Politico: “Gov. Ron DeSantis suffered a stunning defeat courtesy of his own party Monday as the Legislature refused to hold a special session dealing with immigration and ballot initiatives that he forced on their chambers, instead quickly gaveling out. But the lawmakers didn’t head home. Instead, they pivoted to hold their own special session —…

Houston Public Media: “Democrats in the Texas House will no longer be allowed to hold influential committee chair positions under new rules passed by the chamber on Thursday. The change, which brings to an end the Texas House’s long-standing tradition of having members of the minority party hold these important leadership roles, comes after years…

WKYT: “It’s now been more than a month since Kentucky State Police say Doug Harless was shot and killed at his home by a London Police Officer. Kentucky State Police says on December 23, London Police were attempting to serve a search warrant when an LPD officer shot and killed Harless. Troopers say the shooting happened…

Yahoo! News: “Ecclesiastical lines have been drawn over the fate of Texas death row inmate Steven Nelson, with one church saying his sentence for killing its pastor is justified and another clergyman saying the state violates a foundational principle of Christianity. Nelson, 37, was convicted for the 2011 murder of the Rev. Clint Dobson at NorthPointe…

The Hill: “Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) heavily criticized statements made by the Right Rev. Mariann Budde on Tuesday at the inaugural prayer service held for President Trump. “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,” Collins wrote in a post on the social platform X, alongside a clip of Budde’s comments. … During the service, Budde…

Political Wire: “Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) is proposing a constitutional amendment to allow President Trump to seek a third term. Trump in November joked about seeking a third to House Republicans: “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something.””

NY Times: “Chattanooga, Tenn., a midsize Southern city, is on no one’s list of artificial intelligence hot spots. But as the technology’s use moves beyond a few big city hubs and is more widely adopted across the economy, Chattanooga and other once-struggling cities in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South are poised to be among the…

NY Times: “Last year, on Feb. 7, lawyers from the Texas attorney general’s office showed up at Annunciation House — a religious nonprofit founded by local Catholics that provides food, shelter and clothing for migrants in El Paso — and demanded “immediate access” to its records regarding its past and current residents. As Annunciation House explained…

WaPo: “Every year, tens of thousands of Americans die with no one able or willing to claim their remains. Some died without living relatives, while others were estranged from family. Many are survived by loved ones who would gladly have laid them to rest but could not afford cremation or burial costs. In September, the…

WaPo: “The fliers feature a cartoon image of Uncle Sam kicking at a family of four while holding a proclamation declaring a “Mass Deportation” on Jan. 20 and stating, “Monitor & Track all Immigrants REPORT THEM ALL,” according to images shared by police departments in Ludlow and Bellevue. A Ku Klux Klan group headquartered in…