Political News

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies Tuesday to investigate reports of gender-affirming care on minors, following an official opinion from state Attorney General Ken Paxton that called the treatment a form of “child abuse” under Texas law. In a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services …

Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th Three states are poised to pass laws banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a limit not currently allowed under Roe v. Wade but one that could soon become legal if the landmark Supreme Court case is weakened or overturned, which is …

An Oklahoma Senate committee on Monday approved five anti-abortion bills, including legislation that would copy key parts of a restrictive abortion law recently implemented in Texas. All five measures were approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on party-line votes and now head to the full Senate for …

U.S. Capitol Police and DC’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency have requested National Guard support ahead of potential trucker protest convoys in and around the nation’s capital. The Department of Defense approved that request late Tuesday night, allotting 700 National Guard troops for service to this matter. Defense Secretary …

President Joe Biden, citing the “beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” announced a series of sanctions Tuesday against Russia, and threatened to squeeze the Russian economy even more if President Vladimir Putin – as Biden expects – moves further. President Putin’s actions are a flagrant violation of international law …

Ahmaud Arbery’s convicted killers Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan were found guilty Tuesday in their federal hate crimes trial. The three white men were previously charged with interference with rights and attempted kidnapping. Both McMichaels were also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a …

by Kira Lerner, Missouri Independent February 21, 2022 In mid-December, Texas’ highest criminal court revoked the state attorney general’s ability to use his office to prosecute election-related cases without the request of a district or county attorney. In an 8-1 opinion, the all-Republican court weakened Attorney General Ken Paxton’s power to independently …

President Joe Biden on Monday announced financial sanctions against rebel territories freshly recognized by Russia in eastern Ukraine and warned that more were ready if necessary. President Biden issued an executive order to “prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and …

Former President Donald Trump‘s latest foray into the world of social media appears to be having a rocky rollout. Trump’s long-teased social media platform, Truth Social, rolled out on the App store Monday, Presidents Day. It claims to be different from other social media platforms because it is “free from …

The U.S. Department of Education has announced another round of student loan forgiveness for scholars who were tricked into debt to fund their education. Last week the agency announced $415 million in student loan debt from select borrowers would be canceled. Almost 16,000 people claimed to have been swayed into …

According to new research released Thursday by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, the number of children in poverty spiked dramatically in January after the expiration of President Joe Biden‘s expanded child tax credit at the end of last year. The number of American kids in …

The Federal Reserve has barred senior officials from a number of investment activities, particularly those involving individual stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and commodities. The Federal Open Markets Committee announced the new rules on February 18. They specifically bar covered officials: “[F]rom purchasing individual stocks or sector funds; holding investments in individual …

A new bill in California would allow private citizens to go after gun makers in the same way Texas lets them target abortion providers. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday backed legislation that would let private citizens enforce the state’s ban on assault weapons. It’s modeled after a Texas law …

By Reese Oxner and Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune Feb. 17, 2022 Nearly two years after demonstrators and police clashed in Austin during nationwide protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, a Travis County grand jury on Thursday indicted 19 officers accused of excessive force, according to the police …

Sara Luterman Originally published by The 19th Secretary Xavier Becerra, America’s top health official, met with leaders in aging, labor and disability to discuss the future of home care funding on Thursday. This meeting was the first of its kind since negotiations over President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion Build Back …