Poli Alert Politics & Civics

United States Southern Command said Tuesday that U.S. forces launched strikes on three boats suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, killing 11 people in the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s maritime counter-narcotics campaign. In a post on X, Southern Command said intelligence confirmed …

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because the statutory 90-day detention period has expired and the federal government has no viable plan to deport him, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the government failed to show that Abrego Garcia’s removal is …

The NAACP and several allied organizations are asking a federal judge to restrict how the FBI can use voter information seized from a Fulton County elections warehouse, arguing the search threatens Georgians’ privacy and voting rights. In a motion filed late Sunday, the groups said the Jan. 28 seizure of …

The Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed to allow Democratic lawmakers’ mid-decade redistricting attempt to move forward, announcing it will hear the case on an expedited basis. The court denied Republican lawmakers’ motion to pause a redistricting referendum as the high court deliberates the case. The order means voters will …

Late-night host Stephen Colbert accused his network, CBS, of refusing to broadcast his interview with Texas Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, during Monday night’s airing of “The Late Show” for fear of running afoul of the Trump administration. Colbert said CBS canceled Talarico’s appearance on air …

In a scathing opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, ordered the federal government to restore exhibits on slavery that had been removed from the President’s House in Philadelphia last month. While the order provides no deadline for the government to reinstall the exhibitions, it …

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and later mounted two historic bids for president, has died, his family said Tuesday. He was 84. Jackson died peacefully Tuesday morning surrounded by family, according to a statement. He had been hospitalized for observation …

Newly released Justice Department records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein include references to several officials who have served in President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a review of the files. The more than 3 million pages of materials include flight logs, emails, business documents and contact entries. The …

A partial government shutdown began early Saturday after funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expired, the result of a political standoff over immigration enforcement policies. Here’s what led to the shutdown — and what it means. Why did DHS shut down? The funding lapse stems from a dispute …

The second partial government shutdown in 2026 began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, after lawmakers left the nation’s capital without reaching a deal on changes to immigration enforcement tactics at the Department of Homeland Security. The department’s shutdown is also likely to go on for some time. With Congress out next …

The Senate failed Thursday to advance legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security, setting the stage for another partial government shutdown at midnight unless lawmakers reach a last-minute agreement. In a 52–47 vote, all but one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — opposed moving forward with the bill, …

Members of Congress sharply criticized the Justice Department on Thursday after reports that officials were tracking lawmakers’ search activity as they reviewed unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files on department computers. The controversy erupted after a Reuters photograph captured Attorney General Pam Bondi at a House Judiciary Committee hearing holding a document …

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency will rescind its 2009 endangerment finding, a landmark determination that has served as the legal foundation for nearly all federal limits on greenhouse gas pollution. The repeal would upend most U.S. policies aimed at addressing climate change by eliminating the …

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, ruling that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated the Arizona Democrat’s First Amendment rights by seeking to downgrade his military retirement rank and pay over remarks critical of the administration. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a …

President Donald Trump’s border czar on Thursday announced an imminent end to Operation Metro Surge, a sweeping federal immigration crackdown that sent thousands of agents to Minnesota, sparked widespread protests and left two people dead. Border Czar Tom Homan said the large-scale deployment would begin winding down within days, with …