Amanda Watford

Federal funding for people in poverty heading to anti-abortion centers instead • Stateline The bulk of the money Missouri gives to its crisis pregnancy centers comes from federal funds meant to assist families experiencing poverty with basic necessities and child care, Republican Rep. Jason...

States are diverting federal TANF dollars meant for families in need to crisis pregnancy centers that discourage abortion care. Federal funding for housing and sex ed is heading to the centers, too, States Newsroom found:

stateline.org/2026/03/04/r...

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Series | News From The States Billion Dollar Baby Bump: A States Newsroom 50-state investigation examining the tax records of more than 1,600 crisis pregnancy center organizations nationwide and state and federal budgets found the...

NEW SERIES: The magnitude of state & federal funding to anti-abortion pregnancy centers is growing while oversight is not, by @kelciemmorris.bsky.social @acvollers.bsky.social @nhassanein.bsky.social @chatlanis.bsky.social @amandavhernan.bsky.social and me www.newsfromthestates.com/tags/crisis-...

'Teaching us how to grow with our babies': How prisons allow mothers and infants to nest for months • Stateline Prison nursery programs allow babies to live behind walls with their mothers — a rare and controversial approach that forces states to confront how punishment, public safety and early childhood develo...

What happens when someone gives birth behind bars?

Some states allow incarcerated mothers to stay with their newborns in prison nurseries. Many don’t.

I spent months reporting on how these programs work — and who’s left out.

stateline.org/2026/01/09/t...

'Teaching us how to grow with our babies': How prisons allow mothers and infants to nest for months • Stateline Prison nursery programs allow babies to live behind walls with their mothers — a rare and controversial approach that forces states to confront how punishment, public safety and early childhood develo...

NEW from @amandavhernan.bsky.social: Mothers behind bars face unique challenges — and a new prison nursery in Missouri is giving some a chance to bond with their babies.

Read more on how some mothers across the country are navigating parenting behind bars.

stateline.org/2026/01/09/t...

As expected, litigation is now underway to block Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map from taking effect ahead of an anticipated statewide referendum vote.

I touched on the situation in Missouri in my story on Monday: stateline.org/2025/12/22/a...

Incarcerated women often don’t have enough period products • Stateline Many incarcerated women face challenges accessing menstrual products, even in facilities that provide them for free.

From Amanda Watford: Periods behind bars remain a challenge: Limited products, strict rules and low-quality supplies sometimes put incarcerated people at risk.

https://stateline.org/2025/12/17/incarcerated-women-often-dont-have-enough-period-products/

Incarcerated women often don’t have enough period products • Stateline Many incarcerated women face challenges accessing menstrual products, even in facilities that provide them for free.

Not enough tampons. Not enough pads.
Incarcerated women often don’t have enough period products. Some states are doing something about it.

Important reporting from @amandavhernan.bsky.social and @stateline.org

stateline.org/2025/12/17/i...

We're still reporting on ShotSpotter! If you have information about it, we want to talk to you. Have you been contacted by ShotSpotter to place a sensor on your property, or been stopped by police because of a ShotSpotter alert?

If so, contact me at kdailey@michiganadvance.com, Signal: @kdailey.07

Detroit Police officials overseeing gunshot sensors don’t know their locations — and say that’s fine • Michigan Advance When gunfire rips through some Detroit neighborhoods, ShotSpotter hears it first — but where exactly that signal comes from is a secret kept even from police. Critics of Detroit’s gunshot detection sy...

As Detroit looks to renew its multimillion-dollar ShotSpotter contract, officials admit they can’t verify where the sensors sit or how the system is used.

Michigan Advance Reporter Katherine Dailey - @kdailey.bsky.social - takes an in-depth look.

michiganadvance.com/2025/12/15/d...

Justice Department sues 6 more states for voter lists • Stateline The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday expanded its legal campaign to force states to turn over voter lists containing sensitive personal information, suing six more states that have refused to pro...

The Department of Justice is suing 6 more states for unredacted voter lists. Democratic election officials have raised concerns about data privacy

stateline.org/2025/12/03/j...

