The kids are not alright.

Record numbers of children are suffering from anxiety and depression. Experts and lawmakers are trying anything to address the spike — even if it’s unproven. politico.com/news/2024/04/1… Since 2020, over 100 state laws have been passed to address rising depression, anxiety and suicide rates.

Seemingly no idea is off the table, from free online therapy to suing social media companies. Some states have even appointed boards to get a handle on the crisis.

In state after state, fast-growing, traditionally liberal college counties are generating higher turnout and even greater Democratic margins — and Republicans are freaking out. 👇🧵
https://t.co/bZME3xIhXIpoliti.co/3rEsEgR
College towns have already played a pivotal role in turning several red states blue – and they could play an equally decisive role in key swing states next year.
https://t.co/PHHqXMZnCXpoliti.co/3rEsEgR

America’s mayors are on the frontlines of crises hitting cities across the country, yet they aren’t often heard from on the national stage. Until now.

Welcome to our 2023 Mayors Club, where we asked 50 mayors — one from each state — to take us inside their biggest challenges👇 The 50 mayors we’ll survey throughout 2023 represent big cities and small towns, but many face the same challenges.

Meet our inaugural Mayors Club members and dive into what’s keeping them up at night👇
politico.com/interactives/2…

Liberals just flipped the ideological makeup of Wisconsin's Supreme Court.

Janet Protasiewicz’s high-stakes win means the new 4-3 liberal majority is much more likely to strike down a controversial 19th century abortion ban in the state. politi.co/3m5uIMm Liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative Dan Kelly 56.9% to 43.1% when the AP called the Wisconsin Supreme Court race at 9:53 pm.

Live results: politico.com/2023-election/…

Here's how things are looking in the Chicago mayor's race with 81% of the vote in.

Live results: politi.co/3Zb4Exq

https://twitter.com/ShiaKapos/status/1643412139695042560

The Chicago mayoral race is too close to call, with Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas separated by the narrowest of margins.

Both candidates pushed supporters to vote by mail and want to wait for outstanding ballots to be counted before claiming victory. politico.com/news/2023/04/0…

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges in a New York state grand jury indictment stemming from the district attorney’s investigation into a hush money scheme.
politi.co/3KzDwDm FYI: Each of Trump's 34 felony charges carries a potential prison sentence, but probation is most likely if he's convicted. politico.com/news/2023/04/0…

👋 @rishikadugyala here, I’m a strategy editor at @politico.

We just published our second annual Power List of the 40 people who’ve had unmistakable influence on race, culture and politics in 2022 — with no signs of slowing down.
politico.com/interactives/2… It took several months, a ton of heated debates and (the highlight) a two-day photoshoot at the POLITICO headquarters.

Here’s why and how we did it 🧵

It’s here: Our annual Recast Power List of 40 people who shaped identity, culture and politics in 2022 is out.

Love them or hate them, their scope and reach on American politics can’t be denied.

A quick thread highlighting a couple names on the list 🧵
politico.com/interactives/2… Grammy-winning singer and rapper Bad Bunny has used his platform to spotlight injustices against Puerto Ricans, criticize LUMA Energy (the company responsible for repeated grid failures) and highlight gentrification. politi.co/3ns36RI

Hill Republicans lined up to declare loyalty to Trump despite lacking details about his indictment, signaling that they would clamor to cast his forthcoming prosecution as politically motivated regardless of the substance.

Here's what some had to say👇 politico.com/news/2023/03/3… DeSantis, who is expected to run against Trump in 2024, blasted the indictment as "un-American."

The Florida governor vowed that the state “will not assist in an extradition” of the former president (reports suggest Trump plans to surrender voluntarily). politico.com/news/2023/03/3…

A New York grand jury has indicted Donald Trump over how he allegedly hid payments to Stormy Daniels. He is the first ex-president to be criminally charged. politico.com/news/2023/03/3… The grand jury voted to indict Trump this afternoon and filed it under seal, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The case, brought by the Manhattan DA’s Office, centers on a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. politico.com/news/2023/03/3…

In 2020, Chris Smalls led a walkout to protest pandemic working conditions in Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse. He was fired the next day.

He then formed the Amazon Labor Union, building a scrappy grassroots campaign that culminated in the same warehouse unionizing last April. Smalls didn’t have a union background: He raised money through GoFundMe and invited workers to cookouts in the hopes of organizing. Nor is the ALU anything like the big powerful unions that typically face off against huge companies.

