Political News

Senate Republicans on Sunday successfully stripped a proposed $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket spending on insulin for patients enrolled in private insurance from the tax and climate bill making its way through the Senate. The Senate parliamentarian had earlier ruled that the provision, sponsored by Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael …

Mariel Padilla, The 19th After a relatively subdued response to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration had a busy week in reproductive rights policy. The executive office made several moves to protect abortion access across the country and delay state restrictions. Some lawmakers continued to …

Ariana Figueroa, New Jersey Monitor The U.S. Senate, along party lines, passed a sweeping energy, health care, climate and tax package Sunday afternoon, following an overnight marathon of votes that resulted in just a handful of notable changes to the legislation. The 755-page bill was passed after Vice President Kamala …

Gen. Michael E. Langley became the first Black four-star Marine General in a ceremony in Washington on Saturday. He will take command of the U.S. Africa Command, based in Germany. “I’m humbled and honored for the opportunity to take on the stewardship of AFRICOM command with the four-star billet, but …

The Department of Transportation(DOT) proposed a rule change last week that would require airlines to refund a customer’s ticket if a domestic flight is delayed by more than three hours. The DOT said the proposed rule change would strengthen the agency’s current directive that requires airlines to refund travelers if …

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder The U.S. Senate voted along party lines Saturday night to advance to debate on Democrats’ sweeping energy, health and taxes bill, clearing a major hurdle to passage. The 51-50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie, cleared the chamber to debate and vote on amendments …

Kathryn H. Jacobsen, University of Richmond After news broke that the U.S. declared monkeypox to be a public health emergency, friends and family started asking me, an infectious disease epidemiologist, if monkeypox is about to begin causing widespread death and chaos. I assured them that the Aug. 4, 2022, public …

Mariel Padilla, The 19th With the passage of a near-total abortion ban Friday night, Indiana became the first state to pass an abortion restriction after Roe v. Wade, which protected the federal right to abortion, was overturned. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 1, which is set to go …

Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Aug. 5, 2022 Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that Texas is now busing migrants from the Mexican border to New York City, the state’s latest confrontation with an East Coast city over the influx at the border. Abbott’s office said the first bus to New …

Jacob Fischler, Virginia Mercury U.S. Senate Democrats’ wide-ranging tax, climate and health bill appears set to pass after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona struck a deal to soften the measure’s corporate tax increase and a second tax hike aimed at wealthy finance-sector workers, Schumer told …

Cecilia Lenzen, The Texas Tribune Aug. 4, 2022 A Texas jury on Thursday ordered conspiracy theorist and media personality Alex Jones to pay $4.1 million to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim who sued him for defamation after he repeatedly claimed the school shooting was a hoax. Neil Heslin …

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced late Thursday that she has agreed to back Democrats’ new reconciliation bill, but only after securing changes to a proposed levy on major corporations and forcing the removal of a provision targeting a notorious tax loophole exploited by rich investors. In a statement, Sinema (D-Ariz.) said that …

Ariana Figueroa, Arizona Mirror Lawmakers and legal experts at a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday outlined the need to pass legislation clarifying an archaic election law so that the peaceful transfer of presidential power is ensured. The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill being pushed …

Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Idaho Capital Sun The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the state of Idaho over the state’s trigger law that will ban nearly all abortions. The law is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 25, unless the Idaho Supreme Court puts the law on a temporary hold after …

Kira Lerner, Virginia Mercury Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday explored how to combat violent threats lodged against election officials, while Republicans questioned why the Department of Justice isn’t doing more to investigate threats against crisis pregnancy centers and Supreme Court justices. During a hearing on protecting …