Gun dealers are major source of trafficked firearms • Stateline Licensed gun dealers are a major source of firearms that end up illegally trafficked, according to a new analysis using federal data by the research arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for stricter gun laws. Gun trafficking involves diverting guns from legal commerce into the illegal market, often through straw purchases, unlicensed dealing or […]

From Amanda Watford: Licensed gun dealers are a major source of firearms that end up illegally trafficked, according to a new analysis using federal data by the research arm of Everytown for Gun Safety.

https://stateline.org/2025/12/02/gun-dealers-are-major-source-of-trafficked-firearms/

Donate • Stateline Stateline is a nonprofit news operation that depends on support from people like you to produce high-quality journalism without advertising, subscription fees or paywalls.

This Giving Tuesday, you can make a difference by supporting the Stateline team.

Our nonprofit newsroom depends on donations from readers like you to produce high-quality journalism without advertising, subscription fees or paywalls. Can we count on your support?

https://stateline.org/donate/

4 Republican states will help Homeland Security obtain driver’s license records • Stateline Four Republican states have agreed to help the Trump administration gain access to state driver’s license data through a nationwide law enforcement computer network as part of the administration’s hun...

NEW: Some Republican states will help Homeland Security obtain driver’s license records for agency’s powerful citizenship program, court document shows

stateline.org/2025/12/01/4...

Why ‘clearance rates’ don’t tell the whole story about solving crimes • Stateline Police departments’ “clearance rates” — the percentage of cases they declare closed — are one of the most widely cited benchmarks for how effectively they combat crime. But the figures can be confusing — and in some cases misleading.

From Amanda Watford: Police clearance rates are among the most commonly cited measures of how effectively law enforcement solves crimes — but what do they really mean?

https://stateline.org/2025/11/24/why-clearance-rates-dont-tell-the-whole-story-about-solving-crimes/

Black homicide victims’ families most likely to be denied compensation • Stateline Families of Black homicide victims in the United States are more likely than any other group to seek financial assistance through state victim compensation programs — and they are the most likely to b...

From @amandavhernan.bsky.social: Families of Black homicide victims in the United States are more likely than any other group to seek financial assistance through state victim compensation programs — and they are the most likely to be denied, according to a new study.

stateline.org/2025/11/12/b...

Congress pushes hemp crackdown after pressure from states, marijuana industry • Stateline A provision significantly limiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products made its way into legislation to reopen the federal government. Its inclusion follows years of pressure from states and the ma...

A provision significantly limiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products made its way into legislation to reopen the federal government just a day before the Senate approved the bill. Its inclusion follows years of pressure from states and the marijuana industry.

stateline.org/2025/11/12/c...

FCC allows prisons, jails to charge more for phone and video calls • Stateline The Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back limits on how much companies can charge incarcerated people and their families for phone and video calls. The 2-1 vote in late October reverses rate caps the FCC adopted last year under a 2023 law that allows the agency to set limits on prison phone and video call […]

From Amanda Watford: The Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back limits on how much companies can charge incarcerated people and their families for phone and video calls.

https://stateline.org/2025/11/11/fcc-allows-prisons-jails-to-charge-more-for-phone-and-video-calls/

States’ death penalty policies are heading in sharply different directions • Stateline States are moving in sharply different directions on the death penalty, with some looking to broaden when and how executions occur while others try to scale them back or end them entirely.

From Amanda Hernández: States are moving in sharply different directions on the death penalty, with some looking to broaden when and how executions occur while others try to scale them back.

https://stateline.org/2025/11/06/states-death-penalty-policies-are-heading-in-sharply-different-directions/

THREAD 🧵

On Nov. 7, we’re launching Stories From The States, a new weekly podcast designed to help you make sense of the dizzying swirl of news happening in our country.

Illegal street takeovers — with stunts and noise — are growing as states try to crack down • Stateline Illegal street takeovers, where drivers block roads to perform stunts, have become an increasing concern in cities across the country.

