Jake Johnson, Common Dreams With large swaths of the planet currently in the grips of hellish, record-shattering heatwaves and devastating wildfires, President Joe Biden is reportedly considering declaring a national climate emergency this week as a senator with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry continues to obstruct much-needed renewable …

Jennifer Shutt, Colorado Newsline More than a dozen members of Congress were arrested Tuesday alongside abortion rights activists after they sat down and blocked an intersection between the U.S. Capitol building and the Supreme Court to protest conservative justices’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The act of civil disobedience …

Vice President Kamala Harris this week sounded an alarm for a woman’s right to choose and the ability to vote against gun violence, as she urged members of the NAACP’s national convention in Atlantic City to protect hard-fought constitutional guarantees she warned are now being eroded. “Freedom and liberty and …

A state district judge in Baton Rouge will keep a temporary restraining order in effect while the court considers whether Louisiana’s abortion ban is legal. Judge Donald Johnson issued his ruling Tuesday that prevents Attorney General Jeff Landry and the state health department from enforcing the state’s abortion prohibition. So-called …

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order that codifies a 2020 law dealing with Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. Drawing on the 2020 Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, the new executive order will reinforce the U.S. government’s efforts to support families of Americans …

Members of Congress alarmed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent reversal on abortion rights and threats to other basic freedoms on Monday introduced legislation intended to ensure protections for LGBTQ+ and interracial marriages. “The Respect for Marriage Act will protect same-sex and interracial marriages from any radical or bigoted decision …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder A group of U.S. House Democrats Monday called for the passage of legislation that would add four justices to the Supreme Court, following the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that provided the constitutional right to abortion. “It’s an ultra-right-wing Republican Supreme Court,” Rep. Hank Johnson …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Sen. Bernie Sanders lambasted fellow Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday for sinking the Democratic Party’s latest effort to pass renewable energy funding, accusing the West Virginia Democrat of acting on behalf of his corporate and billionaire donors instead of the working class of his home state. …

Zach Despart, The Texas Tribune The 18-year-old who massacred 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde on May 24 had no experience with firearms before his rampage began. He targeted an elementary school with an active shooter policy that had been deemed adequate but also had a long history of …

Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio, along with other Senate Republicans, have introduced legislation, the Unborn Child Support Act, to give mothers the ability to receive child support payments while they are pregnant. “Caring for the well-being of our children begins long before a baby is born. It begins at the first moment …

Kira Lerner, New Jersey Monitor First in a two-part series During the 2020 election, Rhonda Briggins and her sorority sisters spent days providing voters in metro Atlanta with water and snacks as they waited in long lines at polling places. The lines for early voting and on Election Day at …

Barbara Rodriguez Originally published by The 19th Voters will directly weigh in on the future of abortion in at least five states, with a record number of measures on midterm ballots this year that would either limit or expand abortion protections. Voters in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana and Vermont will …

Jacob Fischler, Virginia Mercury U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III on Friday held open the prospect of Congress passing significant climate legislation yet this year, denying reports he’s tanked the effort by walking away from talks with leadership. The reports have brought a flood of criticism for Manchin from fellow members …

Abby Kiesa, Tufts University The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion has far-reaching personal and political implications and may help decide the midterm elections in November 2022. That influence extends to young people’s election participation. People ages 18 to 29 have historically been less likely to …

Federal health authorities on Friday warned that the monkeypox virus will continue to spread across the nation, with cases mounting throughout July and August as exposures spread and the government speeds up its faster reporting system for U.S. states and territories. That said, the Biden administration is immediately boosting the …