Lawmakers' draft budget includes millions for PFAS testing and mitigation around fire stations, funding tests, temporary water and gear‑cleaning pilots to protect firefighters.

Sen. Ted Budd and several North Carolina lawmakers say they may block the White House’s $87.6B supplemental unless Congress adds new Helene recovery money. Gov. Josh Stein has asked for roughly $10–$10.2B to finish rebuilding western North Carolina.

Business groups and lawmakers are clashing over a proposed ban that would bar some defense contractors from buybacks and dividends without a Pentagon waiver.

Massachusetts joined a multistate legal challenge Monday to block CMS’s new 80‑hour‑a‑month Medicaid work rule, arguing tighter exemptions and paperwork threaten MassHealth coverage.

Defense attorneys told reporters that wealthy clients were told $1–2 million could buy a presidential pardon, prompting watchdog and congressional scrutiny.

Ameren Missouri filed to boost base electric rates; the company says the change would add about $13 to the typical monthly bill if regulators approve new rates in mid‑2027.

The Soros family has poured roughly $100M into the 2026 midterms, mainly through Democracy PAC, changing the cash race as the DNC lags the RNC.

Lincoln's City Council placed a one‑cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot that city officials say would raise about $6 million a year for public safety and street maintenance.

Qualls defended his running mate after reporting placed Brian Nicholson on the Capitol lawn on Jan. 6. Democrats demanded disavowal as the GOP primary nears.

Ken Paxton says the deal returns nearly $34 million after alleging AstraZeneca used nurses and support programs to steer Medicaid prescriptions. The state says the settlement will repay tainted Medicaid claims.

IPS reversed course and approved Cold Spring’s move to an innovation charter, a change that could unlock state funding and reshuffle services for local campuses. The board also approved related moves for Global Prep and Monarca.

A State Personnel Board decision says Colorado prison wardens exchanged hundreds of racist, homophobic messages, sparking demotions, a firing and paid leaves.

Milwaukee County supervisors voted to exempt temporary, water‑soluble chalk from the county's graffiti code after activists said deputies repeatedly responded to chalking. The change passed 13‑2.