Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov® – a Dem tent weekly that shares action items you can do from your phone, good political news, civic engagement tools and topics, and a little dose of political goss too, right to your inbox.  

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]

NY GOV. HOCHUL ANNOUNCES $21M FOR FLOOD RESILIENCY PROJECTS ON LONG ISLAND: Coming to the South Shore of Long Island in the form of a $21 million investment, are projects across Suffolk and Nassau counties designed to enhance infrastructure and address flooding issues along major travel corridors. Equipped with the goal of protecting main travel routes from coastal storm impact, the projects will include major drainage and stormwater upgrades along both the Meadowbrook and Wantagh State Parkways, and upgrades on State Route 27A. Construction start times and project specific details can be found here.

CA GOV. NEWSOM ANNOUNCES $20M IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT APPRENTICESHIPS: California’s Apprenticeship Council [CA] Training Funds just received a $20M boost in dollars to support apprenticeship training in the building trades. The infusion of funds is aimed at helping apprenticeship programs provide high caliber training, invest in top-notch equipment, and help California workers stay ahead of the curve with best in-class skills. The focused investment is a part of Gov. Newsom’s Master Plan for Education, which has the goal of serving 500K apprenticeships by 2029.

NC GOV. STEIN ANNOUNCES $11M IN FUNDING FOR TRAIL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced that the state’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has awarded $11M in funds across 37 projects focused on the restoration of trails and the development of new ones in the Piedmont. The funding for the projects comes as a result of a legislative thumbs up given by the state’s General Assembly [state house] through the Great Trails State Program, which was created in 2023. The program itself provides matching grants to local NC govs, public authorities, regional councils of gov, and nonprofits, to help make trail renewal and development possible at-scale, according to the Governor’s office. The full list of recipient projects can be found here.

RODEO OF GERRYMANDERING MAYHEM

A bundle of sh*t so big, it needed it’s own section

• What’s bigger isn’t necessarily better in the Lonestar state. Following the current president calling on TX Gov. Abbott to call a special sesh of the state leg to “find” GOP Congressional seats [federal level] by drawing new district maps into the most gerrymandered shapes possible, like ones that defy geometry, 51 Dem state reps left the state. In leaving the state, they’ve basi rendered the state leg useless-adjacent, because in order for the state leg to pass bills – like the one that would gerrymander the state further – the leg needs to have a certain number of its members there. The Dems have peaced out to IL, NY, & MA. 

• Then….in an absurd assertion of bologna, TX Gov. Abbott and his buddy with the lazy eye and accusations of adultery lining up, AG Ken Paxton, have directed the Texas Rangers to investigate the Dem state reps for leaving the state on the premise of a second degree felony, bribery. He’s also threatened to vacate their seats.

• The state’s GOP reps also approved arrest warrants for the Dems because they’re so upset that the Dems won’t help them cheat. The tl;dr response on the arrest warrants are best understood by Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones who eviscerated Gov. Abbott’s bluff of bull.

• Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX] who is facing a primary challenge from AG Paxton put his desperation briefs on and sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, urging to the FBI to help bring the Dem lawmakers back…

• Tarmac-cam on: TX state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer [D] vlogged the exit from the tarmac, sharing the deats on what him and his colleagues were setting out to do – and that tarmac was also shared with TX state Rep. James Talarico [D] who gave more deats on breaking quorum.

• NY Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] at a presser yesterday shared that she would put saving democracy as her top priority, and highlighted that if that meant breaking the rules that the Republicans are already breaking in order to do so, she’ll do it, at any cost. She also mentioned that we’re now “at war and that’s why the gloves are off.”

• IL Gov. JB Pritzker [D] and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu [D] came together in the great state of Massachusetts to present a united front in the fight to save that democracy that’s on life support.

• On the note of Gov. JB Pritzker, reporting from The Guardian has shared that the Hyatt Hotel mogul is assisting with lodging and meeting spaces for the essentially exiled lawmakers. However, he’s not assisting with the $500/day fine that each lawmaker is facing – large Dem donors are rumored to be assisting on that end.

• In a TBT of important context to the ongoing gerrymandering fight, at the federal level, 2021, Dems passed the For The People Act in the House, which would’ve ended partisan gerrymandering nationwide. Who didn’t vote for it? The Republicans in both the House and Senate, who had a chance to ban a practice they’re not just trying to further utilize in Texas ATM, but are trying to come at Dem-led states that are saying, mmkay we’ll play your game then [and win]. 

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Stories that are guaranteed to make it to the group chat

• In a move that feels very cold-war-esque, the former reality star turned Secretary of Transportation who is ALSO in charge of NASA currently, announced plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. And despite exuding the essence of a scene from a Despicable Me sequel, the move is being untaken under the guise of worries that Russia or China could beat the USA to it.

• Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene [R-GA] has submitted a pardon request for none-other than the Anna Delvey of politics, former Congressman George Santos. As a refresher, Santos is serving a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft [this does not include the apparent theft of a Burberry scarf from a former roommate].

• An ultra-conservative GOP state rep in Texas, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione announced that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, after an interview with his former mistress of allegedly 17+ years was published. The interview included accusations that Rep. Capriglione paid for meet-ups and for abortions she’d over the years. Mind you, Rep. Capriglione was the leader on the state’s “trigger ban” that enabled Texas to ban abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

• Hardcore Trump supporter and husband to the chairwoman of the Door County [WI] Republican Party, Scott Soucek was arrested and charged with ten counts of possessing child pornography. In a tale as old as time, he wrote in a Facebook post last year, the following: “I’m voting to fight against human/child trafficking.”

• In political gardening news: Trump had the floral and grass expanse that made up the White House Rose Garden paved over; and to give credit where credit is due, he’s unfortunately correct that the pavement does make it easier for those wearing heels to not sink into the grass.

• The White House is getting even more gaudy fixings with an announcement that Trump will be building a $200 million ballroom onsite. Who is holding the bill for this endeavor? Undisclosed donors. 

• Trump was seen walking on the roof of the White House today and then like a middle child who hasn’t gotten enough attention, he trolled the media by claiming he was going to build nuclear missile capabilities up there. Translation: Epstein… who?

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

FEDERAL, NEWBORN HEALTH: Congresswoman Kelly Morrison [D-MN], who is also an OB-GYN, has intro’d the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act. The bipartisan bill, if passed, would hit the renew button on vital health screening programs for newborns that catch health conditions early on. Context: the early detection of health conditions in newborns have resulted in timely treatment, saving lives and reducing long-term health costs.

FEDERAL, CORPORATE PAC MONEY: A bill getting a little more bounce in its step upon reintroduction, is the Ban Corporate PACs Act. The bill said “we back baby” in the Senate, being re-intro’d by Sen. Elissa Slotkin [D-MI] and Sen. Mark Kelly [D-AZ], and re-intro’d in the House by Congressman Josh Harder [D-CA]. If passed, the bill would do three main things: Nix the ability for for-profit corps to create or manage a PAC; ban the ability for for-profit corps/PACs to ask for contributions from corporate shareholders; and requires that corp PACs that current exist go bye-bye, with all of its funds disbursed in full within a year of the Act going into effect.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE

Politics meets social media

• Congresswoman [and Senate candidate] Haley Stevens [D-MI] gave an in-office closet tour, sharing her go-to pieces and a tweed jacket from an ultra-Millennial brand [IYKYK].

• Fmr VP Kamala Harris used this TikTok trend to announce her new book dropping in September, focused on her 107 day presidential campaign.

• Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR] did a DIML – a day in the life video on the Hill, showing what ‘crosses his desk’ on a given day.

• Candidate for a Florida senate seat, Josh Weil used the lizard meme to point out how many current Republican senators look like…well, lizards [low key, lots of doppelgangers]. 

• Massachusetts state Senator Lydia Edwards did in fact win the Nicki Minaj trend – and if you don’t know what the trend this is, hit the books [this issue of #VIRAL, The Newsletter].

HEALTH & WELLNESS

In the club, we’re all sick

• Following his self-dubbed moniker “the fertilization president,” and a campaign that promised for the gov to either pay for IVF or to require insurance companies to pay for it, Trump and team have done a slow back peddle away from that promise. The reason for the peddle back ATM? ‘Legal constraints’ – apparently, this is the issue they draw that line on…

• In a room full of his constituents in Nebraska, Congressman Mike Flood [R-NE] was booed to the ends of the earth, when he shared that Medicaid will soon have new work requirements. He also failed to read the room, accusing those Nebraskakans literally in the room with him of not being aligned with the opinions of most in the state.

• The CDC has a new director, after Susan Monarez was confirmed along party lines to the role. While a health scientist, she is the first to service in the role without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

• The current president and mega-fan of McDonalds has decided to reboot the Presidential Fitness Test as a public school requirement via executive order. Trump announced the EO at a White House podium where he was joined by registered sex offender and former NFL player Lawrence Taylor.

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID

That money though

• What’s the Trump surcharge in your neck of the woods? This tracker lets you see how much grocery prices have gone up in your state and what they look like in others thanks to Trump’s tariffs. 

• Trump didn’t like the most recent jobs report numbers that came out of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed that job growth had slowed over the last three months. His reaction was of course to label the data "manipulated for political purposes” and make the head of the Bureau, Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who’s had long-time bipartisan support, famous by firing her.

