Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th Oklahoma’s legislature has voted to ban all abortions, with narrow exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save the pregnant person’s life. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has previously vowed to sign all anti-abortion bills. If …

The Biden administration has announced that it is launching a $500 million Department of Energy grant program aimed at making the nation’s school facilities more energy efficient. The Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure will award grants to school systems so they can carry out building improvements, such as …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 4, 2022 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate reached a bipartisan deal on pandemic aid funding Monday, settling on $10 billion for added testing, treatment and vaccines. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney released separate statements …

by Jacob Fischler, Idaho Capital Sun April 4, 2022 The U.S. Senate advanced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination in a 53-47 procedural vote Monday evening, hours after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney …

“A few years ago, I visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is the site of the Lorraine Motel. I stood on its balcony, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last stood before a hateful gunman took away his last breath fifty-four years ago today. The motel balcony …

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah have both publicly announced they will vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation once the vote reaches the Senate floor, bringing the total Republican affirmative votes to three after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced her intention …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 1, 2022 WASHINGTON — Congress remains undecided over how exactly to provide billions more to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a new variant spreads throughout states and public health officials caution the virus doesn’t show signs of fading away. Negotiators were close to an …

An Alabama man was sentenced to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to bringing a truck full of firearms, explosives and other weapons to Washington, D.C., ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Lonnie L. Coffman, 72, of Falkville, was sentenced Friday to nearly …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian forces of committing “genocide” near the capital, Kyiv. Russia denied the allegations. What are believed to be the bodies of civilians were found when reporters from Reuters and other journalists entered the town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew. “This …

by Jon King, Michigan Advance April 3, 2022 Anti-government extremists or big talkers enticed by zealous federal agents? That’s the question that a jury will begin deliberating Monday in the trial of four men charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. During final arguments on Friday, …

According to reporting from multiple news outlets, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is said to be leaving her job in the Biden Administration in the near future and heading to MSNBC. While her deal with MSNBC is not finalized, it is expected that she will host a program for …

Barbara Rodriguez Originally published by The 19th The people kept showing up at the small Northern California office where Natalie Adona and her co-workers help run elections. Three days in a row, they came to try to push a petition for recall elections, refusing to wear masks despite a mandate …

by Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix March 31, 2022 Statewide LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Gov. Ron DeSantis, state education officials, and others over a new law aiming to limit conversations about LGBTQ people in classrooms. The lawsuit arrived in the U.S. District Court …

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, a bill that would decriminalize marijuana federally. The legislation passed 220 to 204, largely along party lines, with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed. If it were to pass the Senate, the …

by Ariana Figueroa, Missouri Independent April 1, 2022 WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday the government will terminate Title 42,  a Trump-era policy that prevented migrants from claiming asylum during a health crisis, including the coronavirus pandemic. The policy will end on May 23, the …