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- California lawmakers have passed a 2021 state budget that reflects a partial deal with Governor Gavin Newsom on most key issues, including $8 billion in stimulus checks for middle-income Californians and expanded funding for homeless aid. Newsom and lawmakers have not yet announced a final deal on all aspects of the spending plan, but lawmakers say they’ve reached agreement on most areas, including on expanding health coverage to more undocumented immigrants.
- California lawmakers have passed a bill that will change portions of the state elections code that will, in theory, speed up the recall election process. Late Monday night, Newsom signed SB 152, which lets state officials bypass one of the steps of certifying the recall election: cost estimation.
- California is restricting official travel to Florida and four other states because of their transgender laws. Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that California will ban taxpayer-funded travel to not only Florida, but also Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia because those states have placed restrictions on transgender athletes who want to play sports. Altogether, California now has 17 states on the prohibited list. The California ban stems from a 2016 law designed to push back against discrimination.
- An annual almond industry conference is set to become Sacramento's first big convention since the start of pandemic shutdowns. The Almond Conference, hosted by the Almond Board of California, will be held this December at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. The event also marks the first mega-event in the newly renovated convention center in Downtown Sacramento.
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- Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) gives his thoughts on the state of the Republican Party, speaking truth, and former President Donald Trump as he hits the road again at rallies.
- CNN reporter Jim Acosta was shut down by Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-R).
- University of Otago researchers have created DentalSlim, the “world-first weight-loss device to help fight the global obesity epidemic.” The DentalSlim Diet Control its fitted by a dentist to the patient’s upper and lower back teeth.