Political News

by Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury April 22, 2022 WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to ask Congress for billions more in aid to Ukraine as the war shifts to the Eastern regions of the country, following Russia’s failure to take the capital city of Kyiv. “I’m asking the Defense …

Fifty-two years ago, millions of people gathered across our country in a rally to protect our planet.  This collective action gave birth to a new movement and spurred the creation of landmark environmental laws that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.  Today, we must recapture that spirit and, as …

Florida‘s Republican lawmakers have passed a bill to strip a special district status that Walt Disney World has been allowed to operate on its properties in the state for more than five decades. Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for the bill to be taken up during a special session after …

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the award of more than $385 million to help families and individuals with their energy costs. The funds will go to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides households with energy assistance, including help …

Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, is leaving the administration and will be replaced by top adviser Lorraine Voles, Harris said on Thursday, the latest shake-up in the vice president’s office. The departure of Flournoy comes less than a month after Harris announced that her deputy chief of …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 21, 2022 WASHINGTON — The chairs of two U.S. House committees said Thursday they are asking election officials from four states to detail what they are doing to “counter lies and conspiracy theories and protect the integrity of federal elections.” California Democratic Rep. Zoe …

Kate Sosin Originally published by The 19th Earlier this month, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law House Bill 322, colloquially dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, restricting public school teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ history or people in public elementary schools. It stood out for two reasons: Alabama was just …

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today April 20, 2022 Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Local resources include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health DMH Helpline at 1-877-210-8513 and the NAMI …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to proceed with its appeal of a ruling issued by a Florida judge on Monday, which tossed out the Biden administration’s travel mask mandate. “To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced …

By Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune April 19, 2022 Former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ recent abortion law. The suit claims the law is “blatantly unconstitutional” and written to “make a mockery …

The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement. The CDC has yet to conclude that the …

President Joe Biden visited New Hampshire on Tuesday to talk about his $1.2 trillion investment in infrastructure. In his speech at the New Hampshire State Port Authority, Biden said that America is healthier than ever as it emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re the only country in the world that I believe …

On Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state lawmakers will consider stripping Disney of its self-governing power during a special session originally called to work specifically on congressional redistricting. “They also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968 and that …

by Katheryn Houghton, Kaiser Health News, Ohio Capital Journal April 15, 2022 As the midterm election season ramps up, the Biden administration wants rural Americans to know it’ll be spending a lot of money to improve health care in rural areas. It has tasked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with delivering …

On Monday, Tax Day 2022, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.), sent a letter to Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, calling out what the lawmakers say are the company’s “unethical use of the revolving …