-endorsed Republican Mike Rogers, who leads recent polling 46.7% to 42.3%, in November. In Virginia, retired Army Major General Bert Mizusawa won the Republican Senate primary with 52.5% of the vote and will face Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in November. Missouri's Amendment 5, which would have gradually phased out the state income tax in favor of an expanded sales tax base, failed by more than 1.1 million to 233,000 votes, with analysts citing a lack of specific details as the main reason for its defeat.

Also, in this episode:

The ATF's public comment period closed on a proposed rule clarifying that overnight stays, food and fuel stops, and other incidental activities are protected under federal law when transporting firearms across state lines, drawing over 4,100 comments split between Second Amendment groups supporting it and Senate Democrats, including Dick Durbin, warning it could preempt state gun laws like Illinois' Protect Illinois Communities Act.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom released four years of tax returns showing $4.2 million in adjusted gross income in 2021, driven largely by a home sale and capital gains, on top of his roughly $220,000-$246,000 gubernatorial salary.

California's Justice Department said it spent $19.2 million over 18 months on 82 lawsuits against the Trump administration, claiming an 83% win rate and $207.1 billion in taxpayer savings, though it has not provided a detailed breakdown of that savings figure.

Greg talks to Ph.D. economist Orphe Divounguy about the housing market

Plus, America's Talking:

A second lawsuit challenging Texas's Ten Commandments classroom-display law gets its first hearing Friday.

Illinois Democratic Rep. Carol Ammons faces a House ethics committee inquiry alongside her ongoing federal wire fraud case.

A federal strike force charged 19 defendants in a $4 million Philadelphia Medicaid/Medicare home care fraud scheme.

A Shreveport, Louisiana business owner says the city has failed to fix a chronic drainage problem damaging her property.

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former Seattle Police Chief Sean Barnes resigned following communication breakdowns after a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle Festival left three dead, with public records showing a five-hour delay before officials held a press conference. Text messages obtained by The Center Square show Washington Governor Bob Ferguson was not responsible for the delay, while reporting also revealed Barnes doesn't live in Washington state and received a $700,000+ severance package on top of a $300,000+ salary.

Also, in this episode:

A Legislative Inspector General report found former Democratic state Rep. Harry Benton committed two founded acts of sexual harassment, including incidents at bars in Springfield and Chicago, though most other allegations were ruled unfounded due to statute-of-limitations or scope issues.

House Speaker Chris Welch said his office followed proper procedure, but Republican Leader Tony McCombie and Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy both called for accountability, with Cassidy specifically accusing Welch of his own misconduct toward a former intern.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has solicited more than $340 million in "behested payments" since 2019 from corporations, unions, and tribes to third-party nonprofits, including $32 million from Facebook and $21 million from Blue Shield, the latter of which later received a $15 million no-bid COVID vaccine contract.

These payments are legal, lightly regulated, and unlimited in size, unlike capped campaign contributions, and California's Fair Political Practices Commission only checks that disclosure forms are filed on time, not whether the payments raise conflicts of interest.

Orphe Divounguy analyzes last week's Federal Reserve decision to hold interest rates flat and what that means for consumers.

Plus, America's Talking:

Arizona and Nevada opposed a federal Colorado River water-reduction plan affecting 40 million people.

A Georgia congressman revived a bill to bar witnesses who plead the Fifth before Congress, prompted by Anthony Fauci's testimony, from future government employment.

A new Louisiana law bans retail debit card surcharges.

31 states have opted into the federal Education Freedom Scholarship tax-credit program while 19 states plus D.C., including Illinois and Pennsylvania, have not.

The States delivers taxpayer-focused reporting from around America, powered by The Center Square.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to The Center Square Radio Hour, your source for taxpayer centric straight news from across America. I’m your host greg bishop. Be sure to follow all of today’s stories at The Center Square dot com.

On this edition of the Center Square Radio Hour,

Democratic party fundraising organization ActBlue continues to be scrutinized after questionable campaign contributions are investigated.

