Supreme Court sides with criminal appeal rights

(The Center Square) – The controversial union-backed billionaire tax in California is officially heading to the Nov. 3 ballot.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced the California Billionaire Tax Act exceeded the number of signatures it needed to qualify for the general election.

The initiative aims to impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on the Golden State’s billionaires to generate $100 billion in revenue. The tax would apply to assets like art, stocks and bonds. That money would be used to help backfill reductions in federal funding to K-12 schools, health services provided by Medi-Cal and aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as CalFresh in California, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.

Representatives from the advocacy group Billionaire Tax Now and the union backing the tax, Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West, did not respond to The Center Square before publication time.

However, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spoke to The Center Square on Thursday about the tax measure advancing to the midterm election ballot in November.

“If you want a budget deficit in perpetuity, pass this,” Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told The Center Square. “What happens is, these folks are now going to Florida and everywhere else, and not only are they leaving, but they are the ones investing in a lot of these jobs. Those jobs now are fleeing California, and we’re going to lose them, dramatically, going forward.”

The Golden State’s billionaires will take their billions and create jobs in other parts of the country – not in California, Strickland added.

“The minute this passed, we would be in a budget deficit in perpetuity,” Strickland said. “If you care about funding education, if you care about funding health care, if you care about funding transportation infrastructure, you’ll vote no on this initiative, because we won’t be able to fund essential services in California.”

California’s ongoing budget deficit, which the Legislative Analyst’s Office recently projected would amount to $16.9 billion, is largely due to expenditures exceeding revenues under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most recent budget proposal. That was in spite of the fact that Newsom attempted to solve the state’s budget deficit through 2028, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.

While some, like Strickland, see the potential passage of the billionaire tax making the state’s budget woes worse, there is still support for the measure.

“I agree with the proposal overall,” Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, told The Center Square. “I agree overall with the idea that billionaires and corporations need to pay their fair share. We’ve seen inequality grow in an alarming way, and frankly, I think most Californians are sick of it.”

No one was available from Billionaire Tax Now or Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West to answer questions about the ballot measure’s progress. When asked if anyone was available to answer questions, a representative from Billionaire Tax Now sent a press release via email.

According to previous reporting by The Center Square, even the potential passage of the tax has sent some billionaires packing who previously called California home. Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought a mansion in Florida. Other billionaires also relocated to other states, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Palantir Technologies and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and venture capitalist David Sacks.

A February 2026 report from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation found that the mere proposal of the wealth tax could be costing the state $1 trillion in revenue with the departure of multiple billionaires already. One economist predicted that passage of the tax could eventually cost the state $25 billion in revenue, The Center Square previously reported.

However, a healthcare worker who advocate for the measure previously told The Center Square that if billionaires leave the state, they are only showing their own greed.

“We need to put humanity first over greed,” Debru Carthan, a radiologic technologist for Kaiser, told The Center Square in March. “This is about being our brothers’ keeper. Those who leave California – they are showing their greed. They’re showing their selfishness. And the very patients who will die are the ones who helped them make the billions that they have now.”

According to Business Insider, there are more than 200 billionaires who live in California.

(The Center Square) – A measure to raise the sales tax to 10.25% - intended to temporarily inject funds into Los Angeles County’s public healthcare safety net - continues to have the necessary votes for passage.

The close contest for Measure ER pits support for public healthcare against criticism of the cost to consumers. Already, Los Angeles County is known for having one of the highest sales tax of any municipality in the nation. And the proposed 10.25% tax would actually climb toward 12% when combined with some of the cities' sales taxes.

As of Thursday, 1,012,236 yes votes (50.64%) have been counted for Measure ER. So far, 986,735 no votes (49.36%) have been counted thus far. That's according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk Office.

Also known as the Essential Healthcare Restoration Act, the measure is meant to last five years and generate funds to protect emergency rooms, public hospitals and community clinics from federal funding cuts to healthcare. 

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is opposed to the sales tax increase. 

Vice President of Communications Susan Shelley said it will raise the cost of goods and services even higher.

“It will take the countywide sales tax in Los Angeles all the way up to 10.25%,” Shelley told The Center Square. “There are 88 cities in the county, and in many they have additional city sales taxes.”

