Bill requiring human drivers for self-driving trucks vetoed

fortune.com California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill to require human drivers on board self-driving trucks, a measure that union leaders and truck drivers said would save hundreds…

California bill to have humans drivers ride in autonomous trucks is vetoed by governor

abcnews.go.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill to require human drivers on board self-driving trucks, a measure that union leaders and truck drivers…

Newsom kills driverless truck safety bill, says he trusts the DMV

latimes.com Gov. Gavin Newsom, shown in May, rejected a bill Friday that would have required human safety drivers in heavy-duty robot trucks for at least the next five years. The…

Editorial: California should exercise caution on self-driving trucks

siliconvalley.com The recent San Francisco experiment involving self-driving taxis shows the risk posed by putting self-driving trucks on California roads and highways. The thought of a fully…

Opinion: How home insurers are trying to bully California politicians into a disastrous bailout

latimes.com Insurance companies collected more than $150 billion in premiums from California homeowners over the last 25 years and enjoyed profits at four times the national average.…

California pharmacies are making millions of mistakes. They’re fighting to keep that secret

latimes.com California pharmacies, including those owned by big chains, make an estimated 5 million errors a year — but they’re not required to report them to state regulators. Sharri…

What to know about California's new proposed rules for property insurance companies

pbs.org Months after California’s home insurance market was rattled by major companies pausing or restricting their coverage, the state’s top regulator said Thursday that he would…

After calamitous wildfires, California hopes to avert a collapse of its home insurance market by making rules more business friendly

fortune.com Months after California’s home insurance market was rattled by major companies pausing or restricting their coverage, the state’s top regulator said Thursday that he would…

Who's Bob Menendez? New Jersey's senator charged with corruption has faced similar accusations before

pbs.org Sen. Bob Menendez’s defense against new federal corruption charges against him, his wife and business associates Friday revealed that he’s adopting the same defiant stance…

Things to know about California's new proposed rules for insurance companies

aol.com Months after California's home insurance market was rattled by major companies pausing or restricting their coverage, the state's top regulator said Thursday that he would…

56-year-old cancer patient facing eviction is still on a waiting list for state housing

fortune.com Deb Libby is running out of time to find a place to live. Libby, 56, moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, four years ago, in part to be closer to the doctors treating her for…

Both parties rally supporters as early voting begins in Virginia's closely watched legislative elections

pbs.org Early voting started Friday in Virginia’s costly, high-stakes and closely watched legislative elections after a week in which elected officials and candidates rallied their…

South Asian activists’ hunger strike to ban caste discrimination reaches day 18

nbcnews.com Nirmal Singh, 42, has been on a hunger strike for 18 days. Only drinking liquids, he says he can’t run with his children anymore; even climbing stairs is hard. But as an…

Why Car Insurance Costs Are Rising for New York Drivers

nytimes.com Policyholders should check the details of their auto insurance, which will automatically enroll them in extra spousal coverage — even if they’re single. Most of us don’t…

Massachusetts has a huge waitlist for state-funded housing. So why are 2,300 units vacant?

apnews.com Deb Libby is running out of time to find a place to live. Libby, 56, moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, four years ago, in part to be closer to the doctors treating her for…

‘Waiting for him to drop out’: DeSantis’ influence nosedives in Florida

politico.com TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is losing his clout in Florida. College boards, stacked with DeSantis appointees, are rejecting job candidates with ties to the…

Another Republican is about to jump into the Michigan Senate race

politico.com Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig will enter the race for Michigan’s open Senate seat in the first week of October, setting the stage for a messy Republican primary in…

Opinion: High-speed broadband is essential for every California family

siliconvalley.com “Leave no family behind.” That’s the ambitious and appropriate goal of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the federal government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring affordable,…

Trump's New York hush-money trial could overlap with state's presidential primary

pbs.org New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed a bill setting the state’s presidential primary for April 2, potentially putting former President Donald Trump on the ballot…

