Battleground states: Races in Michigan, North Carolina, Illinois, and Arizona could decide control of Congress, and one Senate contest alone has topped $160 million.
Colorado tuition lawsuit: The U.S. Department of Justice sued Colorado over in-state tuition and financial aid for immigrants in the country illegally, its 14th such suit against a state.
ActBlue donor scrutiny: Federal records reviewed by The Center Square show $100,295 in ActBlue donations tied to an 88-year-old Michigan woman who says she does not believe she gave that much.
Illinois school phone ban: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law this week requiring school boards to adopt a policy restricting student cellphone use, with a full school year to put one in place.
Fauci vote: A U.S. Senate committee votes Aug. 5 on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times at a hearing on the COVID-19 response.
Battleground states set up high-stakes fight for control of Congress
Photo: Ramaz Bluashvili / Pexels / Edited in Canva
What we found: Across the country's most competitive states, both parties are fighting for control of Congress in costly, close races. Michigan voters cast primary ballots Aug. 4, including in the 7th congressional district, which is set to be a toss-up between Republican Rep. Tom Barrett and his Democratic challengers. North Carolina's U.S. Senate race between Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper has totaled $164.3 million in spending, by one cautious estimate, still short of the $500 million to $1 billion once forecast. Arizona's U.S. House race between Amish Shah and Jay Feely is rated one of the nation's most competitive, and Illinois's open Senate race pits Republican Don Tracy against Democrat Juliana Stratton for retiring Sen. Dick Durbin's seat.
The stakes: Control of these seats will help decide the legislative agenda in Congress for the next two years, from taxes to spending oversight.
The backstory: Several of these races carry historically thin margins, including Michigan's 2024 Senate race, decided by less than half a percentage point, and North Carolina's tightest U.S. House district, decided by 1.7 points in 2024. And in Wisconsin, Democratic candidates for governor debated this week as the state's primary field continues to take shape ahead of November.
Where it stands: Michigan's primary is Aug. 4, while campaigning and spending continue in North Carolina, Illinois, and Arizona ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
3 States
Colorado: The U.S. Department of Justice sued Colorado last week, its 14th such lawsuit against a state, arguing the state's ASSET Act illegally grants immigrants living in the country illegally in-state tuition, access to the Colorado Opportunity Fund, and state financial aid. The complaint mirrors injunctions already sought against Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Colorado Department of Higher Education, a defendant in the suit, did not respond to The Center Square's request for comment.
Michigan: Federal Election Commission records reviewed by The Center Square show $100,295 in ActBlue donations tied to Elizabeth Waffle, an 88-year-old Michigan woman living in a trailer. That is lower than the more than $150,000 Michigan Enjoyer first reported, a figure Waffle said she doubts she gave. Parker Thayer, a researcher with the conservative Capital Research Center, said the case fits a broader pattern of vulnerable donors signed up for repeated recurring contributions, since the same information public FEC records disclose, like a name and address, is all someone needs to donate under someone else's name.
California: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law permanently funding California's Farm to School program, removing its Dec. 31, 2027 sunset date, though the legislation doesn't specify how much taxpayers will spend on the free, locally sourced school meals each year. The Center Square found one participating district, Amador County Unified, used earlier funding to start its own farm, which has produced nearly 8,500 pounds of produce for roughly 4,000 students.
2 Issues
Immigration: Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is ordering county sheriffs to end agreements that let U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deputize local officers for civil immigration enforcement, citing the state's new Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, and the U.S. Department of Justice is already suing New York over a related provision of the law. Sheriffs face an Aug. 25 deadline to comply.
Education: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a new law this week requiring school boards to adopt a cellphone policy by next school year, ranging from bell-to-bell restrictions to allowances during passing periods and lunch. No state funding is attached, and one common tool, phone-locking pouches, shows what that could cost: the U-46 district paid $172,750 for 6,625 pouches, a rate that would add up to $47 million if every Illinois district did the same.
1 Number
$2 billion
Entergy Louisiana projects its agreements with large data center customers, including Meta, could save existing ratepayers about $2 billion over 20 years. Critics say that number only holds up if costs and demand stay about where the company expects for decades to come.
Idaho ends fiscal year with $250 million surplus as Washington faces budget gap
Idaho's budget director explains how careful spending delivered more than $910 million in tax refunds, the most ever, and left $250 million in savings for next year. The video compares that to Washington, which faces a roughly $4 billion budget gap and a possible credit downgrade.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Fauci, who helped guide the U.S.’s response to COVID-19, faces a Senate committee vote next week on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer more than 100 questions about his role in the pandemic response. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who led the questioning, noted Fauci holds a Biden pardon covering that period; Fauci said he feared arrest regardless.
Do you think the cost of tariffs has shown up in your grocery bill or everyday shopping?
A new lawsuit challenges the legality of the Trump administration's latest tariffs, and economists, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, say it's consumers and businesses, not foreign governments, who absorb most of the cost.
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