The highest sales tax in L.A. County will be 11.75%

“That will be in Lancaster and Palmdale,” said Shelley. “Many other cities are going to be between 10.25% and 11.75% in L.A. County.”

Even without the passage of Measure ER, the total sales tax is 10.5% in the Los Angeles County cities of Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park and La Cañada Flintridge, home to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. That's according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

Consumers pay more or less for goods depending on which side they're standing on the border between counties. For example, consumers in Los Angeles County will pay 10.25% if Measure ER passes. Consumers in the Ventura County city of Simi Valley, right on the border with Los Angeles County, pay 7.25%. 

Shelley called the increased Los Angeles County sales tax very regressive, adding that it will hit low-income people the hardest.

“Clothing, toothpaste, anything you buy in L.A. County is going to be a sales tax of minimum 10.25%,” said Shelley. “That is very regressive and very harmful when people are so concerned about affordability.”

Affordability was the No. 1 issue for most candidates running for local, state and federal offices. This includes people running for mayor, governor and congressional seats.

Meanwhile, Shelley warned that even though this was advertised heavily as being exclusively for healthcare, it is a general tax put on the ballot by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“They had a spending plan that they put in the ballot measure ,but that's not binding,” said Shelley. “It just says it is their intent to spend it on the following, is how the language was written, but it's not binding.”

There is an oversight committee, but Shelley does not feel that will amount to much because the panel “can only watch them spend it” because it is a general tax that can be spent on anything.

Pointing to the measure, Shelley described that as “very deceptive,” as it was “sold to the voters as necessary to keep people from dying in the streets” of Los Angeles County.

According to Shelley, people were told trauma centers, hospitals and emergency rooms would close because of federal cuts enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“The federal government made changes in H.R. 1 last year that tighten the eligibility requirements for medical care that's federally reimbursed, and in doing so, all they're doing is enforcing federal law,” said Shelley. “There are no actual cuts to Medicaid. What there is, is a crackdown on various things that California's been doing in order to get more matching funds out of the federal government, and the federal government has tightened the requirements on that.”

For counties that pay for a high volume of full scope medical care for illegal immigrants, which Los Angeles County does, that is a massive financial burden, Shelley said.

That, said Shelley, is what supporters of Measure ER are describing as cuts.

Meanwhile, she suggested citizens in other counties raise the standards to make it harder to raise taxes.

“It could be a two-thirds vote everywhere to increase taxes,” said Shelley. “That would be helpful for taxpayers to increase the need for government officials who want to raise taxes to be scrupulously careful about how much they're requesting and what they're going to spend it on and then to be accountable.”

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has a measure on the ballot in November that will make it harder to raise taxes. It would not have affected Measure ER, but it would affect real estate transfer taxes and taxes that are proposed by a citizens initiative.

Supporters of the Los Angeles County sales tax hike include Louise McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County; healthcare unions and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J Mitchell. 

The Center Square sought comments from McCarthy, Mitchell, SEIU Local 721, United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, Union of American Physicians and Dentists AFSCME Local 206, and LA County Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) but did not receive a response by publication time. 

(The Center Square) – One of the targets in the alleged terror plot to disrupt the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House says he is not intimidated by extremist threats.

Federal intelligence agents discovered the plot and arrested five suspects they believe to be involved before the Sunday event took place. The group’s plan involved using drones bearing explosives to hit buildings near the event, prompting a mass evacuation that would steer crowds toward a group of snipers, authorities allege.

The alleged “team leader” in the group, 19-year-old Tycene Proper, had singled out specific politicians as targets due to their support of Israel, authorities allege.

One of those seven targets, all of whom are Republican lawmakers, was whistleblower advocate and West Virginia House Delegate Tristan Leavitt.

Leavitt, who did not attend the UFC fight, told The Center Square in an interview on The States that it was “very odd” to see his name included in the federal investigators’ affidavits. Though unsure why he was allegedly targeted, he assumes that his support of Israel is one factor.

“That’s become a very divisive topic, but something that I think is important for everybody to try and understand better,” Leavitt said. “When I had the chance to actually read the complaint it was interesting to see the other conspiracies these plotters were dialed into, about things like Jeffrey Epstein or data centers taking all of the available water.”