👋 @Hailey_Fuchs here. I cover the intersection of politics, money and influence for @Politico.

With colleagues in Europe and D.C., we just published an investigation into TikTok’s efforts to build a machine to influence policymakers across the globe.
politico.com/news/2023/03/3… In Washington, calls to ban TikTok have been picking up steam. The Biden admin told ByteDance to divest from the company or face a potential ban.

The company is also facing threats in Europe, where some governments have banned the app from staff phones. politico.com/news/2023/03/3…

Rep. Bennie Thompson had an extraordinary impact on politics last year. The Democratic lawmaker from Mississippi helmed one of the most influential congressional investigations in history: the Jan. 6 probe. During Thompson’s opening remarks for the Jan 6. hearings, he drew a parallel that carried enormous weight:

Today marks the beginning of the White House’s three-day Summit for Democracy to confront Beijing – and it comes amid signs that the Europeans are finally getting Biden’s message on China.

More in our first transatlantic China Watcher newsletter 👇
politico.eu/newsletter/chi… Russia's invasion of Ukraine is changing the math for EU countries once hesitant to take sides between the U.S. and China.

The war has forced European leaders to pay more attention to Biden’s messaging about the dangers of dependence on dictatorships. politico.com/news/2023/03/2…

Dems have outraised Republicans in the past two cycles. Republicans' possible solution: Find candidates who are filthy rich.

“In politics as in life, money doesn’t buy happiness, but poverty doesn’t buy a damn thing,” said GOP Sen. John Neely Kennedy. politico.com/news/2023/03/2… Both parties have relied on self-funders before, but this approach is becoming more important for Republicans.

In 2022 alone, Dem nominees raised almost $288 million more than Republicans in the six closest Senate races.
politico.com/news/2023/03/2…

The U.S. will likely soon see criminal charges brought against a former president for the first time.

Here's how the expected Trump indictment is likely to unfold 👇🧵 (although, as with most Trump-related things, expect the unexpected) politico.com/news/2023/03/2…

A DOJ investigation found Louisville's city government and police department conducted practices that violated the Constitution.

The investigation was launched after Louisville officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor in 2020. politico.com/news/2023/03/0… The DOJ report states: “Officers’ forcible and violent entry into a person’s home strikes at the heart of the constitutional protection against unreasonable government intrusion. But Louisville Metro’s and LMPD’s unlawful conduct did not start in 2020.” politico.com/news/2023/03/0…

Powell warned the Senate Banking Committee that high inflation and labor shortages could push the Fed to raise interest rates higher and faster than expected.

Senators were more eager to hear what that means for the job market. Here's what Powell said👇 politico.com/news/2023/03/0… Powell denied that he wanted unemployment to rise but acknowledged that the Fed does want to see the labor market weaken.

Those seem contradictory, but the thinking is that fewer open jobs will help cool wage gains (which feed inflation) without causing a rise in joblessness.

Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger ripped Fox News host Tucker Carlson for airing an “offensive and misleading” portrayal of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

He said Carlson "conveniently cherry-picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video."
politico.com/news/2023/03/0… Several GOP senators also said they were, at the very least, troubled by Carlson’s depiction of the Jan. 6 riot.

Mitch McConnell said he would “associate myself entirely with the opinion of the chief of the Capitol Police about what happened on Jan. 6.” politico.com/news/2023/03/0…

Walgreens confirmed yesterday that it won't offer abortion pills in several states where they remain legal — acting out of an abundance of caution amid a shifting policy landscape, threats from state officials and pressure from anti-abortion activists. politico.com/news/2023/03/0… Nearly two dozen Republican state AGs wrote to Walgreens in February, threatening legal action if the company distributes the abortion pills.

Walgreens told us it has since assured those officials they won’t dispense abortion pills in those states.
politico.com/news/2023/03/0…

It’s Election Day in Chicago’s messy mayoral race 🗳

Incumbent Lori Lightfoot faces *eight* rivals — and a very real chance of being shut out of the likely April 4 runoffs.

Get caught up👇politico.com/newsletters/il… This nine-person mayoral race has become almost entirely about crime. It’s led to a steady supply of campaign theatrics — even by Chicago standards.

A recap of the weirdest moments👇 politico.com/news/2023/02/2…