Prosecuting Animal rights activists storming a dog breeder over alleged animal mistreatment could end up costing taxpayers millions

Parental rights around gender identity and the ongoing drive to dismantle the department of education

And, how will the federal reserve keeping interest rates flat impact the economy?

All these stories and more on this edition of the center square radio hour. We’ll be right back after this.

(Promo: 30 - 60 sec)

Welcome back to the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop.

Clip 1 ACT BLUE 10

This is the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop.

Clip 2 JARED STRONG 10

This is the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop.

(outro) After the break, we'll take a look at more stories from The Center Square.

Including the federal government giving several school districts a deadline to answer why they are witholding gender identity information from parents and analysis of what it means that the federal reserve will keep interest rates flat heading into the fall.

those stories and more from the center square dot com when we return on ‘the center square radio hour.’

(half hour version outro) 

That concludes another week of the center square radio hour.

we encourage you to listen to the full hour of the center square radio hour wherever you find podcasts.

And check out The Center Square youtube page for daily news coverage just like this.

I’m greg bishop and thank you for listening.

(Break)

Welcome back to the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop

Now for some quick hits with headlines from across the country,

Clip 3 THURSDAY'S AMERICA'S TALKING 4 minutes

You can find more stories like these at the center square dot com

We'll be right back in a moment with more.

Break - 30 sec promo

Welcome back to the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop

Clip 4 ESTHER Thursday 10

This is the center square radio hour I’m greg bishop

Now lets go to a conversation I had with Ph.D. Economist, Orphe Divounguy discussing the outcome of this weeks' Federal Open Markets Commission meeting where they kept interest rates flat.

Clip 5 Orphe Thursday 7:53

That will do it for another week of the center square radio hour. 

If you missed some of today’s show, you can find it where ever you find podcasts. 

I’m greg bishop and thank you for listening to the center square radio hour.

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Seattle's police chief resigns after criticism over the city's response to a deadly mass shooting, raising new questions about public safety and government accountability. Plus, a new national report grades colleges on free speech, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pushes new gun restrictions, Wisconsin's Act 10 returns to court, and President Trump launches the Freedom Haulers initiative to help veterans earn commercial driver's licenses. In today's episode of The States, powered by The Center Square: Seattle Police Chief resigns after mass shooting controversy New campus free speech rankings from FIRE New York proposes tougher firearm sales restrictions Virginia assault weapons ban remains on hold Wisconsin Act 10 union dues battle heads toward the state Supreme Court Trump announces Freedom Haulers veteran trucking initiative America's Talking: California, Georgia, New York, and more national headlines Stay informed with nonpartisan reporting focused on the policies impacting taxpayers across America. Subscribe for daily news and analysis from The Center Square.

#Seattle #FreeSpeech #GunControl #Trump #Veterans #Wisconsin #Act10 #Politics #News #TheCenterSquare #PublicSafety #HigherEducation #SecondAmendment #CurrentEvents #TheStates

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The States with Greg Bishop covers today's biggest political and economic headlines from across the country. In this episode: The U.S. Senate prepares to vote on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress following his testimony before lawmakers. Florida launches an investigation into Fauci after the congressional hearing. Illinois ethics investigations continue as lawmakers examine corruption allegations involving state officials. A federal judge rules against Illinois' in-state tuition policy for some illegal immigrants. The Department of Education investigates school districts over parental rights and student gender identity records. The latest on efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Michigan lawmakers investigate Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's ties to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged, and economist Orphe Divounguy explains what it means for inflation, mortgage rates, credit cards, car loans, and the U.S. economy. Plus, headlines from Wisconsin, California, Florida, Louisiana, and across America. Featured Guests: Illinois State Rep. Adam Niemerg Esther Wickham, Education Reporter, The Center Square Orphe Divounguy, Ph.D. Economist & Co-host of Everyday Economics Subscribe for daily coverage of government, politics, public policy, and economic news from across the United States. #FederalReserve #InterestRates #Fauci #Politics #Economy #Inflation #Illinois #ParentsRights #Michigan #TheStates #GregBishop #TheCenterSquare

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