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Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters
A fast-emerging field of climate research is helping scientists pinpoint just how many dollars from a natural disaster can be tied to the historic emissions of individual oil companies — analysis that is the centerpiece of new state efforts to make fossil fuel companies pay billions for floods, wildfires and heat waves. When a flood […] The post Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters appeared first on Stateline.
Problems with Glen Canyon Dam could jeopardize water flowing to Western states
This story first appeared in the Utah News Dispatch. Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the West are grappling with drought that’s worsening because of climate change. A new memo from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is raising concern about the infrastructure at the Glen Canyon Dam and its ability to deliver water downstream should levels at […] The post Problems with Glen Canyon Dam could jeopardize water flowing to Western states appeared first on Stateline.
Too many cubicles, too few homes spur incentives to convert offices to housing
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. HERNDON, Va. — Juan Ramirez, watching his dog play in Chandon Park here in suburban Virginia on a Saturday morning, tries to imagine the massive office buildings next to the park becoming apartments and townhouses. “I guess it’s inevitable. People don’t […] The post Too many cubicles, too few homes spur incentives to convert offices to housing appeared first on Stateline.
Red states fight growing efforts to give ‘basic income’ cash to residents
South Dakota state Sen. John Wiik likes to think of himself as a lookout of sorts — keeping an eye on new laws, programs and ideas brewing across the states. “I don’t bring a ton of legislation,” said Wiik, a Republican. “The main thing I like to do is try and stay ahead of trends […] The post Red states fight growing efforts to give ‘basic income’ cash to residents appeared first on Stateline.
‘Panicked rush to gas’ could hike energy costs, report warns regulators
The nation’s largest public power company, the Tennessee Valley Authority, which serves 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six neighboring states, has put forward plans for eight new natural gas plants since 2020. In South Carolina, Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper are pushing the state legislature to pave the way for a 2,000-megawatt […] The post ‘Panicked rush to gas’ could hike energy costs, report warns regulators appeared first on Stateline.
As consumers lose millions to gift card scams, lawmakers pressure businesses
When Denise Brown peruses the tightly packed gift card display at her local CVS in Harlem, New York, she sees the perfect present for her grandson: a Sony PlayStation gift card. Others, acting in bad faith, see these gift card displays as easy money in one of the country’s costliest and most common consumer scams: […] The post As consumers lose millions to gift card scams, lawmakers pressure businesses appeared first on Stateline.
Fatal anomaly exception didn’t spare Alabama mom who needed an abortion
Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of an occasional States Newsroom series called When and Where: Abortion Access in America, profiling individuals who have needed abortion care in the U.S. before and after Dobbs. The first installment can be found here, the second installment is here, and the third is here.
In reversal, more areas allow high-speed police chases
During several years of efforts to refine policing tactics — ranging from mandating body-worn cameras to limiting or banning excessive use of force — many states and law enforcement agencies nationwide imposed more restrictive car chase policies to protect civilians and officers. Now, state legislators and some local...
‘Are nursing homes our only option?’ These centers offer older adults an alternative.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — George Raines, a white-haired man in a red track suit and matching University of Alabama ballcap, cracked jokes as physical therapist Brad Ellis led him through a series of exercises designed to strengthen his legs. Raines, who is 79, pretended to be in pain, but his grin belied his tone of mock […] The post ‘Are nursing homes our only option?’ These centers offer older adults an alternative. appeared first on Stateline.
States race to restrict deepfake porn as it becomes easier to create
After a 2014 leak of hundreds of celebrities’ intimate photos, Uldouz Wallace learned that she was among the public figures whose images had been stolen and disseminated online. Wallace, an actress, writer and social media influencer, found out the images were ones her ex had taken without her consent and had threatened to leak. Over […] The post States race to restrict deepfake porn as it becomes easier to create appeared first on Stateline.