This year, at least four states have considered legislation aimed at expanding penalties for exhibition driving and street takeovers, Amanda Hernández reports.

https://stateline.org/2025/10/08/illegal-street-takeovers-with-stunts-and-noise-are-growing-as-states-try-to-crack-down/

Cashless bail, explained: What it is, how it works and why Trump is targeting it • Stateline Dozens of jurisdictions, including some states, have taken steps to change their bail systems, but there is no single definition of what constitutes “bail reform” or how such changes are applied.

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to release the list of states and localities that may lose federal funding under Trump’s executive orders on cashless bail. But what does “cashless bail” actually mean? I break it down in my latest for @stateline.org:

stateline.org/2025/09/23/c...

Cashless bail, explained: What it is, how it works and why Trump is targeting it • Stateline Dozens of jurisdictions, including some states, have taken steps to change their bail systems, but there is no single definition of what constitutes “bail reform” or how such changes are applied.

When President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to withhold funding from places with “cashless bail” policies, he escalated a national fight over how courts decide who should remain behind bars before trial.

@amandavhernan.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/09/23/c...

Police agencies lower education standards as staffing shortages persist • Stateline More police agencies, from big-city departments to federal agencies, are lowering education standards for new recruits — a sign of how much the profession is changing as it struggles to recruit and re...

Police agencies nationwide are lowering education requirements to address staffing shortages. The NYPD and the Dallas Police Department changed their standards this year, joining a national trend that now also includes the FBI and ICE.

From @amandavhernan.bsky.social:
stateline.org/2025/09/03/p...

Extreme heat in prisons brings more legal challenges, pressure on states • Stateline Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures...

Summer heat is bearing down on U.S. prisons, where temperatures in uncooled cells can climb into the triple digits. Some state prison systems are adding air conditioning, but many facilities remain years away from upgrades. Read more in my latest for @stateline.org.

stateline.org/2025/08/20/e...

Kratom faces increasing scrutiny from states and the feds • Stateline States have regulated kratom for years, and now the feds want in. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing to ban 7-OH, a powerful compound found in some kratom products.

States have regulated kratom for years, and now the feds want in. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing to ban 7-OH, a powerful compound found in some kratom products.

@amandavhernan.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/08/11/k...

New York becomes latest state to offer free phone calls in prisons • Stateline New York will offer free phone calls to people incarcerated in its state prisons starting Aug. 1, becoming the sixth state to do so.

From @amandavhernan.bsky.social: New York began offering free phone calls to people incarcerated in its state prisons, becoming the sixth state to do so.

stateline.org/2025/08/01/n...

US families shoulder nearly $350B in annual costs tied to incarceration, report finds • Stateline U.S. families lose nearly $350 billion each year due to the incarceration of a loved one in jail or prison, according to a recent report from the criminal justice advocacy group FWD.us. The estimate i...

U.S. families lose nearly $350 billion each year due to the incarceration of a loved one in jail or prison, according to a recent report from a criminal justice advocacy group.

The latest from @amandavhernan.bsky.social:

stateline.org/2025/08/04/u...

Stigma still keeps police from seeking mental health care, study finds • Stateline Police officers may face hundreds of traumatic incidents over the course of their careers, but many still hesitate to seek mental health support when they need it.

Police officers may face hundreds of traumatic incidents over the course of their careers, but many still hesitate to seek mental health support when they need it.

From @amandavhernan.bsky.social:

stateline.org/2025/07/28/s...

Forensic crime labs are buckling as new technology increases demand • Stateline As the need for forensic testing grows, state and local crime labs may face steep federal funding cuts that could further delay justice for victims, derail criminal investigations and overwhelm alread...

Delays in forensic testing are stalling prosecutions, stretching court calendars and forcing impossible choices.

Now, state and local crime labs may face steep federal funding cuts that could further delay justice for victims.

@amandavhernan.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/07/21/f...

Stand-your-ground laws linked to higher homicide rates, new report finds • Stateline Stand-your-ground laws, which are in effect in more than half of U.S. states, are associated with higher homicide rates, increased racial disparities in legal outcomes and broader public costs, accord...

Stand-your-ground laws, which are in effect in more than half of U.S. states, are associated with higher homicide rates, increased racial disparities in legal outcomes and broader public costs, according to a new report.

@amandavhernan.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/07/21/s...