Elijah McClain's death sparked protests and led to police reforms. Four years later, 2 officers are on trial

pbs.org The trial of two suburban Denver police officers was set to open Wednesday in the killing of Elijah McClain, a Black man put in a neck hold and injected with a powerful…

Union Blues

city-journal.org The United Auto Workers’ strike might seem to signal a resurgence of union power, but the strike is in part a product of the government’s creating incentives for companies…

LA Council member bets he can survive racist tapes scandal by winning reelection

politico.com LOS ANGELES — Kevin de León, the Los Angeles City Council member who became politically radioactive after a leaked audio scandal, is running for reelection — a brash bet…

Editorial: Don’t give unemployment checks to striking workers

siliconvalley.com California already doesn’t have enough money to pay for benefits for unemployed workers. So why would the Legislature even think about giving benefits to workers who choose…

How California lawmakers greenlit ‘any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want’

siliconvalley.com With the end of the legislative session last week, California is on the verge of laying down a welcome mat for most major affordable housing projects across the state.…

He’s the first Arab American, Muslim mayor of Michigan’s fastest-growing city

politico.com Dearborn, Mich., is home to the largest Muslim population per capita in the nation. Yet it didn’t elect its first Muslim mayor until 2022 with the victory of Abdullah…

Democrats retain narrow control of Pennsylvania House after special election

pbs.org Democrats will retain their one-vote majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after voters in Pittsburgh on Tuesday elected former congressional aide Lindsay…

Wisconsin Republican leader blocks university employee pay raises unless college cuts diversity programs

pbs.org The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is blocking pay raises for University of Wisconsin employees unless the university cuts diversity, equity and inclusion…

California truck drivers ask Newsom to sign bill saving jobs as self-driving big rigs are tested

abcnews.go.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California lawmakers, union leaders and truck drivers are trying to steer Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom toward signing into law a proposal that could…

Republicans win a temporary freeze in New York’s redistricting fight

politico.com ALBANY, N.Y. — Republicans won a preliminary round in latest legal fight over New York’s congressional districts: The state’s top court Tuesday declined to force a mapmaking…

DeSantis takes a swing at McCarthy in hopes of hurting Trump

politico.com MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is gunning for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, attacking the embattled GOP leader from the right and aligning himself with insurgent…

A top Maine Republican leader survives boat capsize from giant wave ahead of Lee

nbcnews.com Like most lobstermen, the Maine House Republican leader scrambled to complete his work ahead of the remnants of Hurricane Lee. Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham was rushing home…

Star Wars: Who Was Holdo To Leia? Their Unlikely Friendship Explained

looper.com As detailed in "The Last Jedi" companion novel "Leia, Princess of Alderaan" by Claudia Gray, Leia Organa and Amilyn Holdo were sent to the Apprentice Legislature in the same…

Republican leader's boat capsizes in 40-foot wave: "wall of water"

newsweek.com Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, the Maine House Republican leader, detailed how he and a fellow fisherman survived after his boat capsized. The Maine House Republican leader has…

WSJ hammers Newsom for 'extorting' CA businesses by forcing $20/hr min. wage: ‘Who’s the real authoritarian?'

foxnews.com Democrats in California have acted in "mafia-like fashion" with a new bill that "extorts fast-food businesses to do their bidding," the Wall Street Journal's editorial board…

Republican legislatures fight to keep power in Wisconsin and North Carolina

pbs.org In 2020, North Carolina seemed the model of an evenly-divided swing state. Then-President Donald Trump barely won, beating Democrat Joe Biden by just over a percentage…

News Analysis: Labor unions win big in California Legislature as hot labor summer drags into fall

latimes.com By the time California state senators took up a bill Thursday night to grant , labor unions had already scored several monumental wins in the state Legislature. They landed…

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs law restricting release of her travel, security records

politico.com LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law Thursday restricting release of her travel and security records after the Legislature wrapped up a…

