Political News

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday became the first progressive House Democrat to call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair’s indictment last week on federal bribery charges. Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were charged Friday with accepting hundreds of …

Noam Levey, Minnesota Reformer The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. The regulations, if enacted, would potentially help tens of millions of people who have medical debt on their …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the …

Joshua Fechter and Brian Lopez, The Texas Tribune Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a longtime Democrat, is now a Republican — turning Dallas into the largest city in the country with a GOP mayor. “Today I am changing my party affiliation,” Johnson wrote in an op-ed published Friday in The Wall …

Susan J. Demas, Michigan Advance, West Virginia Watch President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan next week in a historic show of support for striking Ford, GM and Stellantis UAW workers. “Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women …

Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor Federal authorities indicted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez for the second time Friday, charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery and related offenses over his alleged aid to a North Jersey businessman and an attempt to disrupt criminal probes into allies. Menendez, a Democrat and New Jersey’s …

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder The U.S. Senate confirmed a nominee for a high-ranking military post Wednesday night and advanced another, the first votes on military nominations or promotions since Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville started blocking them seven months ago to protest Defense Department abortion policies. Tuberville did not object to …

Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline The federal pandemic-era child tax credit expansion lifted millions of children out of poverty in the second half of 2021. But Congress allowed it to expire at the end of that year, and new U.S. census data shows the child poverty rate more than doubled in …

Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a newly established federal office of gun violence prevention, the White House has announced. President Joe Biden is set to make the formal announcement on Ffriday during an event in the Rose Garden, where advocates and lawmakers will be in attendance. Harris, who has …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams “The House Republicans are a total shit show.” So said Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) Thursday afternoon, just over a week away from a potential U.S. government shutdown, as the fractured House Republican Conference once again proved incapable of passing anything resembling an appropriation. After far-right Republicans …

Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch Former President Donald Trump defended his position on abortion following criticism from some Republicans, saying that GOP politicians need to learn how to “properly talk” about the issue in order to win elections. The former president made two stops in northeast Iowa Wednesday afternoon. After …

Ali Juell, The Texas Tribune American households can once again order up to four free COVID-19 rapid tests to be delivered to their doorstep. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paused the program last May but will resume orders on its website starting Sept. 25. Expired at-home tests …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Just 10 days away from a potential U.S. government shutdown, calls for bipartisan action to prevent it are mounting, as is outrage over Republicans in the House of Representatives who seem content with causing chaos. “What we want is simple: No cuts. No layoffs. No shutdown,” …

President Biden is set to announce the creation of a new office for gun violence prevention, marking an escalated effort by his administration to address the issue as legislative progress on gun control remains stalled in Congress. The announcement is expected to be made Friday at an event in the …

Kim Lyons, Pennsylvania Capital-Star Pennsylvania will now automatically register eligible residents to vote when they renew their driver’s licenses or ID cards at PennDOT driver and photo license centers, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. “When running for governor, I made a commitment to bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania,” Shapiro …