“We do ballot-box budgeting in the state of California.”

California state Rep. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who has introduced some of the roughly 30 measures to regulate artificial intelligence that have been introduced this session. (New York Times — June 10, 2024)

McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger, responding to viral tweets and media reports that have, according to Erlinger, exaggerated the fast food chain’s price increases. Erlinger acknowledged that he and many franchises were frustrated by a post on X last summer about a Big Mac meal in Connecticut that cost $18. The average price for a Big Mac in the U.S. is $5.29, or $9.29 for the meal, a 20.5 percent increase compared to 2019. (Associated Press — May 29, 2024)

Marty Rosenbluth, an immigration attorney in Lumpkin, Ga. Compared to last year, Georgia is detaining 54 percent more immigrants for violating federal law. The number is expected to continue growing in part because of a state law requiring greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 18, 2024)

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who signed legislation mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation vowed to file lawsuits to block the law. (Louisiana Illuminator, June 20, 2024)