Federal agents who questioned the suspects noted in court documents that the murder plot “appears to have been motivated by their anti-government ideology,” with the conspirators mentioning hating “billionaires” and “capitalist elites.”

“I think the biggest takeaway that I had was that we have both an information problem in our country as well as a real problem with people who have policy disagreements wanting to solve those through potential violence,” Leavitt added.

The foiled terror plot follows two other major instances of politically motivated attacks or attempted attacks in 2026 alone.

A security incident at Mar-a-Lago where Secret Service agents shot and killed a suspected assassin occurred in late February, while the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in late April was interrupted by a shooter, now in custody, who also is accused of targeting President Donald Trump.

Leavitt believes that local-level conversations among people who disagree are critical to lowering the political temperature in America’s politically segmented society.

“So many people tend to get their news just from groups that agree with them. And so it makes it hard when misinformation is passed along, but especially when people aren't associating with others who have different views,” Leavitt told The Center Square. “Having those conversations with people is really critical, because we don’t do enough of that today in our society.”

In the meantime, Leavitt said he will not back down from his political stances on Israel or any other issues. He argued that doing so “lets terrorists win, frankly.”

"I’m not unaccustomed to controversy,” the lawmaker added. “I think it’s important not to change the policy stances or the speaking up or anything else. If you think something is right, I think it’s important to stand firm for those things and not be intimidated or cowed.”

(The Center Square) – Gun rights advocates celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to allow occasional marijuana users to possess firearms.

Justices on the high court ruled unanimously to allow Ali Hemani, a man found with marijuana, cocaine and a pistol in his home to keep his Second Amendment rights. John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, told The Center Square it was “encouraging” to see a unanimous decision from the high court in favor of the Second Amendment.

“Any time you see the U.S. Supreme Court issue a 9-0 decision, it gets your attention,” he told The Center Square. “The U.S. government cannot deprive you of your core constitutional rights simply because you chose to be an occasional marijuana user.”

Commerford said he was particularly encouraged to see justices on the high court reference the pre-deprivation process, where an individual can get a gun confiscated before it is proven whether they broke the law. In Hemani’s case, the government argued his firearm could be confiscated as soon as he became an unlawful drug user and until he stopped using the drug unlawfully.

Justices on the high court disagreed on the ability of a pre-deprivation process to move forward. Commerford said this could indicate a willingness on the court to review cases on red flag laws, regulations that prevent individuals from obtaining a firearm if they are deemed a risk to themselves or others.

“This opinion opens up the door to multiple technical challenges in the future on a host of different issues where Second Amendment rights are taken away without adequate due process, so it's going to be very fascinating to see the legal landscape around gun policy develop,” Commerford said.

Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, said the decision has reinforced the Supreme Court’s need to review red flag laws and the pre-deprivation process as a whole.

The case reinforced a test developed after the 2022 decision, New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, where the court determined further laws restricting Second Amendment rights needed to be supported by a historical precedent.

The government argued that founding-era laws prohibiting drunkards from certain activities in public spaces were not sufficient to support the ban on occasional marijuana users.

“The opinion reinforces that historical tradition that you need to rely on the context of the history of this country when you're enforcing constitutional rights,” Commerford said.

Swearer told The Center Square the process for analyzing historical laws has revealed that most people have been afforded a pre-deprivation process.

“It is important that in analyzing these historical laws, that is an aspect that routinely comes up, is that they were afforded some sort of pre-deprivation process, to at least some degree, even before a temporary deprivation of their rights,” Swearer told The Center Square.

While justices on the court remained unanimous in their decision, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the federal law barring Hemani from obtaining a firearm could be seen as a violation of the Commerce Clause. He said the law allows Congress to improperly regulate items that never crossed state lines and called on the judiciary to take a deeper look into the issue.

“The Government can secure a conviction for unlawful firearm possession ‘if the firearm possessed’ by the drug user ‘had previously traveled in interstate commerce,’” Thomas wrote. “The Commerce Clause does not authorize Congress to ‘regulate or ban possession of any item that has ever been offered for sale or crossed state lines.’”

