Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®, which shares the latest from the wild west of political landscapes, highlighting news that fits the qualifications of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the downright absurd.

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Editor’s Note: For comprehensive coverage on the war in the Middle East – a story that continues to move at the speed of light – check out Politico, The Hill, Don Lemon [king of the press conference clips], AP News, and Semafor.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, FR] 

→ MD GOV. WES MOORE SIGNS THE PROTECTION FROM PREDATORY PRICING ACT: Following a creepy crawly set of policies being used by retailers to squeeze every last penny out of consumers, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act. The new law bans retailers from implementing surveillance pricing i.e. using an individual’s data to determine the price they pay. Also included in the new law is a requirement for grocery stores to keep their prices fixed for at least one day, hitting the issue of them changing constantly throughout a given day via electronic shelf labels. 

→ VA GOV. SPANBERGER SIGNS BILL RAISING STATE MINIMUM WAGE TO $15/HR: After long being blocked by the state’s Republicans, with the Democrats in the saddle in Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15/hr by 2028. The rate will go up incrementally until then. Following, in 2029, the minimum wage will increase in tandem with numbers from the consumer price index.

→ VA GOV. SPANBERGER SIGNS THE RIGHT TO CONTRACEPTION ACT: Also filed under, “wild what can get passed when you actually give Democrats enough power to get things done,” is this news – Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the Right to Contraception Act. The new law firstly establishes a right to contraception, and secondly, prohibits state and local govs from either passing or enforcing laws that restrict people from acquiring birth control. 

→ $25M IN FUNDING AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY NY GOV. HOCHUL TO EXPAND HEALTHCARE ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: Set across 30 projects, $25M in grants have been awarded to expand healthcare facilities across the state, with the goal of increasing and improving access to healthcare for those with developmental disabilities. The health equity initiative behind the funding is run through the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and selected an array of project types, from those looking to improve wheelchair accessibility to those focused on making specialty physical health services more accessible in healthcare deserts. 

IT’S THE ECONOMY

Money, money, money

  • The Trump team orchestrated a Doordash delivery at the White House to celebrate its policy of ‘no tax on tips,’ with this grandma who shared that the money she’s saved from the policy has enabled her to pay for her husband’s cancer treatment…which is a win if you think retiree age humans should have to work delivery to keep their spouses alive. Notably, if you think the grandma looks familiar, this would be why – because the Republicans have tapped her before.

  • In response to high AF gas prices, Michigan Gov. Whitmer [D] signed an executive order temporarily rescinding a requirement for lower vapor press gas [a cheaper gas type] in eight counties to provide people with access to slightly less expensive gas.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Stories that are guaranteed to make it to the group chat

  • Trump posted an AI-generated pic of himself as Jesus, which caused a ruckus amongst his base of people that have a Bible verse they don't follow in their Instagram profiles. The ruckus or backlash rather came from people like anti-trans washed up athlete Riley Gaines, who then found themselves included in Trump’s hate-posting, where he claimed to have never liked Riley. Alas, Trump has now pivoted to claiming that the AI pic of himself was meant to depict him as a “doctor.” 

  • Per the story above, or rather the pretense for it, was Trump verbally attacking Pope Leo, followed by a weird as helly double down rant about Pope Leo somehow being “weak on crime.”

  • The FAA’s solution ATM for the air traffic controller crisis is to recruit gamers for the job, offering a salary of $155K. The recruitment strategy for the profession that’s been riddled with vacancies for years, was also a part of the strategy used under the Biden Admin to fill the vital roles.

  • The military draft is back, sorta. Eligible men will now be automatically registered into the U.S. military by pool by EOY, following a rule proposal change by the federal agency that oversees the databases of men that are eligible for service upon a military draft – this is just the next step in the process. Mind you, the process was approved under the Republican-led Congress in the NDAA FY 2026.

  • A new poll has found that the majority of Americans support Trump being impeached, with 52% of those surveyed carrying that position. 

  • Hunter Biden, former President Biden’s son, challenged the older two Trump henchman sons, Eric and Donald Jr. to a cage match, seemingly in jest in relation to his own coming participation in YouTuber Andrew Callaghan’s “Carnival” Tour. *you may recognize Andrew from the ‘Channel Five’ content.

