“President Trump’s sweeping legislation is bringing dramatic changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and other government programs — and the rural Green Mountain State stands to be hit hard,” Rolling Stone reports.

A grand jury is taking a closer look into allegations of payroll fraud and deepfake porn within Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s (R) office, NewsNation reports.

The allegations of distribution of intimate images within Beckwith’s office stem from a previously reported claim that staffers within Beckwith’s office had been sharing an AI pornographic deepfake video of a state representative’s wife.

“The hardest part for me has been navigating this as a dad… Grappling with the sort of personal guilt that your job put your kids in a position where they could have been harmed.”

— Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), quoted by the New York Times, on the firebombing of his home earlier this year.

“A Vermont state senator has resigned over his involvement in a Young Republican group chat after racist and antisemitic chat messages shared among its members were made public,” the Washington Post reports.

“Republican Samuel Douglass announced his resignation, effective Monday, in a lengthy statement posted online, adding that he was ‘deeply sorry for the offense’ caused by his comments.”

“Last year brought good fortune to Gov. JB Pritzker in his investment portfolio — and at the casino, too, according to 2024 income tax returns released by his campaign Wednesday,” the Chicago Sun Times reports.

“In his joint filing with first lady MK Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic governor reported an adjusted gross income of almost $10.7 million, more than tripling the roughly $2.8 million they reported in 2023.”

“The latest windfall was boosted by $1,425,000 in gambling winnings.”

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) “criticized President Trump’s deployment of national guard troops to Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon, against the will of officials there — and said he thinks Trump’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution,” VT Digger reports.

Said Scott: “From what I’m seeing, I just think it’s unnecessary. It further divides and threatens people. We need stability right now in this country — we don’t need more unrest.”

He added: “I don’t think our guard should be used against our own people. I don’t think the military should be used against our own people. In fact, it’s unconstitutional. Unless, of course, there’s an insurrection, much like we saw Jan. 6 a few years ago.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, criticized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as a violation of his beliefs in federalism and ‘states rights,’” the New York Times reports.

Said Stitt: “We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights… Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

“This is a convicted felon who is threatening to jail me. This guy is unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator. And there’s one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump: If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.”

— Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), on MSNBC.

“Donald Trump’s continued deployment of National Guard troops to major cities over the objections of their Democratic state leaders is shattering a decades-long norm of cooperation between presidents and governors,” Politico reports.

“The state of Illinois and Chicago on Monday sued the Trump administration over its move to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago as the White House targets Democrat-led cities amid weeks of protests against the federal government’s immigration enforcement campaign,” CNN reports.

A new Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania finds Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) with a 60% to 28% approval rating.

A hypothetical re-election matchup shows Shapiro ahead crushing Stacy Garrity (R), 55% to 39%.

“I get accused on the right all the time of– I just want people to have a ‘kumbaya’ moment. I want people to hold hands and just hug it out. And we’re done with that. We’re done holding hands and hugging it out. I’m not asking anybody to hold hands and hug it out. I’m not asking for that. I’m trying to get people to stop shooting each other. That’s it.”

— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), on 60 Minutes.

Maine Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D) said law enforcement received the threat about an explosive device at his house but determined “there was no danger to my family, my neighbors, and our community,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

“States are scrambling to prepare for an unprecedented shift of costs and responsibilities under President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending plan, which will force them to make difficult decisions about cuts to state programs to offset the new financial burdens,” the Washington Post reports.

“Unlike the federal government, states must balance their budgets each year.”

“A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Friday that she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court that’s controlled 4-3 by liberals,” the AP reports.

“Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision not to run for a second full term comes after conservative candidates for the highest court in the battleground state have lost each of the past two elections by double-digit margins.”

“A top Republican lawmaker in California has presented a longshot resolution to split the state in two as a response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw its congressional maps to favor Democrats,” Bloomberg reports.

“James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the California State Assembly, outlined a proposal to separate 35 GOP-friendly inland counties from coastal Democratic strongholds such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The proposed new state would have more than 10 million people, he said, although it lacks a name and any visible support from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.”