Civil and voting rights advocates on Thursday cheered the reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation its sponsors say will “update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act.” Introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon paid competing visits to the nation’s southern border, where Biden called on Congress to reconsider a bipartisan border security deal that Republicans tanked at Trump’s direction. Biden traveled to Brownsville, Texas, while Trump journeyed to …

Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune A federal judge in Austin on Thursday halted a new state law that would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. The law, Senate Bill 4, was scheduled to take effect Tuesday. U.S. District Judge David Ezra issued …

Jennifer Shutt, Ohio Capital Journal U.S. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked a bill from passing Wednesday that would have preserved access to in vitro fertilization nationwide, stalling a push by Democrats following a landmark Alabama state Supreme Court decision. The court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos counted as …

Jennifer Shutt, North Dakota Monitor House Republicans and Senate Democrats attempting to avert a partial government shutdown brokered an agreement Wednesday to extend government funding deadlines for a little while longer. The bipartisan deal will give Congress until March 8 to pass six spending bills lawmakers have finalized and until …

Jimmy Williams Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, announced on Wednesday his decision to step down from the GOP leader position after the November elections, concluding a remarkable 17-year tenure. At 82, McConnell reflected on his four decades in the Senate, expressing gratitude for the privilege to serve Kentucky and …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution immediately in sight. Lawmakers leaving the meeting, which lasted about …

Jon King, Michigan Advance President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump each won their respective primaries Tuesday in Michigan. The Associated Press made the call about an hour after polls in most counties closed at 8 p.m., with just over 10% of the votes tabulated. Four western Upper Peninsula …

Amanda Becker, Darreonna Davis Originally published by The 19th Senate Democrats on Tuesday highlighted their plan to protect IVF, warning their Republican colleagues they will need to decide by Wednesday whether to block a bill that would preserve access to assisted reproductive technologies. “I warned that red states would come …

Jacob Fischler, Kentucky Lantern The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear former President Donald Trump’s argument that he should be immune from criminal charges related to the 2020 election. In a one-page order, the court set an expedited briefing schedule, with oral arguments to be held the week …

Jimmy Williams In a recent statement, President Joe Biden shared his optimism for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict by next week. He mentioned that his national security adviser has conveyed that negotiations are close to fruition but not yet finalized. “My hope is by next Monday we will …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder Former President Donald Trump painted a bleak picture Saturday of what would happen to the United States should voters reelect Joe Biden to the Oval Office in November. The front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, who made similar predictions ahead of the 2020 presidential election, …

Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are separately heading to Texas border towns on Thursday in competing visits ahead of the March 5 primary. Biden will meet with U.S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement in Brownsville, while Trump will be about 300 …

Kelan Lyons, NC Newsline In 1968, days after the Ku Klux Klan marched through Black neighborhoods in Benson following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., five young Black adolescents tried to burn down the Klan’s meeting hall in the Johnston County town. The fire did not travel past the …

Jimmy Williams Ronna McDaniel, the current head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), has announced her decision to step down from her role on March 8. This comes after former President Donald Trump endorsed new leadership for the RNC. In her statement, McDaniel explained her decision, saying, “I have decided …