Swearer said she agreed with Thomas but did not think his arguments would be raised.

“I just don't see the court looking at this under the Commerce Clause, or at least, having anything remotely resembling a majority that would choose to look at it that way,” Swearer said.

Justices on the high court have one more Second Amendment case on the docket before the term ends. Wolford v. Lopez challenges a Hawaii law banning concealed carry owners from entering private property open to the public without express permission from the owner.

“I’m extremely confident that the Second Amendment community will be successful in Wolford,” Commerford said.

(The Center Square) – With President Donald Trump signing the memorandum of understanding with Iran, the latest agreement ushers in a new round of talks with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program while omitting its support for terror proxies, ballistic missiles and human rights abuses.

As Vice President JD Vance confirmed, the 60 days of negotiations with Iran began Thursday. Agreements in the MOU have started to take effect, as the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports has been lifted, as confirmed by U.S. Central Command.

While the 14-point MOU does address nuclear concerns, with Iran promising to “not procure or develop nuclear weapons,” Trump’s chief concern with the Islamic Republic.

However, the MOU omits Iran’s financial and material support for terror proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

Earlier during the negotiation period, The Center Square asked the president what concessions were being considered in a deal with Iran. Trump wouldn’t confirm that Iran’s support for the proxies would be omitted from talks, simply reiterating that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

Despite there being no inclusion of terror proxies in the text of the MOU, the first article calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, centered on Israel’s response to attacks from Hezbollah. The terror group, based in Lebanon, has become a source of contention in the region, with Trump expressing a desire to see the group disarmed.

In addition to the lack of language addressing Iran’s terror proxies, questions surrounding the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile production have been raised. The Trump administration maintains that Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile and launchers have been drastically diminished.

While in France for the G7, the president was asked about the Islamic Republic’s missile program. Trump appeared to defend Iran’s right to maintain the missiles, citing other countries in the region possessing them.

“If other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them to not have some…If Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and they all have some, I would say in relative proportion, I think it’s OK,” the president told reporters.

Trump argues that a majority of Iran’s missile arsenal has been destroyed; however, the New York Times cited intelligence agencies that believe the Islamic Republic has maintained up to 70% of the missile launchers and stockpiles.

During Trump’s address following the initial attacks on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28, the president vowed to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.”

Another point omitted from the MOU involves Iranian human rights, which the president has often cited throughout the conflict and leading up to the strikes. The MOU goes as far as prohibiting each other from “interfering in each other’s internal affairs.”

During Trump’s address on Feb. 28, the president accused the country of killing “tens of thousands of its own citizens. He called on the Iranian people to rise and take back their country.

“To the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand … When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” said Trump.

While the MOU isn’t the final deal, it is unclear from the messaging from the Trump administration if the U.S. will press to include the ceasing of support for Iranian terror proxies, the production of ballistic missiles, and if the administration still encourages the Iranian people to rise against the current regime.

Vance told reporters Thursday during a White House press briefing that he believes talks with Iran will begin in Switzerland over the weekend.

(The Center Square) – The alleged ringleader of a planned terrorist attack targeting the White House was in the country illegally, had overstayed his tourist visa for more than 10 years, and is a DACA recipient, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday.  

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice charged five men for their alleged roles in a plan to kill government officials and others attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held at the White House on Sunday. The FBI arrested five men in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California for their alleged roles in the thwarted attack. 

The alleged ringleader, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, “was responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack, based on conversation excerpts in June when [he] posted, ‘This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river.’” He also posted other messages “including replying to another member on making drones with explosives, ‘As many and as deadly as we can get’; that he was working on drones; and had one drone and was working on more,” according to charges filed in Nebraska.

On Thursday, DHS confirmed that Alvarez was a Mexican national who was in the country illegally after he overstayed a B-2 temporary tourism visa for more than 10 years. 

A B-2 visa requires applicants “to demonstrate that they have ties to their home country that they do not intend to abandon, have enough funds to support themselves during their stay in the US, and that they intend to leave the US at the end of their visit. The maximum stay for a B-2 visa is typically six months,” the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains. 

Instead, Alvarez and his family overstayed the visa for more than a decade. 

