WaPo: “At Phenix Lumber Co., workers had lost fingers, broken bones and been mangled by machines — at least 28 employees had reported injuries since 2010, at a company with only about 50 people on the payroll at a time. Three had died. A medical examiner’s report detailed how just 23 pounds of one employee…

NY Times: “A Texas county is taking steps to declare a state of emergency and seek federal assistance over farmland contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” as concerns grow over the safety of fertilizer made from sewage. Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, has been roiled since county investigators found high levels of chemicals called PFAS,…

NY Times: “In a case that could have major implications for abortion access in the United States, a Texas judge on Thursday ordered a New York doctor to stop prescribing and sending abortion pills to patients in Texas and to pay a penalty of more than $100,000 for providing the medication to one woman. The…

Political Wire: “Politico: “Republicans may have found a formidable candidate to help them grow their footprint in South Texas: a former Democrat who switched parties on national television.” “Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, the top elected official in the county, is considering a run against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in his border district, which has…

Alternet: “That’s according to a Tuesday article in Rolling Stone, which reported that Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — who chair the House and Senate Banking Committees, respectively — are introducing a bill to repeal a rule capping overdraft fees implemented by former President Joe Biden’s administration. That rule capped overdraft fees at…

Off the Kuff: “Billionaire Elon Musk’s chainsaw diet for the U.S. government could shutter near 450 federal offices across Texas that do anything from assisting ailing veterans to answering questions about retirement and disability benefits, records show. The closures, which also could include as many as 25 San Antonio properties, would gut the government’s ability…

NC Newsline: “If ever there was a societal moment of desperate need for large and well-funded teams of scientists, researchers, and other experts to help guide our state and nation in this ever more complex world, it’s now. Between climate change, mass migration, artificial intelligence, the threat of new pandemics, and an ever-more competitive global…

AL Political Reporter: “Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in 2026, seeking the Republican nomination for the open seat. Allen, who previously served as Pike County Probate Judge and as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, was elected as Alabama’s 54th Secretary of State in 2022 with…

Slate: “Claims about religious conscience are nothing new in debates about reproduction in the United States. Employers cited it in refusing to include contraception in employee insurance plans; anti-abortion doctors relied on conscience when trying to establish standing in a case to shut down access to mifepristone. But a new suit is foregrounding a very different kind…

NY Times: “A Democratic group promoting veterans running for office is sending $500,000 to Abigail Spanberger in support of her run in this year’s Virginia governor’s race, pointing to the former C.I.A. officer as the type of candidate who can help the Democratic Party return to power. The direct donation is the largest in the…