Who Said That
Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez, venting frustration during a marathon overnight legislative session at the Arizona House of Representatives that began on February 25. Hernandez made the remark after a Republican lawmaker walked out around 5 a.m., briefly throwing the chamber into chaos with more than 20 bills still awaiting votes. Lawmakers had been debating for nearly 19 hours straight during crossover week, with tensions flaring over exhaustion, rushed debate and a process some said left little time to carefully consider legislation. (Arizona Mirror)
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, expressing concern after a call with federal officials about immigration enforcement and the upcoming elections. Bellows said federal authorities told state officials that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not planning to target polling locations. However, she said officials declined to clearly affirm that states have sole authority over election administration, raising fears about potential federal interference as tensions grow between states and the Trump administration over immigration and voting policies. (Bloomberg)
Donald Trump, referring to Democrats during his State of the Union address as he criticized their positions on cultural and political issues. Trump used the speech to attack his political opponents and defend his administration’s agenda, framing Democrats as out of step with American values. The remarks came at a politically challenging moment, with polls showing declining approval ratings and growing public concern about his economic and immigration policies. (New York Times)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat who was among a group of governors meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday, Feb. 20, describing Trump’s reaction to the news that the Supreme Court had invalidated his global tariffs. (Wall Street Journal)
A narrator in a social media retirement announcement for Mr. Clean, the iconic mascot of the Procter & Gamble cleaning brand. The ad said the bald, animated pitchman is stepping away after representing the brand since 1958, though the company indicated its products and branding will remain unchanged. Fellow advertising icons quickly paid tribute. Social media teams for Old Spice and Brawny wished him well, and the Pillsbury Doughboy also bid farewell in an Instagram post, highlighting the character’s long-standing place in American advertising. (New York Daily News)
President Donald Trump, accusing former President Barack Obama of improperly discussing extraterrestrial life during a podcast interview. Trump made the remark aboard Air Force One and suggested he could get Obama “out of trouble” by declassifying government files related to UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena. He later said he would direct federal agencies to release documents on the subject, after Obama commented that alien life is likely real but not hidden at Area 51. (Bloomberg)
Joan Soholt, a banquet server and union member, warning Minneapolis officials against using liquor license renewals to target hotels accused of housing federal immigration agents. Soholt, a member of the hospitality union Unite Here Local 17, told the Minneapolis City Council that revoking licenses would harm hotel employees, including cooks, bartenders and housekeepers, who rely on those jobs. Her comments came as council members debated whether to penalize two downtown hotels that had drawn protests during a federal immigration enforcement operation. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Democratic activist Julio Esperias, criticizing Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman after she launched a surprise mayoral challenge against L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Esperias, who volunteered on Raman’s 2024 re-election campaign at Bass’ request, called the move a betrayal. Raman’s last-minute decision to run against Bass stunned Los Angeles political circles, especially after Bass had endorsed her, campaigned for her and helped her avoid a runoff just months earlier. (Los Angeles Times)
Former President Barack Obama, joking during a podcast interview about one of the first questions he wanted answered after taking office. Obama said he believes extraterrestrial life probably exists somewhere in the universe, but he dismissed conspiracy theories that aliens are being hidden at Area 51, a highly classified U.S. military installation in southern Nevada long used to test advanced aircraft. The secrecy surrounding the remote site has fueled decades of UFO speculation, but Obama said there is no underground facility containing extraterrestrials. Polling shows the mystery persists, with about a quarter of Americans believing crashed UFOs are stored there and more than half saying they think alien life exists. (The Hill)
Ohio state Sen. Louis Blessin g, backing legislation aimed at curbing large investors’ growing ownership of single-family homes in Ohio. Blessing introduced a bill that would tax LLCs owning more than 50 houses at the same time, a move he says could force large investors to sell off properties and return homes to the owner-occupied market. The proposal comes amid new federal data showing investors control a significant share of housing in some Dayton-area neighborhoods and as President Donald Trump has called for limits on private equity and corporate ownership of single-family homes. (Dayton Daily News)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after signing bipartisan legislation banning student cellphone use during instructional time in Michigan schools. Whitmer said the new policy will improve students’ social skills and learning, arguing that fewer distractions in classrooms will lead to better outcomes. The law requires school districts to adopt cellphone policies by next school year that, at a minimum, prohibit phone use during class, while allowing local leaders to go further if they choose. (The Detroit News)
Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton responding as Oklahoma lawmakers and education officials moved to restart the state’s social studies standards process after last year’s version was invalidated by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Legislators said they welcome a revised draft stripped of last-minute, polarizing additions, including disputed language about the 2020 election, that were added under the state’s former education leadership and ultimately derailed the standards. (Oklahoma Voice)
Idaho state Rep. Dale Hawkins, a Republican, during an unofficial gathering at the Idaho Capitol where immigration hardliners outlined a slate of proposals they plan to pursue in the 2026 legislative session. He argued that both legal and undocumented immigration are harming Idaho economically and culturally, as he previewed legislation targeting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, audits of immigrant populations in jails and schools, and renewed restrictions on aiding undocumented immigrants. (The Idaho Statesman)
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore after learning he had been uninvited from a White House dinner traditionally held during the National Governors Association (NGA)’s annual Washington summit. Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis were among several Democratic governors excluded from events that have historically been bipartisan, including a White House meeting with governors and a dinner tied to the NGA summit. Moore, the NGA’s vice chair, said the decision was especially perplexing given his recent participation in a bipartisan meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. The White House did not explain why Moore, Polis and other Democrats were excluded, and officials did not respond to requests for clarification about which Democratic governors remained invited. (Washington Post)
Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at University of California, Berkeley and University of Southern California, was assessing Gavin Newsom’s long-running struggle to shake his image as a California elitist. He said Newsom’s forthcoming memoir may not erase the cultural and political distance between the governor and voters in swing states like Ohio or Pennsylvania but could help narrow it by offering more personal context as Newsom’s national profile and 2028 speculation continues to grow. (The Sacramento Bee)
Arizona state Rep. Gail Griffin, arguing that Arizona must be prepared for a potential legal battle over Colorado River water as interstate negotiations remain stalled. Griffin made the comments after the Arizona House voted unanimously to add another $1 million to the state’s Colorado River Litigation Fund, bringing its total to $4 million. She said other states have been positioning themselves for court for years and warned that, while litigation is not the preferred outcome, Arizona needs the resources to defend water supplies that support millions of residents and billions of dollars in economic activity if a deal isn’t reached. (AZ Mirror)
Juan Pagan, president of the Florida Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce, reacting to a decision by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to stop offering driver license exams in any language other than English beginning Feb. 6. The change eliminates translated and oral exams in other languages across all license types. While acknowledging the importance of drivers understanding English, Pagan said the policy reflects what he called an “adversarial approach to assimilation” that sends an exclusionary message to immigrants. (Sun Sentinel)
President Donald Trump during a podcast appearance with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, arguing that the federal government should take control of elections. Repeating unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, he said Republicans should “take over the voting” in multiple states, a proposal that would run headlong into the Constitution’s framework granting states primary authority over election administration and signals Trump’s continued push to reshape voting rules ahead of the midterm elections. (Washington Post)
Lori Wolff, Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s budget director, in response to Idaho lawmakers weighing deeper budget cuts beyond those already proposed by Gov. Little. She warned that additional reductions on top of planned 3 percent cuts could cause long-term damage to public safety and essential services, citing potential impacts such as the elimination of the Idaho State Police’s only SWAT team and widespread furloughs of prison staff. (The Idaho Statesman)
Washington state Sen. Adrian Cortes, who made the comment after a Washington state appeals court overturned the felony conviction of a Lewis County man who voted in both Washington and Oregon in November 2022. The court ruled, 2–1, that because the ballots contained different candidates and issues, they constituted separate elections, even though they were cast on the same day. Calling the ruling “flabbergasting,” Cortes is sponsoring legislation to clarify state law by defining an election based on the election date, not the ballot content. The bill would make explicit that a person may not vote more than once on the same election date, closing what lawmakers say is a dangerous loophole in election law. (Washington State Standard)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, announcing a directive ordering state agencies and public universities to pause new H-1B visa sponsorships through the end of the 2027 legislative session. Abbott cited “recent reports of abuse” within the H-1B program and pointed to an ongoing federal review aimed at ensuring jobs are going to American workers. (The Texas Tribune)
Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of resources at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, as the seven states that rely on the Colorado River struggle to reach consensus on how to share dwindling water supplies. With a federal deadline approaching and talks at a stalemate, Pellegrino said a long-term, 20-year agreement is increasingly unrealistic, making a short-term, five-year framework the most likely path forward as governors prepare for negotiations with the Trump administration. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Chris Madel, a Minneapolis attorney who announced he was ending his campaign for Minnesota governor as a Republican, denouncing federal immigration enforcement actions in the state as an “unmitigated disaster.” Madel said the operation, launched amid Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, had expanded well beyond public safety goals, leaving U.S. citizens fearful and raising serious constitutional concerns, including reports of warrantless home raids and the targeting of people based on appearance. (Washington Post)
New York state Sen. Jeremy Cooney, chair of the body’s Transportation Committee, urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to block New York City from joining other major cities testing autonomous vehicles. Cooney, who is sponsoring legislation to allow driverless vehicles that meet safety standards, said the city risks sidelining itself as companies such as Waymo push for broader deployment through lobbying and regulatory approvals. (Politico)
Paris Hilton, reality TV star and socialite, urging the House to take up the Senate-passed DEFIANCE Act, which would allow individuals to sue over nonconsensual intimate images generated by artificial intelligence. Speaking alongside a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Hilton said her own experience with nonconsensual imagery underscores the need to give victims legal recourse beyond takedown requests. (Roll Call)
New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard, referring to New Hampshire legislators’ annual pay, which has been frozen at that level, the lowest in the nation, since voters etched it into the state’s constitution in 1889. Many past bids to boost lawmakers’ pay by amending the constitution failed, but there is a new bipartisan push to delete the pay language from the constitution. Nationally, state lawmakers’ salaries averaged $47,900 last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Wall Street Journal)
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, in his final State of the State address, pledging tougher action against institutional investors he says are driving up rents and undermining homeownership. Newsom said his administration will work with the Legislature on increased oversight, enforcement and potential tax-code changes — a stance that unexpectedly overlaps with similar rhetoric from Donald Trump on banning large investors from buying single-family homes. (Los Angeles Times)
Stillwater, Minn., resident Amy Burback, reacting after the Pentagon ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to the state, following President Donald Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act amid unrest. The troops were placed on prepare-to-deploy status as what defense officials described as “prudent planning,” even as the National Guard remained on standby and it was unclear whether the soldiers would ultimately be sent. (The Minnesota Star-Tribune)
Cynthia Freeman, a New York-based performer who has been trying to figure out how to keep her and her husband’s ACA plan in the midst of spiking premiums. Freeman’s husband, Brad Lawrence, was diagnosed with kidney disease last fall and cannot face a lapse in health insurance. But the family cannot afford the new price of their plan. [KFF Health News]
Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College, about Gov. Gavin Newsom. Pitney spoke to the Mercury News regarding the governor’s meeting with interest groups and industry across the state as he weighs a potential presidential run in 2028. (The Mercury)