Alvarez entered the U.S. on a B-2 visitor visa and failed to depart before it expired in December 2001, DHS said. He and his family remained in the country illegally and in 2014, former President Barack Obama granted him and hundreds of thousands of other children in the country illegally Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. 

After Alvarez’s arrest this weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer request with the jail where he is being detained. 

“This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country. He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “He and his co-conspirators now face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds. He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country.”

The arrests were made as the Trump administration is cracking down on visa fraud, including the B-1/B-2 visa program, The Center Square reported.

They were also made after other DACA recipients have been arrested for a range of crimes. This is after nearly 80,000 DACA recipients were released into the U.S. with arrest records raising concerns about a lack of vetting, The Center Square reported.  

Obama created DACA via executive order to shield children from deportation who were brought into the country illegally by their parents. The program has been in litigation for more than a decade.

Texas and a coalition of states were the first to sue, arguing DACA is illegal and must be terminated. Other lawsuits were also filed over the program. In each one, federal judges ruled the executive action creating DACA, extending it, amending it or ending it, is illegal because only Congress can create or amend laws related to immigration.

In several ongoing cases, federal judges continue to rule that DACA is illegal. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has twice ruled it is illegal.

The Biden administration sought to expand it, attempting to require that DACA recipients be provided with taxpayer-funded healthcare. Multiple states sued and a federal judge ruled the scheme was illegal, The Center Square reported.

President Donald Trump has waffled on the issue. In his first administration he sought to end DACA. In his second administration, he’s vowed to deport illegal foreign nationals while also saying Republicans support so-called “dreamers,” DACA recipients.  

Republican attorneys general disagree, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sued to end DACA years ago. Texas and other Republican-led states have won their cases in multiple federal courts, with judges only curtailing, not ending, the program, The Center Square reported. 

According to a 2019 report by the Center for American Progress, within five years of Obama creating the program, more than 825,000 children, at an average age of 6, were brought to the U.S. illegally, enrolled in DACA and received temporary relief from being deported. Since then, DACA recipients have had more than 250,000 children born in the U.S., the center estimates.

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(The Center Square) – The second produced water treatment pilot facility (JIP 2) is online in the Permian Basin in west Texas. 

It was launched by Western Midstream Partners (WES) and Joint Industry Project (JIP) collaborators Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy Corporation and Exxon Mobil Corporation. 

Located near the Red Bluff Reservoir in Reeves County, the JIP 2 facility is operating in one of top oil and gas producing counties in Texas and the U.S. Its water output is expected to contribute to long-term water security in West Texas, an area that struggles with drought and limited water resources.

The facility is designed to receive 2,000 barrels a day of produced water and in turn, produce approximately 1,000 barrels a day of reclaimed freshwater. 

That’s roughly 10 times the amount produced by JIP 1, which was the first small-scale pilot facility that went online in West Texas. WES and JIP partners Chevron, Conoco, Coterra and Exxon launched it in 2023.

JIP 1 was launched to evaluate and measure technologies needed to commercialize beneficial use of produced water. Produced water is the water that comes out of the ground when oil and gas is extracted. It contains oil residue, sand, mud, salt and other materials depending on the chemistry of the rock, the American Goesciences Institute explains.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian told The Center Square these efforts will help “meet two critical needs at once: supporting the oil and gas industry while also addressing Texas’ growing water scarcity challenges. The impact cannot be understated. The ability to take a waste product like produced water, which is water produced by an oil and gas well, and clean it up to create up to 1,000 barrels per day of reclaimed freshwater is a significant win for the state. Projects like this one are critically important as Texas moves forward with its historic authorization of treated produced water to meet its growing water needs for industry and non-consumptive agriculture."

Texas Oil & Gas Association Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs Tulsi Oberbeck agreed, telling The Center Square, “Communities across Texas face severe water shortages that threaten families, jobs and economic growth. To address this, we must thoroughly examine new water sources, including the beneficial reuse of water trapped beneath our feet in geologic formations that is brought to the surface during oil and natural gas production.”

