A package of bills would raise the penalty for buying sex to felony level, create an anti‑trafficking grant fund and press tech platforms to police prostitution in Arizona.

Phoenix's City Council added anti-retaliation language and new reporting rules to its heat-safety ordinance, requiring AC logs and new penalties for noncompliant contractors.

DC Mayor Bowser is focusing on job creation and business growth by inviting applications for the city's Vitality and Growth Funds in Fiscal Year 2026, aiming to attract new companies and support startups.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger asked county staff to report back within seven days on a Disaster Recovery Rebuild Authority to coordinate infrastructure and speed permits in Altadena and the Santa Monica Mountains.

Shelby County says Tennessee stopped reimbursing it for housing nearly 1,000 state inmates, leaving a multi‑million‑dollar hole in the county budget and a claim now with the state.

The Dow closed above 50,000 as chip stocks and AI optimism powered a broad rally; President Trump credited tariffs and predicted still-higher gains. Analysts warn the move could be narrow and fragile.

Sen. Bernie Sanders will headline a Feb. 18 Los Angeles kickoff for a labor-backed drive to place a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires to fund healthcare. The campaign must collect roughly 875,000 signatures by late June.

TSU's Board approved a 100-day "Operation Tiger Reset" to address audit-identified financial weaknesses and stabilize leadership with a May 1 deadline.

Ohio's State Rep. Jean Schmidt announced the start of the capital budget process for 2027-28, focusing on infrastructure projects with an application deadline of March 9.

Oklahoma advances two AI-related bills setting governmental usage standards and denying AI legal personhood; a third bill aims to protect minors from certain AI interactions.

Julie Emerson has been appointed as Louisiana's new Chief of Staff by Governor Jeff Landry, praised for her experience and conservative reform efforts.

AB 818 would create a "demonstration" charter designation and add roughly $6,863 per pupil for a Madison-area charter, prompting union pushback and a committee vote.

Sen. Brian Schatz filed the FAIR Act proposing a 4.1% federal pay increase in 2027 to help close a roughly 27% pay gap with private-sector jobs.