Abortions are banned in Arizona after the state Supreme Court upholds an 1864 law
This story first appeared in the Arizona Mirror. Read more Stateline coverage of how states are protecting and curbing access to abortion. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled to make abortion largely illegal in the state, reinstating a 160-year-old law that forbids all procedures except those to save a woman’s life. Justice John R. Lopez IV, writing for […] The post Abortions are banned in Arizona after the state Supreme Court upholds an 1864 law appeared first on Stateline.
Medical debt affects much of America, but Colorado immigrants are hit especially hard
This story first appeared on KFF Health News. DENVER — In February, Norma Brambila’s teenage daughter wrote her a letter she now carries in her purse. It is a drawing of a rose, and a note encouraging Brambila to “keep fighting” her sickness and reminding her she’d someday join her family in heaven. Brambila, a […] The post Medical debt affects much of America, but Colorado immigrants are hit especially hard appeared first on Stateline.
Republicans scrutinize voting rolls and ramp up for mass challenges ahead of election
When Scott Hoen ran to be Carson City, Nevada’s chief election official two years ago, he campaigned on “election integrity,” promising to make sure voter registration lists were accurate. In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, he believed that too many of his fellow Republicans...
States want to make it harder for health insurers to deny care, but firms might evade enforcement
For decades, Amina Tollin struggled with mysterious, debilitating pain that radiated throughout her body. A few years ago, when a doctor finally diagnosed her with polyneuropathy, a chronic nerve condition, she had begun to use a wheelchair. The doctor prescribed a blood infusion therapy that allowed Tollin, 40, to live...
To close racial gap in maternal health, some states take aim at implicit bias
Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians. One woman was told by doctors that swelling, pain and warmth in her leg was normal, despite warning the clinicians that she had a history of blood clots. Sutton-El urged her to visit the emergency room. […] The post To close racial gap in maternal health, some states take aim at implicit bias appeared first on Stateline.
After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial
After years of legal appeals and delays, some oil companies are set to stand trial in lawsuits brought by state and local governments over the damages caused by climate change. Meanwhile, dozens more governments large and small have brought new claims against the fossil fuel industry as those initial cases, filed up to a half-dozen […] The post After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial appeared first on Stateline.
GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states
With polls showing unauthorized immigration as Republicans’ best issue for the fall, the GOP is looking to raise the alarm about voting by noncitizens and the undocumented. The multipronged effort has been advanced in congressional legislation, public statements by top election officials and U.S. senators, plans produced by grassroots activists, and posts on X by […] The post GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states appeared first on Stateline.
Swing states see newcomers as Americans move from blue to red counties
In recent years, millions of people across the United States have moved from Democratic cities to Republican suburbs, complicating the politics of swing states in a pivotal election year, according to a Stateline analysis. Republican suburban counties in four swing states — Georgia in the South and Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the Midwest — […] The post Swing states see newcomers as Americans move from blue to red counties appeared first on Stateline.
In the central US, an electric grid bottleneck persists
Forty-five million people live in the area managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the organization that runs a massive portion of the North American electric grid running from Manitoba, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. Inside that footprint are all or parts of 15 states, 75,000 miles of transmission lines and nearly 3,000 electric […] The post In the central US, an electric grid bottleneck persists appeared first on Stateline.
Freedom Caucuses push for conservative state laws, but getting attention is their big success
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — When a Republican colleague threatened to read aloud from a 2-foot stack of books — including a biblical guide to leadership and a tome by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist — to protest inaction on his bills last week, Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin quickly took up the cause. Seizing on a chance to […] The post Freedom Caucuses push for conservative state laws, but getting attention is their big success appeared first on Stateline.
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Stateline provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy. Since its founding in 1998, Stateline has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of nonpartisanship, objectivity and integrity. Its team of journalists combines original reporting with a roundup of the latest news from sources around the country. In 2023, Stateline transitioned from its longtime home at The Pew Charitable Trusts to States Newsroom.
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