Political News

Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The Pennsylvania House of Representatives elected Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, on Tuesday to lead the chamber as the first woman and second Black speaker. McClinton’s election immediately followed Rep. Mark Rozzi’s resignation as speaker after the Berks County Democrat said he had accomplished his goals by …

President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive more than $400 billion in student loan debt to over 40 million borrowers drew criticism from conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as the justices heard oral arguments in a pair of cases that will decide the fate of one of …

“These are not, like, the nine greatest experts on the internet,” noted Justice Elena Kagan – a reference to herself and fellow colleagues on the Supreme Court. Depsite this, the justices are being asked to negotiate complex arguments that could have wide implications for online providers and ultimately everyone who …

Some of the nation’s top cybersecurity leaders are warning state and local election officials of ongoing foreign and domestic national security threats to election systems, urging them to upgrade their defenses ahead of next year’s presidential election. At separate conferences this month, federal officials warned gatherings of the National Association …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania introduced legislation Tuesday that would require the U.S. Transportation Department to impose more strict regulations on trains carrying hazardous materials, an effort to prevent disasters like the toxic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio from happening …

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments Tuesday in two cases to determine whether President Joe Biden can lean on a 2003 law to fulfill a campaign promise and forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for millions of borrowers nationwide. The justices are set to decide not only if the …

Special to the Capital-Star, Pennsylvania Capital-Star Victoria A. Brownworth PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia, along with New York City, is one of only two of the top dozen largest cities in the U.S. to never have a woman mayor. There have been 99 mayors in Philadelphia’s long city history, and all have been men …

Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune A federal judge issued a favorable ruling for Texas abortion funds, indicating they likely cannot be criminally charged for helping people travel out of state to terminate their pregnancies. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman temporarily blocked prosecutors in eight counties from pursuing charges against anyone …

Casey Quinlan, Nevada Current  = Forty million people in the U.S. are having difficulty affording household expenses, and a little more than 25 million people say they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse survey data. The survey is …

Diane Rado, Florida Phoenix Former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat who had hoped to become the first woman governor of Florida but didn’t win in the 2022 gubernatorial primary race, has been elected as the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Florida Democrats on Saturday posted a celebratory …

Ariana Figueroa, Michigan Advance As the Biden administration prepares to defend its student debt cancellation program before the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28, data shows that Black borrowers have the most to lose should a majority conservative court strike down the policy. Black borrowers hold a disproportionate share of …

With Democrats hoping to confirm dozens more federal judges following President Joe Biden’s milestone of appointing 100 new members of the judiciary, progressives on Friday said the party has no choice but to eliminate a tradition they say has been exploited by Republicans to block the president’s nominees. Advocacy group …

Ashley Murray, Florida Phoenix On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration announced an additional $2 billion in weapons and a host of new sanctions targeting Russia’s key industries and government officials. The Friday announcement came on the heels of President Joe Biden’s historic and …

In moves that alarmed advocates for transgender youth, the Tennessee and Mississippi GOP-dominated legislatures this week sent bills banning gender-affirming care for minors to their Republican governors’ desks. Even though organizations including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and American Psychiatric …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis has unveiled an anti-immigration agenda that would deny jobs, education, and possibly health care for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who call Florida home. If the governor gets his way with the state Legislature — as is likely — all private employers …