Democrats in Ohio say they’ll need a new recipe for a second huge abortion rights win

nbcnews.com Particularly notable was the pro-abortion rights turnout garnered in certain deep red regions like Geauga County, in Ohio’s northeast. The county went to former President…

The 'no sabo kids' are pushing back on Spanish-language shaming

nbcnews.com Sara Lopez, 24, didn’t learn Spanish from her parents because they didn’t want her to go through the discrimination they faced for speaking the language back in the 1980s.…

Republicans barred from 2024 elections file papers anyway

newsweek.com State senators in Oregon with at least 10 recorded absences in the Legislature have filed candidacy papers, despite potential disqualification. Following record-setting…

Which companies emit the most pollution? A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk would force the list to be made public

siliconvalley.com In what is being described by environmental and industry groups as the most significant environmental legislation this year in Sacramento, state lawmakers have sent a bill…

Kansas to no longer change trans people’s birth certificates to reflect gender identities

nbcnews.com TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas will no longer change transgender people’s birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, the state health department said Friday, citing a new…

Big wins for organized labor and progressive causes as California lawmakers wrap for the year

apnews.com When health care workers in California asked the state Legislature for a raise earlier this year, it seemed like the longest of long shots — especially after lawmakers in…

Kansas to no longer change transgender people's birth certificates to reflect gender identities

pbs.org Kansas will no longer change transgender people’s birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, the state health department said Friday, citing a new law that…

Offshore wind projects need federal help to get built, six governors tell Biden

apnews.com Offshore wind projects need more federal funding and planning assistance to ensure they get built, the Democratic governors of six northeastern states told the Biden…

Imagine making shadowy data brokers erase your personal info. Californians may soon live the dream

siliconvalley.com By DAVID HAMILTON | AP Business Writer SAN FRANCISCO — You may not know it, but thousands of often shadowy companies routinely traffic in personal data you probably never…

California issues $267 million in grants to combat epidemic of retail and other thefts

siliconvalley.com More than $267 million in state grants will be distributed to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in 51 cities and counties to help crack down on brazen retail, motor…

California's Delete Act: What you need to know

fortune.com You may not know it, but thousands of often shadowy companies routinely traffic in personal data you probably never agreed to share — everything from your real-time location…

Lawmakers strike $106 million deal for hydrogen vehicles

calmatters.org California lawmakers have reached a deal that would set aside 15% of funds from a billion-dollar climate program to help companies build fueling stations for hydrogen cars…

Families challenge North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for children

nbcnews.com BISMARCK, N.D. — Families and a pediatrician are challenging North Dakota’s law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors, the latest lawsuit in many states with…

Planned Parenthood sues to expand South Carolina abortion access under strict new ban

pbs.org Abortion providers are trying to lengthen the narrow window when they can legally terminate a pregnancy under a strict new ban in South Carolina. The conservative state’s…

Republican-led Wisconsin Senate votes to fire nonpartisan official amid persistent 2020 election lies

pbs.org The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted Thursday to fire the battleground state’s nonpartisan top elections official ahead of the 2024 presidential election.…

Environmental groups urge regulators to shut down California reactor over safety, testing concerns

apnews.com Environmental groups called on federal regulators Thursday to immediately shut down one of two reactors at California’s last nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted…

California To Drop 'Medical Misinformation' Law After Judge Blasts 'Dramatic Examples'

zerohedge.com California To Drop 'Medical Misinformation' Law After Judge Blasts 'Dramatic Examples' California has quietly announced it's ditching Gov. Gavin Newsom's draconian 'Covid-19…

Detroit's Big 3 and the pivotal UAW union look far apart with a midnight deadline until the biggest strike in 80 years of labor history

fortune.com With a deadline looming just before midnight Thursday, the United Auto Workers union and Detroit’s three automakers remain far apart in contract talks and the union is…

Offshore wind energy plans advance in New Jersey amid opposition

apnews.com Two major offshore wind power projects are taking steps forward in New Jersey as the owners of one project agreed to bring the federal government in on their environmental…