Political News

Ariana Figueroa, Nebraska Examiner On the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, President Joe Biden on Friday awarded citizen medals to 14 Americans who protected democracy and law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol. “Two years ago on Jan. 6 our democracy was attacked,” Biden …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder The U.S. House elected Kevin McCarthy speaker early Saturday after most of the chamber’s Republicans finally gathered behind him, ending a four-day stalemate that led to the most rounds of voting for a speaker since before the Civil War. The California Republican was able to clinch …

Casey Quinlan, Florida Phoenix The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed last week ushers in expanded protections for workers who are pregnant or nursing. Proponents of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act — both included as amendments to the spending bill — say …

The South Carolina Supreme Court struck down the state’s 6-week abortion ban in 3-2 vote Thursday. In its conclusion, the court said the ban violates the constitutional right to privacy.The majority opinion was written by Justice Kaye Hearn, the only woman on South Carolina’s five-person Supreme Court bench. While the Legislature …

Ariana Figueroa, Kansas Reflector On the eve of the second anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, congressional Democrats and dozens of veterans on Thursday in a press conference called on incoming House Republican leaders to condemn political violence and hold their members who supported the attack accountable for their actions. …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams For the first time since before the U.S. Civil War, the House of Representatives on Thursday held more than 10 votes for speaker and the narrow Republican majority still failed to rally behind one candidate, ultimately voting to adjourn until Friday afternoon. Since Tuesday, over 11 …

Jon King, Michigan Advance After four terms as a U.S. senator, Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow said Thursday morning that she will not seek reelection in 2024. Stabenow, who serves as the No. 3 Democrat in Senate leadership, made the announcement in a statement Thursday morning that had immediate political implications for …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Arguing that “the death penalty is cruel, racist, and fundamentally unjust,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley on Tuesday led over two dozen congressional Democrats in calling on the Biden administration to continue its 18-month pause on federal executions. In a letter to U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland spearheaded …

Liam Niemeyer, Kentucky Lantern President Joe Biden, joined by senators and governors from both sides of the political aisle and the Ohio River, came to Kentucky Wednesday to celebrate the bipartisanship that’s bringing a long-awaited upgrade of the Brent Spence Bridge and other critical infrastructure around the country. “A bridge …

Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury U.S. House Republicans’ stalemate over who should lead the chamber for the next two years dragged on Wednesday, with Kevin McCarthy failing to get the votes needed to become speaker on three more ballots. The chamber then adjourned until 8 p.m. Eastern to give the House …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took his oath of office for a second time on Tuesday and delivered a pugnacious speech painting him as a champion of “freedom” and constitutional principles and vowing to vanquish a “woke” federal government, education unions, and “technocratic elites.” Coming off a …

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state was sworn in to serve as President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Murray, 72, is the first woman to serve in this role and is now third in line to the presidency. “As the first woman to serve as President …

Ariana Figueroa, Pennsylvania Capital-Star U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed reelected and newly elected senators Tuesday afternoon to a new session of Congress, highlighting the bipartisan success of the previous two years and outlining his optimism for a continued approach. “There’s no reason why the success of the last …

In a signal of what the U.S. House of Representatives could look for like the next two years, the chamber adjourned Tuesday evening after GOP Congressman Kevin McCarthy repeatedly failed to secure the 218 votes needed to become the next speaker due to a revolt by several far-right Republicans. During …

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy failed Tuesday to get enough support in the first three votes as his bid for Speaker of the House struggles to cross the finish line. The vote leaves the race for speaker up for grabs, and Republicans divided with more rounds of votes expected. U.S. Rep. …