As tensions flared and violence erupted along the Israel-Gaza border over the weekend, two prominent U.S. lawmakers, Congressman Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), found themselves in Israel for separate reasons. Both congressmen have since left the country as the conflict escalated. Congressman Goldman’s trip to Israel was …
Read More »Fulton 19 Recap: DA Death Threats, Judge Keeps Oct. 23 Trial Start On Track, Plea Deals In Works
Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says she continue to receive personal threats for prosecuting a felony racketeering case against Donald Trump and 18 other defendants accused of attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis said late last week that receiving an estimated 150 …
Read More »Ocasio-Cortez Tells Biden to ‘Reverse Course’ on ‘Cruel’ Trump Border Wall Decision
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a sharp message for President Joe Biden on his administration’s decision this week to waive federal protections that will allow for more speedy construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall section first proposed by former president Donald Trump: Don’t. “The Biden administration was not required to waive …
Read More »Jobs Report Surprises As Employers Add 336,000 Jobs In September
Casey Quinlan Employers continued their hiring streak in September, surprising economists by boosting jobs for workers in restaurants, health care, and government. The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report, released Friday, showed a gain of 336,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%. The BLS also revised up …
Read More »Biden Administration Presses Forward With Border Wall Plans In Texas, Angering Allies
Sergio Mendoza Reyes, Erin Douglas and Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune Democrats, environmentalists and advocates for migrants are expressing anger this week as President Joe Biden’s administration continues to push forward with plans to build sections of border wall along parts of Texas’ border with Mexico. Biden says he has …
Read More »Under Trump, IRS Targeted Low-Income Families at Higher Rate Than Millionaires for First Time
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams During the final year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the Internal Revenue Service audited low-income families at a higher rate than millionaires for the first time, according to an Americans for Tax Fairness analysis released as congressional Republicans work to further hamper the agency’s ability to crack …
Read More »A Murky Outlook For Ukraine Aid With House Leadership In Turmoil
Jennifer Shutt, New Hampshire Bulletin Additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was on shaky ground earlier this week, before U.S. House Republicans evicted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The revolt by eight members of the House GOP Conference, largely spurred by bipartisan deals McCarthy struck on the debt …
Read More »Federal Court Selects New Alabama Congressional Map
Brian Lyman, Alabama Reflector A federal court Thursday ordered Alabama to implement a new congressional map drawn by a court-appointed special master that creates a majority-Black district and a near-majority Black district. In a 49-page opinion issued on Thursday morning, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. district judges Anna …
Read More »How Does A ‘frozen’ House Function Without A Speaker? Everyone’s Got An Opinion.
Jacob Fischler, Florida Phoenix The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended …
Read More »Louisiana’s Steve Scalise And Ohio’s Jim Jordan Jump Into Race For House Speaker
Ashley Murray, Kentucky Lantern Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio announced Wednesday they will seek the U.S. House speaker’s gavel after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ouster brought the lower chamber into uncharted territory. Eight dissident Republicans joined Democrats to unseat McCarthy Tuesday, leaving a vacuum …
Read More »White House Provides Another $9 Billion In Student Debt Relief As Pandemic Pause Ends
Ariana Figueroa, Florida Phoenix As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers. “For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that’s all changed thanks to President …
Read More »Judge Issues Gag Order After Trump Attacks Clerk On Social Media
In a dramatic turn of events, Justice Arthur Engoron, the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, issued a gag order on Tuesday, effectively silencing Trump’s public comments about court staff. The move came in response to a recent social media attack by the former president on Allison …
Read More »House Votes To Remove Kevin McCarthy As Speaker
Jennifer Shutt, West Virginia Watch Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It …
Read More »Student Debt Relief Scams On The Rise. Here’s What Borrowers Need To Know.
Casey Quinlan, Wisconsin Examiner Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by …
Read More »Next Battle In Congress Over Ukraine Aid, As Biden Presses House Speaker For Vote
Jennifer Shutt, Nebraska Examiner Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find …
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