Oberbeck also said the Texas oil and gas industry "has been proactive for some time in pursuing technological advances in treating produced water. The science supporting beneficial reuse of produced water is well-established, with extensive research and toxicology data from the Texas Produced Water Consortium at Texas Tech University confirming that advanced treatment technologies are safe and viable.” The goal is for the industry “to safely deploy these technologies to secure our water future,” she added.

Due to Permian Basin production records, more than 22 million barrels of produced water comes out of the ground every day. One barrel is equivalent to 42 gallons. 

Produced water can either be put in disposable wells or be recycled. So far, between 50% and 60% of produced water is being recycled and reused for hydraulic fracturing in the Permian Basin, Texas A&M says.

At JIP 1, water treatment experts evaluated and field-tested multiple produced water treatment technologies to select preferred, high-performing solutions for ongoing operations, as described in a report provided to the New Mexico legislature. Permian Basin operations occur in far west Texas and in southeastern New Mexico.

They also collected more than 50,000 water quality data points to “demonstrate a treatment process that can consistently produce water quality suitable for end-use applications that include industrial cooling, irrigation, and surface discharge,” WES said.

The new JIP 2 facility will expand on these efforts and serve as a demonstration site, “enabling continued optimization of operations while validating consistent reclaimed freshwater production for a range of end-use applications. Insights and data collected from JIP 2 will guide the next phase of commercial-scale desalination facilities,” WES said. 

WES and the JIP are working with state regulators and local communities with a stated goal of reducing industry disposal volumes and developing a potential alternative water source to benefit the industry and surrounding communities. 

"The start-up of JIP 2 marks a pivotal milestone in our journey to transform a produced-water stream from a disposal challenge into a valuable resource for the Permian Basin and beyond," WES president and CEO Oscar Brown said. “Through our multi-barrier treatment approach, we are transforming that stream into highly treated reclaimed freshwater suitable for industrial cooling and irrigation applications, while helping reduce pressure on Texas' limited water resources. Using all of today's oil and gas flow-assurance solutions, [including] water sourcing, recycling, gathering, long-haul transportation, and disposal, we believe beneficial reuse will be the next major solution to the Permian Basin's water challenges.” 

The goal is to eventually construct the region’s first commercial-scale facility, he said. WES operates in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. It manages the transport of natural gas, condensate, natural-gas liquids and crude oil. It already handles roughly three million barrels a day of produced water, transporting, recycling, treating and disposing it.

You may think of switching your car insurance only when your renewal bill arrives with a big premium hike. But your insurance company is probably thinking ahead and using AI to predict how likely you are to take your business elsewhere — or to put up with the increase.

Insurers now employ behavioral analytics to dissect customer behavior patterns and artificial intelligence to simulate human learning and monitor policyholder activity. Their goal is to predict customer departures, sometimes months before renewal.

As insurers use more-sophisticated behavioral analytics, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive quotes for the same driver could widen.

That’s actually good news for shoppers because it increases the value of comparison shopping.

Insurers used to worry about churn only at renewal time. But after years of sticking with the same insurer despite premium increases, more Americans are switching companies.

Insurers are seeking to reverse that trend by getting ahead of customers considering a switch.

“This shift reinforces that retention can’t be treated as a renewal-only exercise,” Greg Firestone, vice president of Auto Analytic Solutions at Verisk, told Insurify. “With advances like agentic AI, insurers can engage earlier, act faster on these signals, and tailor their approach to better attract and retain the right customers.”

The pressure to retain customers is already showing up in auto insurance pricing. Full-coverage rates fell 6% by the end of 2025, according to Insurify’s Insuring the American Driver Report.

Life events push drivers to shop and switch, new report notes

A new Verisk report found that the national personal auto insurance retention rate fell by 3.2% in 2024, signaling that consumers are increasingly leaving their insurers to seek more affordable coverage.

Companies that wait until the end of a policy to try to keep a customer are less likely to retain that policyholder, Verisk’s 2026 Personal Auto Insurance Retention Report found. More drivers now compare insurance options during their policy period, especially after major life events, such as moving, buying a car, or changes in family status.

The analysis was based on Verisk’s review of 154 million policy records from 2022 through 2025.