• According to Republican Congressman Don Bacon [NE] – who, important footnote here, is not seeking re-election – noted in an interview that his state saw a 6% annual drop in GDP in the first quarter of 2025 [aka under Trump’s leadership].

EXTREMISM

…that’s the tweet [or the x]

• Neo-Nazi’s a part of the group called “Blood Tribe” popped out of the back of a U-Haul at New Hampshire’s state capitol on Saturday, chanting weirdo hate comments and waving swastika-dressed flags. Their arrival was allegedly timed in alignment with a protest being held of a progressive group, causing scuffles and police engagement to keep the group separate. According to experts cited in reporting from NHPR, the timing and filming everything approach, is a part of Blood Tribe’s online recruitment strategy.

• In Austin, Texas, a trans woman and several of her friends were harassed and assaulted while trying to enjoy the day at the Barton Springs swimming hole. The incident, which included a bystander getting involved, is being investigated by police as a hate crime.

• A 20-year old graduate of Scarsdale High School [NY] and current Purdue University student, Yeonsoo Go, was detained by ICE at her routine visa hearing; her hearing was to focus on extending her STILL valid visa that doesn’t expire until December 2025. As of the publish date of this newsletter, she is still being held at 26 Federal Plaza, a facility that lacks showers and beds.

• A researcher at Texas A&M was detained for over a week at the San Francisco International Airport after flying back from South Korea to attend his brother’s wedding. The researcher, who was forced to sleep in a chair for that week, Tae Heung Kim, is a legal permanent resident with a valid green card. 

• Rodney Taylor, a double amputee being held by ICE in Georgia, was put into solitary confinement for refusing to go into a flooded cell that would be dangerous since his prosthetic legs are electronic.

LEGAL BEGAL

Lawsuits & legal happenings to know about

• House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer [R-KY] issued a number of subpoenas in relation to the Epstein files. With the subpoenas, which include one to the DOJ [home to Trump’s fall girl, AG Pam Bondi], Comer has requested all files in unredacted form be turned over by August 19, 2025. Those on the deposition list include: the Clintons, James Comey, Lorretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales. Missing from the list: Trump’s Labor Secretary Alex Acosta who handled Epstein’s 2008 plea deal.

• AZ’s AG Kris Mayes has joined 20 fellow AGs, along with the state of Kentucky in a lawsuit against the Trump Admin for their illegal demand that the states hand over the sensi personal data of those receiving SNAP benefits. Trump’s USDA has threatened that they may withhold administrative funding for the SNAP program for states that fail to bend the knee to their request [translation: punish people who are already struggling to get by].

• Trump groupie and former Fox News talking head, Jeanine Pirro was confirmed as the U.S. Attorney for D.C., making the role she’d been temping in, offish.

CATACLYSMIC CORRUPTION

Stories brought to you by your least favorite characters

• Texas isn’t the only state that Trump has his eyes on for a bit of gerrymandering political cheating that could add Republican House seats to the map. Cue: Missouri, where the state’s GOP, esp its far-right faction, are suggesting a map change that could nix at least one, if not two of the state’s two Dem-held Congressional seats. Their strategy? Split the Dem-leaning voters of Kansas City up and dilute their political power.

• Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s right hand who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her part in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex, has been moved to a minimum security facility in Texas – specifically the facility where Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos failure-fame and Jen Shah of RHOSLC are being held. 

• In PA, the GOP is leading what it’s calling the “vote-no” campaign to try and oust three Democratic justices sitting on the state’s Supreme Court, this fall. ICYMI, a retention election is on the books, which will have voters simply vote “no” or “yes” on whether to retain the justices in their current role. If voters say “no,” the court will be stalled in gridlock until 2027 where the GOP will try to run candidates to fill what would be three currently “Dem” held seats. The “vote yes” campaign to keep the Dems = voting yes for Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht.

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

• The 19th: How temporary cash assistance helps mothers reclaim their lives – and families – after prison

• Fox29 Philadelphia: Camden police and social work team up to tackle homelessness, addiction, mental health issues

• Rolling Stone: Concealed handguns create a climate of fear, the gun industry’s own research reveals

• Marie Claire: She Was Fired for Defying Trump – But She’s Coming Back Swinging

BEFORE YOU GO…

…find more from Girl and the Gov®

→  Get on-demand comms and digital help with GATG Office Hours Sessions

→  Tap into actionable insights on creating political content with #VIRAL & Keeping It Currant

→  Shop the latest in merch & GATG faves on ShopMy

→  Keep up with GATG on Insta, TikTok, YouTube, & Threads

Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

Sign up now!