Blumenthal forum on ICE shootings, AI risks: CT politics news
by CT Mirror Staff, CT Mirror
September 25, 2026
These news briefs are part of The Connecticut Mirror’s 2026 political coverage. For more Connecticut political news, sign up here for The Issue, the CT Mirror’s weekly politics newsletter.
CT Senate Republicans aren’t satisfied after Toro’s resignation
Republican Sens. Stephen Harding and Henri Martin issued a statement criticizing aspects of Zulma Toro’s retirement as president of Central Connecticut State University.
Toro was accused of bullying, intimidation and making staff take care of her personal affairs. A Connecticut State Colleges and Universities spokesperson told The Connecticut Mirror her departure would spell an end to the investigation into her conduct.
“What about the people whose lives have been derailed? Where’s their justice?” the senators wrote. They also called for more transparency into Toro’s retirement plan, saying taxpayers don’t know how much she’ll be paid.
— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter
Blumenthal forum spotlights deadly shootings involving ICE
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal led a forum focused on deadly shootings involving federal immigration agents, with testimony from victims’ families. One of those who appeared was the brother of Renée Good, a citizen killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in January.
“I deeply regret that it took the death of Renée to wake me up to the fact that no one in this country is untouchable,” her brother, Brent Ganger, said.
Blumenthal argued the federal agency overseeing immigration enforcement — the Department of Homeland Security — hasn’t changed its practices.
“After all those horrific deaths and public outcry, we were told DHS was going to change,” he said. “Again and again, those promises were proven false.”
— Lisa Hagen, Federal Policy Reporter
Congress’ final acts before the midterms
The House is already out through the elections, but the Senate has one more week to wrap up work before another recess.
One of those votes will be Monday on the passage of the so-called Protect College Sports Act, which has already cleared multiple procedural votes. The bill sets national guidelines on student athlete transfers, compensation and an antitrust exemption for the NCAA to enforce standards. Both of Connecticut’s senators, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, oppose it.
It remains to be seen how much more will get done. Senate Republicans are eyeing a vote on a House-passed bill to address costs around AI data centers.
— Lisa Hagen, Federal Policy Reporter
CT joins multistate ‘S.O.S.’ warning about AI
A coalition of state attorneys general are sounding the alarm about the risks of artificial intelligence, arguing in a new letter to Congress that the technology, if left unregulated, “endangers Americans.”
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 25 colleagues in signing the letter, which has been billed as an “urgent, bipartisan S.O.S.” encouraging Congress to adopt national AI regulations.
The letter comes in the wake of several AI-related controversies, including the “Hugging Face incident”, a July 2026 attack that saw several AI agents break out of their testing space, access the internet and infiltrate tech company Hugging Face. The agents were created by ChatGPT developer OpenAI but were not supposed to get online. The incident has reignited calls for national regulations around AI use and development.
— P.R. Lockhart, Economic Development Reporter
CBIA launches voter education campaign ahead of Election Day
With weeks to go before the November elections, the state’s largest business group is launching anew campaign to help voters understand where candidates stand on affordability issues.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s new “Who’s Working for You?” campaign encourages voters to learn more about where candidates stand on various economic issues. The campaign will include digital media and highway billboards, as well as a new website that serves as a landing page for a variety of resources.
The campaign comes as CBIA calls attention to cost of living issues in the state. Earlier this month it released its first consumer outlook survey highlighting residents’ struggles with rising household expenses.
— P.R. Lockhart, Economic Development Reporter
Lamont’s lunch with an ambassador
Gov. Ned Lamont lunched at the Executive Residence on Thursday with Kang Kyung-wha, the South Korean ambassador to the U.S. and former foreign minister. The governor says they talked about mutual economic interests, including Korea being a significant customer of the Connecticut-based Otis Elevator.
Kang, 71, is a contemporary of the 72-year-old governor. Lamont, who sees himself as a networker, said previous visits by ambassadors too often were perfunctory stops at the Capitol, with little time for substance or making connections.
She also addressed the World Affairs Council in Hartford on Thursday night.
— Mark Pazniokas, Capitol Bureau Chief
DeLauro, Grijalva discuss education priorities if Dems win in November
U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., met with education stakeholders in New Haven Monday to discuss legislative priorities if Democrats retake the House. They criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to close the Department of Education and recent cuts to federal education programming.
DeLauro told attendees she wants to reestablish the COVID-era Expanded Child Tax Credit, which supporters say lifted millions out of poverty.
Grijalva also said Connecticut should not follow Arizona in creating a private school voucher program. She argued Arizona’s program lacks oversight and starves the public school system.
— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter
CT unaffected by federal ACA purge
The Trump administration this week announced the termination of over 750,000 “unauthorized” enrollments in Affordable Care Act plans. The terminations targeted enrollees who were missing Social Security numbers or immigration papers, hadn’t contacted their insurer or filed a claim, and whose premiums were fully subsidized by the government, according to The New York Times.
However, no Connecticut residents lost coverage as a result of the purge, a spokesperson with the state’s insurance marketplace confirmed. The move only impacted people enrolled through what’s known as the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, which is used mostly by residents of states without their own exchanges.
— Katy Golvala, Health Reporter
CT grant to fund behavioral health nonprofit expansion
At a news conference on Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a $1.5 million state grant for Ädelbrook Behavioral and Developmental Services, which will be used to renovate and expand Ädelbrook Academy in Manchester. The expansion would double its capacity to serve students with autism spectrum disorders and developmental and intellectual disabilities, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Ädelbrook Academy specializes in creating “dynamic, engaging environments where students can grow socially, physically and academically.”
The funds will be used to build a new wing at the school.
— Laura Tillman, Human Services Reporter
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