Casey Quinlan Employers continued their hiring streak in September, surprising economists by boosting jobs for workers in restaurants, health care, and government. The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report, released  Friday, showed a gain of 336,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%. The BLS also revised up …

Sergio Mendoza Reyes, Erin Douglas and Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune Democrats, environmentalists and advocates for migrants are expressing anger this week as President Joe Biden’s administration continues to push forward with plans to build sections of border wall along parts of Texas’ border with Mexico. Biden says he has …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams During the final year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the Internal Revenue Service audited low-income families at a higher rate than millionaires for the first time, according to an Americans for Tax Fairness analysis released as congressional Republicans work to further hamper the agency’s ability to crack …

Jennifer Shutt, New Hampshire Bulletin Additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was on shaky ground earlier this week, before U.S. House Republicans evicted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The revolt by eight members of the House GOP Conference, largely spurred by bipartisan deals McCarthy struck on the debt …

Brian Lyman, Alabama Reflector A federal court Thursday ordered Alabama to implement a new congressional map drawn by a court-appointed special master that creates a majority-Black district and a near-majority Black district. In a 49-page opinion issued on Thursday morning, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. district judges Anna …

Jacob Fischler, Florida Phoenix The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended …

Ashley Murray, Kentucky Lantern Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio announced Wednesday they will seek the U.S. House speaker’s gavel after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ouster brought the lower chamber into uncharted territory. Eight dissident Republicans joined Democrats to unseat McCarthy Tuesday, leaving a vacuum …

Ariana Figueroa, Florida Phoenix As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers. “For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that’s all changed thanks to President …

In a dramatic turn of events, Justice Arthur Engoron, the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, issued a gag order on Tuesday, effectively silencing Trump’s public comments about court staff. The move came in response to a recent social media attack by the former president on Allison …

Jennifer Shutt, West Virginia Watch Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It …

Casey Quinlan, Wisconsin Examiner Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by …

Jennifer Shutt, Nebraska Examiner Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find …

Jay Waagmeester, Iowa Capital Dispatch Former President Trump, rallying supporters in Ottumwa, Iowa, focused on other 2024 presidential candidates, especially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for much of his time on stage. Trump’s trip to Ottumwa is the first stop on his October tour around Iowa. According to fivethirtyeight.com, Trump leads …

Grace Panetta, Mel Leonor Barclay, Terri Rupar Originally published by The 19th California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday named Laphonza Butler, the first Black woman to lead EMILY’s List, to fill the Senate vacancy created by the death of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The news of Newsom’s expected move was …

Staunch Conservative Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) has formally declared his intention to file a motion to vacate against Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Gaetz’s announcement comes after weeks of threats and promises to force a vote to remove McCarthy from leadership, should he collaborate with Democrats to …