On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration announced its plan to ban menthol cigarettes in response to a 2013 citizen petition advocating the ban of mint-flavored cigarettes, the Washington Post reports. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 20 million Americans smoke menthols. Phillip Gardiner, the co-chair of the …

Federal prosecutors are charging the three men who are accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. The US Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan says that Adam Fox, Barry Croft, and Daniel Joseph Harris were going to …

President Joe Biden will nominate Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to serve as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If confirmed, Gonzalez will be the first politically appointed director. Gonzalez, who has a decades-long career in law enforcement, was elected as sheriff of Harris County in 2016. He is …

A former intern of New York City mayoral candidate, Scott Stringer, is accusing him of groping and soliciting her for sex. Jean Kim, who interned for Stringer’s 2001 campaign, says, “[during] this campaign, I traveled back-and-forth to campaign events with him. Scott Stringer repeatedly groped me, put his hands on …

Federal agents executed search warrants at the Manhattan home and office of Rudy Giuliani. Guiliani, former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, has been under investigation for two years for his activities in Ukraine. Federal prosecutors are trying to figure out whether he conducted illegal lobbying for Ukrainian officials. Federal agents …

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan will lower the average individual tax rate to zero or less for families earning $75,000 or less. According to estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation, middle-class taxpayers earning $50,000 to $75,000 will have an average tax rate of -1.9%. Low-income families will get …

President Joe Biden is signing an executive order to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors. The executive order states that federal agencies will have to include the $15 wage in new contracts by March 30, 2022. In 2014, the minimum wage was increased to $10.10. …

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention released new mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people. “If you are fully vaccinated and want to attend a small outdoor gathering with people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated, or dine at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, the science shows …

House Democrats are asking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to lower the Medicare eligibility age and expand its benefits in the American Families Plan. Congressman Joe Neguse, Representative Pramila Jayapal, Representative Conor Lamb, and Representative Jared Golden are leading Democrats in their efforts to expand Medicare. The …

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department is investigating the practices of the Louisville Police Department. The investigation comes after Breonna Taylor was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky last year. Her death sparked widespread protest around the world. “It will determine whether LMPD engages in unconstitutional stops, …

The Texas House rejected a proposal that would have allowed the state to use billions in federal dollars to provide healthcare coverage to uninsured Texans. Democrat State Representative Garnet Coleman who sponsored the amendment said a federal funding agreement would help to provide coverage for Texans. Texas has the highest …

Florida’s Republican-led Senate has advanced a voting bill that limits drop boxes and voting by mail. The bill would require voters to show identification to an election official before casting a ballot, limit where drop boxes could be located, and prevent anyone except official election workers from handing out food and …

Republican Senator Tim Scott says that he will be finished drafting a proposal for a policing reform bill in the next two weeks. “I think we are on the verge of wrapping this up in the next week, depending on how quickly they respond to our suggestions,” Scott said. Scott …

Governor Laura Kelly vetoed two Republican-backed election bills on Friday. House Bill 2332 and House Bill 2183, would have limited individuals from delivering 10 ballots during each election and the Governor, Secretary of State, or the courts would have been banned from changing election rules. “Although Kansans have cast millions …

The city of Albuquerque sent a $211,175.94 bill from former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign rally in 2019 to a debt collection agency. “In my mind, he owes us a lot more because there was about a day and a half where we couldn’t even function as a city,” Albuquerque Mayor …