“Verisk’s auto retention analysis underscores how the hard market has driven more consumers to shop, making it increasingly important for carriers to understand not just who is likely to churn, but why,” said Firestone. “One of the most notable findings is the consistency across carriers, where midterm policy changes, especially those closer to renewal, serve as clear signals of shopping intent and help insurers gauge both the likelihood of churn and the urgency to act.”

Verisk found that more than 11% of policies had a midterm change, like adding or changing a vehicle. The report says those changes increasingly predict whether a policyholder stays or goes.

Policies with even a single midterm change were 5% less likely to renew than those that didn’t have changes, according to the report. And the more changes drivers make to their policies, the more likely they are to not renew. Two or more changes per month cut renewal rates even further (by 9%), and changes just before renewal increased departures by 12%.

The numbers indicate that many drivers start shopping after big household or vehicle changes.

“These events frequently trigger reconsideration of price and coverage,” the report noted.

While the Verisk report is focused almost solely on the insurance industry, there are inherent messages for consumers suggesting they can leverage a company’s eagerness to retain customers to their advantage.

“Insurance carriers are focused on retaining customers,” said Firestone. “When looking to discuss policy pricing, customers can contact their current insurer to learn about various programs, coverages, and discounts that may be available.”

Churn rates reflect a difficult market for consumers

The findings show bigger changes in the auto insurance market after years of premium increases. Higher repair costs, advanced vehicle tech, medical inflation, litigation trends, and severe weather have all driven premium increases. And consumers are increasingly looking for more affordable options elsewhere.

For insurers, this raises competition for retention.

Verisk said insurers are now moving beyond old proxies, such as ZIP codes, to dynamic segmentation models. These models analyze household disruptions, endorsement activity, and coverage behavior to identify customers who may switch to competitors before renewal.

“We’re in a unique moment when understanding customer motivations is critical, as rate increases continue to pressure household budgets and amplify churn,” said Firestone. “This ultimately reinforces that retaining existing customers remains one effective way to manage carrier growth.”

The report suggests insurers are increasingly aware of when consumers are likely to start shopping for coverage. The good news for drivers is that major life changes — such as moving, adding a driver, or buying a vehicle — are also some of the best times to compare quotes.

As insurers compete harder to retain customers, consumers willing to shop around may find more opportunities to lower their premiums than those who simply renew automatically.

What’s next? How consumers can leverage churn threat to save money

Between 2022 and 2024, the average cost of car insurance soared 46%, according to the American Driver Report. But that trend reversed in 2025 as insurers began to cut prices to retain customers.

“Consumers have more opportunity to save on car insurance in 2026 than they’ve had in years,” said Matt Brannon, senior economic analyst and author of Insurify’s report. Brannon provided some tips for how drivers can leverage increased insurer competition to save on car insurance:

• Compare car insurance quotes after major life changes, like moving, buying a vehicle, adding a teen driver, or changing who lives in your household.

• If your premium increases, contact your insurer to ask whether you’re eligible for any more discounts, telematics programs, or bundling opportunities.

• Review your coverage after vehicle changes, the most common midterm policy change. You should also review your coverage limits, deductibles, and optional coverages to ensure your new purchase is well protected.

• If you’re in the market for a new or used vehicle, keep in mind that models with good safety ratings and features and vehicles that cost less to repair will likely also cost less to insure.

Finally, Brannon suggested, get quotes even if you’re happy with your current insurer.

“Verisk’s report suggests pricing models are becoming more individualized,” Brannon said. “The gap between the highest and lowest quote for the same driver could be significant.”

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The average monthly cost of pet insurance for cats and dogs is $43 for dogs and $23 for cats as of June 2026, according to Insurify data. Rates were the same in May.

Alaska, which has held the title of most expensive pet insurance state for several months, shares that distinction with Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Mississippi remains the cheapest state for pet insurance, a title it wrestled away from Arkansas earlier this year.

Average cost of pet insurance by state as of June 2026

Insurance rates can vary greatly by location, which influences factors like the cost of living, the frequency of potential pet-related hazards, and the availability and cost of veterinary care. Rates stayed largely consistent in most U.S. states through May, with fluctuations of only a dollar or two.

The table below shows average monthly rates by U.S. states.

5 states with the highest pet insurance rates as of June 2026

Massachusetts has tied Alaska for the most expensive state for pet insurance.

