COVID vaccines for uninsured kids and more news from the states

Good morning, readers! As we enter the fall season, we’re keeping you up to date on the biggest stories about November's midterm elections.

In Missouri, for instance, a federal appeals court ruled that the state must use the congressional map passed by Republicans in 2025 for the Nov. 3 election, but the decision was put on hold for a week — leaving election officials to proceed for now under the map they were already using.

In immigration news, nearly 75 Haitians living in Ohio have been detained at one of four detention facilities in the state that contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since President Donald Trump took away their legal protected status on July 27 — a 142.3% increase, according to a new report. 

And in case you have not been to the gas station in a few days, diesel prices hit a record average of $6.51 a gallon yesterday. Some in Trump’s own party are breaking their support for the ongoing war in Iran, which has driven fuel prices to staggering levels in the United States and across the globe, States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau reports.

National: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery may move forward with a merger under the conditions that they boost film production, support displaced workers and preserve competition among cable channels over the next five years, 12 Democratic-led states and the attorneys representing the companies agreed in a court settlement.

Colorado: In November, voters will decide whether to support a ballot measure that would prevent transgender children from participating in school sports. It aims to restrict which teams students play on based on their “biological reproductive system.”

Louisiana: Republican Gov. Jeff Landry confirmed that $20 million in federal funds earmarked for affordable housing across the state will instead go toward fortified roof improvements. 

South Carolina: A civil liberties watchdog is alleging the state elections office violated public meetings law when it fired its previous director. The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the state Election Commission, accusing its members of illegally conducting public business behind closed doors.

Maryland: Seven federally recognized Native American tribes are ending their bid to formally join the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, saying they have been disappointed by the response from Bay Program leaders.

Utah: Republican Gov. Spencer Cox made Utah the first state to officially take action to join the White House’s national effort meant to reduce addiction, homelessness and serious mental illness. 

New Jersey: A Burlington County mother is demanding accountability from state youth justice officials after her teenage son was seriously injured during an assault Saturday at the New Jersey Training School in Middlesex County and video of the incident appeared on social media.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

The federal government has yet to release information on when — or whether — it will continue to provide COVID-19 vaccines to low-income children through a free immunization program, raising alarms among some Tennessee health providers ahead of this fall’s respiratory illness season, Tennessee Lookout reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccines for Children program routinely delivers immunizations to state and local health officials to be made available to children at public health clinics in all 95 Tennessee counties and other federally subsidized urban and rural clinics across the state.

About half of all Tennessee kids — and 50% of children nationwide — rely on the program for all or most of their vaccines, including COVID-19.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccines in August, and they are currently available to those with commercial insurance. 

But a statement released late last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has introduced confusion and uncertainty about the federal government’s plans to get the vaccine to low-income children this year.

The organizers of Save a Life Day — an annual naloxone distribution planned for Thursday — aim to keep promoting harm reduction, even after the Trump administration shifted federal funding away from some supplies that make drug use safer, West Virginia Watch reports. 

Volunteers representing health departments, healthcare providers, community organizations and more will distribute naloxone — a drug that reverses an opioid overdose — at more than 1,000 sites in all 50 states this year. The theme of this year’s Save a Life Day is “elevate harm reduction.” 

Many distribution sites will not offer drug testing strips, after the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said earlier this year that federal funds cannot be used to purchase the supplies. Organizers say the testing strips, which detect deadly contaminants such as fentanyl or xylazine, are an important safety tool for people who use drugs. 

An executive order last year said that substance abuse agency funding could no longer be used for “so-called ‘harm reduction’ or ‘safe consumption’” efforts. The government has previously restricted funds from being used to purchase clean syringes for distribution. In a “Dear colleague” letter dated April 24, the agency outlined that grant funding can also not be used for certain other harm reduction supplies, including drug testing strips. It said funding could still support naloxone and infectious disease prevention services.