Bullying

Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor challenging Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, has publicly defended transgender people against what he calls political targeting, framing his stance as rooted in his Christian faith. Marshall has pushed legislation to codify binary legal definitions of sex, and Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance at a Marshall rally, have criticized Hamilton's church for sponsoring Kansas City PrideFest. Hamilton argues marginalized groups are being turned into campaign issues for political gain and calls for treating people humanely regardless of gender identity. The exchange highlights how LGBTQ+ issues, particularly transgender rights, remain a flashpoint in the Kansas Senate race and broader 2026 midterm campaigns.

Gov. Josh Shapiro says his executive order gives Pennsylvania "the strictest guardrails in the nation" for data center development, though that claim holds mainly if outright moratoriums elsewhere are excluded. Signed Tuesday, the order requires developers to sign a binding consent agreement covering energy generation, water use, workforce hiring, transparency and community benefits before receiving state permits; projects that refuse face indefinite delays. It marks a reversal from Shapiro's earlier courting of investment, including Amazon's $20 billion data center commitment in Bucks and Luzerne counties.

States are diverging sharply in their approach as data centers become politically unpopular over energy costs and local impacts. New York has imposed the country's first statewide moratorium, pending new rules; Texas paused future projects for an audit. New Jersey and Kentucky passed consumer-cost protections via legislation and executive order, respectively, while Maryland and Virginia leave moratorium decisions to local governments. Ohio continues welcoming development but now requires large facilities to pay for most of their electricity capacity. Pennsylvania's legislature has broad support for ending data center tax breaks but has not passed a bill.