The Northeast in general also continues to rank as the most expensive area for pet insurance in the U.S., with Washington, D.C., Delaware, and New York all holding their spots from the previous month.

5 states with the lowest pet insurance rates as of June 2026

The cheapest states for pet insurance are predominantly in the Midwest and South. Mississippi retains its title as the cheapest state for pet insurance. Its rates sit well below the overall national average of $33 per month.

Pet insurance pricing trends in 2026

Pricing trends have remained relatively stagnant throughout 2026, and the median average has held steady at $33 per month since the start of the year, with only minor fluctuations. 

Regions have held consistent pricing as well, with the Northeast and Alaska maintaining the highest prices. This is due predominantly to the high cost of living in the Northeast and the comparatively low number of veterinary providers in Alaska.

Similarly, states with the lowest pet insurance rates have held largely steady throughout the year. States with lower average pet insurance costs also generally have lower overall costs of living.

Factors that affect pet insurance rates

Pet insurance rates can vary significantly based on many factors that insurers use to estimate risk. Some common rating factors include:

• Pet’s age: Older pets are more likely to require veterinary care, increasing pet insurance premiums.

• Deductible: A higher deductible means a pet’s owner will cover more of the expenses up front. This lowers premiums because owners are taking on more of the risk.

• Reimbursement level: The plan’s reimbursement level represents the amount of covered costs the insurer will pay once a pet owner meets the deductible. A lower reimbursement level will lower premiums, as the insurer has to pay out less money.

• Location: Pet-care prices differ dramatically around the country. People in areas where care is very expensive, like New York City, will pay more for pet insurance than people in areas where care costs are lower.

• Pet’s breed: Dogs are more expensive to insure than cats in most cases, but the breed of pet matters as well. Having a breed with known health issues will lead to more expensive insurance rates.

How to save on pet insurance

Pet owners can take steps to reduce the cost of pet insurance by:

• Comparison shopping: Many pet insurance options are available, and each offers different rates. Comparing rates for different plans can help identify the most affordable plan for each pet owner.

• Reviewing plans: Plans generally come in three different coverage types: accident and illness, accident only, and wellness. Matching a pet’s needs with a plan can lead to significant savings. Pet owners who already factor routine veterinary visits into their budget, for example, can save money by choosing an accident-only plan.

• Increasing the deductible: A higher deductible typically leads to lower rates because pet owners take on more of the up-front risk themselves.

• Enrolling as soon as possible: Older pets are more expensive to insure, and some insurers won’t offer coverage to pets with pre-existing conditions. Enrolling early in a pet’s life allows customers to secure coverage before these considerations take effect.

• Searching for discounts: Many pet insurers offer discounts, and customers can save by asking their insurer which discounts they may qualify for.

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Pet methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 250,000 pet insurance quotes from our proprietary database — sourced by Fletch Insurance Services, LLC (“Fletch”) — to determine the premium prices displayed on this page. These quotes come directly from Insurify’s 10+ partner insurance companies across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., reflecting monthly pet insurance costs for both dogs and cats.

Unless otherwise specified, premium prices represent one-year rolling medians to account for market volatility driven by factors such as rising veterinary care costs and increased pet ownership.

Breed-level prices incorporate both mixed-breed and purebred pets. To ensure reliability, it’s a good idea to get at least eight quotes for dogs and four quotes for cats. Breeds with significant price deviations from the average are noted. Other breeds are estimated based on average costs for all purebred pets.

Pets are grouped into three age brackets:

• Young: Younger than 12 months

• Adult: 12 months to 7 years

• Senior: Older than 7 years

Coverage limits

• Dog premium averages reflect policies with annual coverage limits of $2,500, $5,000, $10,000, or unlimited.

• Cat premium averages reflect policies with annual coverage limits of $2,500, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited.

For both dogs and cats, monthly premiums are segmented by:

• Deductible options: $250, $500, $1,000

• Reimbursement options: 70%, 80%, 90%

For a comprehensive look at historical trends, visit Insurify’s Pet Insurance Data Center, which houses data dating back to 2021 and provides median monthly cost information for both dogs and cats.