The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Monday that it created a fast-track to disability compensation for veterans who developed one of nine rare respiratory cancers because of their exposure to toxic burn pits during overseas deployments. The cancers were added to the department’s presumptive list, which lowers the amount …

After hearing arguments on Monday, Judge Arthur Engoron of the New York County State Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is in contempt of court for failing to comply with his previous orders to provide documents to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and imposed a $10,000 fine on Trump for …

by Ross Williams, Florida Phoenix April 24, 2022 Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene took the stand Friday in an at-times raucous court hearing that incorporated a history lesson on the Whiskey rebellion and a stirring speech from a president fighting off an extraterrestrial invasion. Greene was in the hot seat because …

Former Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving senator in Utah history, has died at age 88. Hatch served as a senator from 1977 to 2019. He was also the former President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate. According to the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, Hatch died at 5:30 …

Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has been ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in legal fees to former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman by a New York court arbitrator. The award comes after Trump filed a complaint against Manigault Newman over her 2018 book, “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account …

by Diane Rado, Florida Phoenix April 22, 2022 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 7 into law on Friday, an “Intellectual Freedom” measure also referred to as the “Stop WOKE” act. Among critics, it caused immediate condemnation across Florida and states elsewhere. “We believe in education, not indoctrination,” said DeSantis, …

On Friday, several voting rights groups sued Florida over the state’s new congressional maps, which were drawn by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature earlier this week. DeSantis signed the measure into law on Friday. The League of Women Voters of Florida joined Black Voters …

by Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury April 22, 2022 WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to ask Congress for billions more in aid to Ukraine as the war shifts to the Eastern regions of the country, following Russia’s failure to take the capital city of Kyiv. “I’m asking the Defense …

Fifty-two years ago, millions of people gathered across our country in a rally to protect our planet.  This collective action gave birth to a new movement and spurred the creation of landmark environmental laws that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.  Today, we must recapture that spirit and, as …

Florida‘s Republican lawmakers have passed a bill to strip a special district status that Walt Disney World has been allowed to operate on its properties in the state for more than five decades. Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for the bill to be taken up during a special session after …

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the award of more than $385 million to help families and individuals with their energy costs. The funds will go to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides households with energy assistance, including help …

Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, is leaving the administration and will be replaced by top adviser Lorraine Voles, Harris said on Thursday, the latest shake-up in the vice president’s office. The departure of Flournoy comes less than a month after Harris announced that her deputy chief of …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 21, 2022 WASHINGTON — The chairs of two U.S. House committees said Thursday they are asking election officials from four states to detail what they are doing to “counter lies and conspiracy theories and protect the integrity of federal elections.” California Democratic Rep. Zoe …

Kate Sosin Originally published by The 19th Earlier this month, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law House Bill 322, colloquially dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, restricting public school teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ history or people in public elementary schools. It stood out for two reasons: Alabama was just …

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today April 20, 2022 Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Local resources include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health DMH Helpline at 1-877-210-8513 and the NAMI …