Today’s national picture is dominated by three major storylines. Severe weather and flooding continue across the Midwest after a derecho and tornado outbreak on Aug. 11-12, with Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Iowa all under disaster declarations, evacuations, and flood watches. In the West, wildfires are the top emergency, with large fires burning in California, Nevada and Washington prompting evacuation orders, highway closures, and statewide burn bans. Politically, redistricting and election law are front and center in Colorado, Maryland, Missouri and Utah, while three states — Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee — have scheduled executions today, and a $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in Illinois leads national headlines.
- Alabama: First execution of 2026 scheduled for today with Jeremy Williams, while state officials filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to keep a Republican-backed congressional map after a federal panel found likely discrimination against Black voters.
- Alaska: Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he was deeply disappointed that a bill to advance the $50 billion Alaska LNG pipeline stalled in the legislature, urging lawmakers to reconvene Aug. 20.
- Arizona: State officials filed an emergency motion Aug. 12 asking the 9th Circuit to pause a court-ordered takeover of prison health care, delaying appointment of a receiver set to begin Aug. 13.
- Arkansas: President Trump nominated Arkansas-based Judge Lee Rudofsky to the 8th Circuit on Aug. 13, and the state was ranked No. 1 for religious freedom in the 2026 Religious Liberty index.
- California: Multiple wildfires remain active, including the Timber Fire in Big Sur at 4,245 acres and 7% containment with evacuations in Monterey County, and the Bug Fire at 88,442 acres and 15% containment spreading toward Nevada.
- Colorado: Colorado Supreme Court halted efforts to redraw the congressional map, rejecting ballot initiatives aimed at reshaping districts ahead of November.
- Connecticut: Federal judge ruled Connecticut can apply sports betting regulations to prediction market Kalshi’s sports offerings, following Department of Consumer Protection enforcement action.
- Delaware: DNREC closed the Seaford Fishing Pier over unsafe structural findings, while the House passed H.B. 255 decoupling from federal business tax incentives in a special session to address a potential $400 million shortfall, and AG Jennings sued to block federal demand for CDL drivers’ data.
- Florida: Fatal crash and fire involving two tractor-trailers shut down all southbound lanes of I-95 near Ormond Beach in Volusia County early Aug. 13, with major delays near mile marker 276.
- Georgia: Atlanta Press Club announced its 2026 general election debate schedule for 11 races, including U.S. Senate race Jon Ossoff vs. Mike Collins and governor’s race Rick Jackson vs. Keisha Lance Bottoms in October.
- Hawaii: Tropical Storm Lala approaching with a Hurricane Watch issued for Hawaii County on the Big Island, expected to bring heavy rain, damaging wind, high surf and flooding by Saturday.
- Idaho: Idaho Transportation Department scheduled a major traffic shift at Highway 16 and Highway 44 in Ada County today, and University of Idaho/USDA released a free nitrogen calculator for barley and sugar beet growers.
- Illinois: Single Powerball ticket sold in Quincy won the $1.04 billion jackpot from Aug. 12 drawing — winning numbers 4, 26, 66, 67, 69 and Powerball 9 — largest prize of the year and 8th-largest in history.
- Indiana: Gov. Mike Braun declared 30-day statewide disaster emergency after severe storms, tornado and derecho since Aug. 11 caused catastrophic flooding in Cambridge City and New Castle with over 11 inches of rain and National Guard deployment.
- Iowa: 2026 Iowa State Fair opening day in Des Moines hit by severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings and 2.38 inches of rain, causing ride closures and flooding but fairgoers still attended.
- Kansas: Kansas Court of Appeals rejected Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s emergency bid to eliminate the mail-ballot grace period, keeping ballots countable if postmarked by Election Day and received within three days for the August primary.
- Kentucky: Officials issued emergency order Aug. 13 to accelerate recovery after multiple rounds of severe weather since Aug. 11 left thousands without power, with more storms forecast.
- Louisiana: Temporary USDA waiver allowing SNAP recipients to purchase hot and prepared foods after Tropical Storm Arthur expires today, Aug. 13.
- Maine: Maine expanded its Universal Immunization Program to adults 19-64 for National Immunization Awareness Month, while Maine faced Massachusetts in the Little League World Series New England Region Championship.
- Maryland: Special legislative session concluded with final passage of HB 2100 placing a proposed constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting on the November 2026 ballot.
- Massachusetts: Gov. Maura Healey signed the ‘Freedom to Read’ law establishing transparent process for library material reviews to prevent book bans in schools and public libraries.
- Michigan: Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges Aug. 13 against five non-U.S. citizens alleged to have voted in 2024 presidential election, plus a sixth resident for election forgery for registering a non-citizen spouse.
- Minnesota: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won Democratic nomination for open U.S. Senate seat, with GOP tying her to welfare fraud scandal under Gov. Tim Walz as central campaign issue.
- Mississippi: Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney, four months into tenure, outlined data-driven reforms, Youth Advisory Board, ballistic-matching system and multi-agency Quick Response Team that recovered 51 firearms in five weeks.