  • Similar to his boss’s falling approval ratings, VP JD Vance’s approval ratings have sunk so low that they make him, “the least popular vice president at this stage [of a presidency] of their tenure in modern history,” according to data analysis from CNN.

CATACLYSMIC CORRUPTION

And other moves of disproportionate idiocy

  • Following a sleuth of sexual misconduct, rape, and assault allegations, with victims, including some amongst his former staff, coming forward, Eric Swalwell dropped out of California’s race for governor and resigned from Congress. The move comes after he filmed and posted a victim-blaming video to his IG feed. Conversations around the former congressman’s conduct are not new, and have resulted in a renewed look at his friends in office who now claim to have known nothing, like Senator Ruben Gallego [D-AZ].

  • Also facing the heat for sexual misconduct allegations regarding a former staffer, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez [TX] announced that he would be filing for retirement following the ball rolling further on an expulsion resolution that’s expected to make it to the House floor this week. TBD on when he will actually leave his post.

  • It really is expulsion-palooza in the House rn, with moves also being made to oust Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick [D-FL] who has been indicted over allegations that she stole millions in FEMA disaster aid. On the Republican side of the federal Floridian aisle, the possibility of ousting Congressman Cory Mills, who has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for assault and benefiting from federal contracts while in office, appears to be back on the table.

  • Surprising everyone, including her husband, Melania Trump took to the podium late last week to discuss a number of Epstein-related matters. In the address, she claimed she was not “Epstein’s victim,” called for a congressional hearing for survivors [legal nightmare btw], and stated that she never had a relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell despite their being email evidence that contradicts it.

  • The “Arc de Trump,” is now going to be built using $15M in taxpayer dollars, news that was revealed via the release of the National Endowment for the Humanities spending plan was released. The total estimated cost for the project has yet to be shared publicly.

EXTREMISM

…that’s the Tweet

  • 2025 proved to be an incredibly deadly year for antisemitic attacks around the world, with a new report finding the highest numbers in 30 years.

  • Looksmaxxer Clavicular walked out of an interview with 60 Minutes because he didn’t like that he was being asked about his links to Andrew Tate, Nick Fuentes, and others, along with his time dancing to the antisemitic Kanye West song, “Heil Hitler.”

THE LATEST: ICE

A look at some of the horrifying reports emerging 

  • Amidst a doctor shortage, ICE has detained an ER doctor – Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar – who was traveling to California with her daughter, who is a U.S. citizen. Bolivar has work permits that run through 20230 and a pending asylum case, which was why she was going to California – to meet her husband for an appointment about said case. 

  • According to new reporting from the Miami Herald, attorneys for immigrants being held at the Alligator Alcatraz site, detainees were beaten and pepper-sprayed after a protest over lost phone access. The lawyers allege that the removal of phone access to legal counsel and family violated a March 27, 2026 court order issued by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell that had expanded detainees' ability to use their phones and contact their lawyers.

  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared in a recent interview that an executive order is under way that would require banks to collect citizenship details – a move that would also require people to afford documentation like a passport, which it’s estimated that over 50% of Americans don’t have.

Lawsuits & legal tings to know about

  • Funds from a national-level settlement with VW via the infamous emissions cheating scandal, has resulted in the state of Connecticut making $15M available from their portion of the payout pot to projects that will reduce diesel emissions in the state. Eligible projects must meet an array of criteria, including taking a whack at the 70% of smog emissions that come from the transportation sector. 

  • A federal judge – U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Hayes – dismissed Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit that he’d filed last July against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a story the paper had published connecting the dots between Trump and Epstein. Hayes explained that Trump had failed to prove that the intent of the article was malicious. That said, Hayes provided an opportunity for Trump to file an amended complaint. 

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

  • Politico: Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal

  • AP: how unlikely allies helped on nonprofit get results in deep red Alabama

  • ProPublica: “Economic Civil War”: States Push Laws to Shield OIl and Gas Companies From Accountability

  • Vanity Fair: Apocalypse Later

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