Episode Details

Trump slashes UN funding, a deep dive on Congress's broken budget process, nationwide data center battles, Georgia's $71M software overspend, and state Medicaid rankings on this episode of The States.

- Trump cuts UN funding, addresses AI and Iran: President Trump announced a $1 billion cut to U.S. funding for the United Nations over six months, including 15% budget cuts and roughly 4,000 eliminated positions. He also rejected international AI regulation and said he'll decide soon whether to pursue a deal with Iran or escalate military action, with the current conflict costing $2-3 billion in taxpayer dollars monthly.
- Congress's budget process: Convention of States co-founder Mark Meckler discusses how Congress has passed all 12 appropriations bills on time only four times since 1996, relying instead on continuing resolutions with little transparency or debate. Meckler argues state budgeting, while imperfect, is far more transparent than federal, and outlines his group's push for a balanced budget amendment and spending caps via an Article V convention (20 of the needed 34 states have signed on).
- Data center battles nationwide:
New York Gov. Hochul pressing AI companies to reduce data centers' land, water, and energy footprint. Virginia Gov. Spanberger signed an executive order shifting infrastructure costs to industry as reported tax benefits to data center operators hit $1.9 billion. Nevada Gov. Lombardo ties data center tax breaks to school funding ahead of a competitive governor's race against AG Aaron Ford. Texas Gov. Abbott issued a fourth directive in four months, halting all new data center permits pending audits. Chicago Mayor Johnson pushing an environmental-justice review process and a possible moratorium on new data centers. The Ohio State Supreme Court blocked a Wilmington ballot initiative to regulate data centers locally.
- Georgia DFCS software overspend: An audit shows a $7.3M software system (Argo) used by Georgia's Department of Family and Children's Services was a factor in service authorization costs rising from $63.3M to $134.4M — a 112% increase — over three fiscal years. Lawmakers say the procurement process and vendor remain unclear; DFCS has since stopped using the software.
State Medicaid rankings (Heartland Institute): Kansas ranks best overall , followed by Texas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. California ranks worst, with New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and New Mexico rounding out the bottom five.
- America's Talking headlines:
Missouri: Federal appeals court orders use of the 2025 congressional map favoring Republicans for the November election.
Pennsylvania: Candidates across party lines weigh in on flock camera/license plate reader use.
Minnesota: Free school meals program has cost $876M — 46% over its original $600M forecast.
Seattle: Mayor announces $1.7M plan to support independent grocery stores rather than a city-run supermarket.

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