- Missouri: Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected citizen referendum seeking statewide vote on Trump-backed congressional map despite 300,000+ signatures, prompting lawsuit from People Not Politicians.
- Montana: DEQ announced $10.34 million awarded to 10 projects statewide with U.S. DOE to strengthen rural, municipal and tribal power grids against extreme weather.
- Nebraska: Lancaster County District Court dismissed Republican-led challenge to voter law, clearing way for Secretary of State Bob Evnen to provide voter file to federal government.
- Nevada: Bug and Stallion fires north of Reno have burned over 129,000 acres, with Bug Fire at 88,422 acres and 15% containment, 9 homes lost on Red Rock Road, 3,000 under mandatory evacuation and U.S. 395 closed at state line.
- New Hampshire: Trump administration scrapped plans for immigration detention facility in Merrimack, with Gov. Kelly Ayotte confirming DHS will not move forward with proposed ICE facility.
- New Jersey: AG joined 21-state coalition lawsuit against Trump Administration over demand for sensitive data on 17 million drivers, while four-alarm fire tore through multiple homes in Belleville early today.
- New Mexico: New Mexico suing Department of Justice for unredacted investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein and his Zorro Ranch, alleging thousands of references and refusal to aid state investigation.
- New York: Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect today, allowing terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to request medication to end their lives, joining 12 other states and DC.
- North Carolina: FERC approved Mountain Valley Pipeline’s request to begin construction of 31-mile Southgate extension to move natural gas from Virginia into North Carolina.
- North Dakota: Gov. Kelly Armstrong appointed senior advisor Conner Swanson to lead Department of Health and Human Services effective Aug. 29, announced today.
- Ohio: State of emergency continues in Perry and Muskingum counties after derecho and flash flooding killed 1 in Roseville; NWS confirmed EF1 tornado on Columbus’ South Side from Aug. 11 storms, with 19,000 in Franklin County without power and flood watch in effect.
- Oklahoma: Scheduled execution of Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, by lethal injection in McAlester for 2003 murder, as western and north-central Oklahoma faces spreading extreme flash drought.
- Oregon: Federal judge granted preliminary injunction Aug. 13 blocking Trump administration from freezing already-awarded FEMA disaster funds to Salem over DEI and immigration conditions, while Red Flag Warning issued for abundant lightning across central and eastern Oregon.
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved rate increase for Pennsylvania American Water effective today, with residential customers using water and sewer seeing about $20 increase.
- Rhode Island: L3Harris opened new $6 million, 50,000-sq-ft maritime production facility at ProvPort in Providence to produce undersea training systems for Navy and allies.
- South Carolina: Attorney General Alan Wilson won Republican primary runoff for governor defeating Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette after President Trump hedged his initial endorsement.
- South Dakota: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Ahlers announced lieutenant governor pick Steven McCleerey on Aug. 12-13 in Sioux Falls, finalizing Democratic ticket with agriculture and healthcare focus during Sturgis Rally week.
- Tennessee: Attorneys for Darrell Hines, 66, scheduled for execution Aug. 13 for 1985 murder seeking reprieve from Gov. Bill Lee citing medical history, as Department of Safety graduated new State Trooper class at State Museum in Nashville.
- Texas: Emerson College Polling/Nexstar poll released Aug. 13 shows U.S. Senate race dead heat with Republican Ken Paxton at 47% and Democrat James Talarico at 46% among likely voters; Gov. Greg Abbott leads Gina Hinojosa 49% to 45%.
- Utah: Federal three-judge panel declined to block new court-ordered congressional map for 2026 midterms, clearing map that creates Salt Lake City-based Democratic-leaning district that could end all-GOP House delegation.
- Vermont: Economist Amanda Janoo won Democratic primary for governor Aug. 11, narrowly defeating Aly Richards to challenge incumbent Gov. Phil Scott in November.
- Virginia: Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced winners of Virginia Council on Women’s STEAM-H Essay Contest while opposing statewide ban on AI data centers as Loudoun County, home to about 250 data centers, weighs local pause.
- Washington: Gov. Bob Ferguson declared statewide wildfire emergency and burn ban through Sept. 30 as drought and high winds drive record fires; Red Flag Warning from noon today to 10 PM and fast-moving wildfire prompting evacuations in Spokane County.
- West Virginia: Martinsburg man sentenced Aug. 13 to 12 to 50 years for second-degree murder of his mother, former State Sen. Sondra Moore Lucht; President Trump approved at least $4.5 million in expedited Individual Assistance for Lewis and Upshur counties after July 21 floods.
- Wisconsin: Measles outbreak grown to 15 confirmed and 6 probable cases as of Aug. 13, with new exposures in Iowa and Lafayette counties after first cases earlier in August in Oconto County.
- Wyoming: 2026 Wyoming State Fair & Rodeo underway in Douglas Aug. 11-15, with PRCA Legacy Night today Aug. 13 at Ford Grandstand Arena celebrating rodeo legacy and western way of life.
