Madyson Fitzgerald

Nearly had a stroke trying to read this without cringing.

Their childhoods are on display for millions. States want to protect them. • Stateline In the absence of federal regulations, some state legislators are pushing to protect child influencers.

Read more on kidfluencers in my latest story for @stateline.org:
stateline.org/2025/08/07/t...

This year, at least four states — Arkansas, Montana, Utah and Virginia — have amended their child labor laws to mandate trusts and other protections for content creators who are minors.

Social media experts are skeptical about the power of new state laws • Stateline As concerns over mental health and privacy grow, more states are hoping to rein in the negative effects of social media through the courts and legislatures.

An increasing number of state lawmakers are wondering the same thing.

And now, legislators are pushing to protect child influencers (among other social media legislation).
stateline.org/2025/01/24/s...

Most people have accepted that social media influencing can be a legitimate job — for adults. But experts are worried about how this works “for children who can’t actually make that decision to go into that business themselves...”

Kidfluencers and other content creators make money by hawking products and services to the people who follow them.

The job has become increasingly lucrative as companies spend more on social media marketing. Some influencers can earn $10,000 or more for a single post.

Their childhoods are on display for millions. States want to protect them. • Stateline In the absence of federal regulations, some state legislators are pushing to protect child influencers.

Parents: Do you know which influencers your children are watching on YouTube? It could be a kidfluencer.

"Kidfluencing" has become an increasingly lucrative business. But there's very little oversight of how these accounts are managed🧵

stateline.org/2025/08/07/t...

Their childhoods are on display for millions. States want to protect them. • Stateline In the absence of federal regulations, some state legislators are pushing to protect child influencers.

Child influencers have continued to grow in popularity across nearly every social media platform with little oversight over how they’re managed. A handful of state lawmakers want to change that.

@maddyfitz.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/08/07/t...

Caught in the crossfire: Indiana schools on the front lines of community gun violence • Indiana Capital Chronicle Gunfire has echoed near Indiana’s K-12 campuses more than 2,700 times over the past decade, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Data Hub.

"Gunfire has echoed near Indiana’s K-12 campuses more than 2,700 times over the past decade..."

Really great story from the @indianacapitalchronicle.com.

indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/04/c...

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades. For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community. “Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down operations after loss of federal funding:

Colleges and universities with the most students of color face cuts and challenges The Trump administration’s budget bill takes aim at schools that serve students of color. These colleges and universities have been underfunded for years.

The Trump administration’s budget bill takes aim at schools that serve students of color. These colleges and universities have been underfunded for years.

No ban on state artificial intelligence legislation, but it looks like states with stricter regulations will not be receiving much AI-related federal funding.

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS AMERICA'S AI ACTION PLAN WASHINGTON, DC – The White House today released “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan”, in accordance with President Trump’s January executive

President Trump's long-awaited AI Action Plan was published this morning. More executive orders to come later today:

www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...

45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match apnews.com/article/venu...

Changes in federal broadband programs upset advocates for rural Nebraska • Nebraska Examiner County officials and advocates for rural development cried foul over recent changes in a federal push to expand high-speed internet access.

BEAD fallout: NE County officials and advocates cried foul over recent changes to a federal initiative to expand internet access, saying it will force thousands in rural Nebraska to settle for second-rate broadband.

via @nebraskaexaminer.com:

nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/21/c...

Trump’s DOJ wants states to turn over voter lists, election info • Stateline The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the voter registration lists of several states – representing data on millions of Americans – and other election information ahead of the 2026 midterms, raisi...

DOJ wants election information — in some cases voter lists — from at least 9 states

In Colorado, it wants all ‘24 elex records + a GOP operative approached county clerks

“The DOJ seems dead set on acquiring personal information on voters”

New from me
@stateline.org

stateline.org/2025/07/16/t...

More than half the states have issued AI guidance for schools • Stateline Agencies in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in K-12 schools.

My latest: Agencies in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in K-12 schools (@stateline.org).

stateline.org/2025/07/15/m...

Creating deepfakes with malicious intent will soon be a crime in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Capital-Star Deepfakes are images or videos generated by artificial intelligence, typically for malicious use or to spread misinformation.

From PA: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed legislation to classify deepfakes in Pennsylvania as digital forgeries, making non-consensual digital impersonation punishable by law.

Via @penncapital-star.com: penncapital-star.com/briefs/creat...

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Elon Musk says he’ll launch the ‘America Party.’ Can he get candidates on the ballot? • Stateline If Elon Musk pursues his goal of standing up the "America Party," he will have to navigate a patchwork of state-level requirements to get his party and its candidates on general election ballots acros...

From @jonshorman.bsky.social: Elon Musk’s announcement that he plans to form a new political party came easily, with the billionaire simply posting his intentions on his social media platform, X. Now comes the hard part.

stateline.org/2025/07/14/e...

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States scramble to shield hospitals from GOP Medicaid cuts • Stateline States are scrambling to shield their hospitals from the looming loss of hundreds of millions in federal funding tax and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law.

The giant tax and spending bill President Trump signed into law over the weekend includes the biggest health care spending cuts in U.S. history.

States are scrambling to shield their hospitals from the looming loss of hundreds of millions in federal funding.

stateline.org/2025/07/07/s...

Medicaid cuts could be devastating for the Delta and the rest of rural America • Stateline Many people in the Delta region of the Deep South say Medicaid work requirements and other health care provisions in the "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill ignore the reality of living in poorer r...

Over 11.8M could lose #healthcare as Trump's #bigbeautifulbill would cut $1T from Medicaid over the next decade. People in the Delta say – national leaders are completely out of touch with the reality of what it’s like to live in rural America. @statesnewsroom.com stateline.org/2025/07/03/m...

Gun suicides in US reached record high in 2023 • Stateline More people in the United States died by gun suicide in 2023 than any year on record.

More people in the United States died by gun suicide in 2023 than any year on record — more than by gun homicide, accidental shootings and police shootings combined.

@amandavhernan.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/06/27/g...

Internet group files another federal suit over Arkansas social media laws | Arkansas Advocate A nonprofit trade association for internet companies is again suing Arkansas over legislation regulating social media platforms, arguing two new state laws are unconstitutional.

On social media: A nonprofit trade association for internet companies is again suing Arkansas over legislation regulating social media platforms, arguing two new state laws are unconstitutional.

via @arkansasadvocate.com

arkansasadvocate.com/2025/06/30/i...

Texas becomes seventh state to ban lab-grown meat • Stateline Texas is the fifth state this year and seventh overall to ban lab-grown meat.

From @stateline.org: Texas is the fifth state this year and seventh overall to ban lab-grown meat after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation temporarily prohibiting the sale of cell-cultured protein.

stateline.org/2025/06/30/t...

Planned Parenthood turns to states for a lifeline Clinics in Democratic strongholds are trying to get ahead of a possible federal defund.

Planned Parenthood is pushing governors and lawmakers in California, New York and other blue states to cobble together emergency funding to get ahead of a possible federal defund.

Uber, Lyft oppose some bills that aim to prevent assaults during rides • Stateline Uber, Lyft oppose some bills that aim to prevent assaults during rides. companies argue they have sufficient safety features within their apps.

State and city leaders across the country are looking for ways to make rideshares safer, but Uber and Lyft have opposed some of the proposals.

My latest for @stateline.org:
stateline.org/2025/06/18/u...