Ashley Murray, Florida Phoenix Senate Democrats for the third time this year made their case that U.S. Supreme Court justices must follow stronger ethics rules, including recusing themselves from cases where they have a financial stake or other connection to a case. The series of hearings by the Senate Committee …
Read More »Biden Pushes End To ‘Junk Fees’
President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that several ticketing and travel companies in the United States are taking steps to eliminate hidden fees for buyers. This move is part of Biden’s plan to ban additional charges, known as “junk fees,” that are often added to travel, ticket, and banking transactions. …
Read More »House GOP Panel Releases Budget That Would ‘Destroy Social Security as We Know It’
A panel comprised of three-quarters of the House Republican caucus released a budget proposal on Wednesday that would raise the Social Security retirement age—cutting benefits across the board—while further privatizing Medicare and slashing taxes for the rich, a plan that Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups said is a clear …
Read More »‘Playing With Human Lives’: Los Angeles Mayor Rips Texas Gov. Over Migrant Stunt
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday night announced that his state had dropped off its “first” busload of migrants in Los Angeles, the latest move by a right-wing governor to ship vulnerable asylum-seekers to a distant Democratic-led jurisdiction. “It is abhorrent that an American elected official is using human …
Read More »U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Indian Child Welfare Act In 7-2 Decision
Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to a federal law aimed at keeping Native American children within the foster care system in Native American homes. The Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which established federal minimum …
Read More »Democrats In Congress Renew Push To Protect Access To Birth Control
Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder Democrats in Congress reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would guarantee access to birth control regardless of any future Supreme Court rulings. The measure would ensure people have the right to use contraception and that health care providers have a right to share information about contraception as …
Read More »Spending Standoff Ahead As House Republicans Demand $130 Billion In Cuts
Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch House Republicans outlined Wednesday how they would cut $130 billion from the annual government funding bill. Their spending total is significantly lower than the level both parties agreed to in the debt limit deal just two weeks ago. The spending levels likely set up a …
Read More »NC Republicans Ready Votes On New Elections Laws That Opponents Call Extreme
Lynn Bonner, NC Newsline Voting rights groups and Democrats oppose North Carolina Republican senators’ proposed changes to election laws, saying they will harm elderly, disabled, and student voters, and voters of color. The Senate has proposed two bills changing voting rules and stripping governors of their power to appoint members …
Read More »House Democrats Renew Longshot Gun Control Push
As most U.S. House Republicans and two Democrats on Tuesday voted to block the Biden administration’s regulation of pistols with stabilizing braces, several other Democratic lawmakers renewed a fight for gun control policies unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled chamber. Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Mary Peltola (Alaska) joined with …
Read More »House Republicans Spar With HHS Secretary Over Transgender Youth, Child Labor
Ariana Figueroa, Arkansas Advocate U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Tuesday defended access to health care for transgender people, as well as his agency’s actions in connection with unaccompanied migrant children. Republicans at a U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing grilled Becerra about …
Read More »Biden Administration Implores States To Slow Medicaid Cuts After More Than 1M Enrollees Dropped
Hannah Recht, KFF June 13, 2023 Too many Americans are losing Medicaid coverage because of red tape, and states should do more to make sure eligible people keep their health insurance, the Biden administration said Monday. More than a million Americans have lost coverage through the program for low-income and …
Read More »Trump Pleads Not Guilty In Federal Documents Case, Heads Back Out On Campaign Trail
Jacob Fischler, Rhode Island Current Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in Miami on Tuesday to 37 felony counts of taking highly classified national security documents from his time in office and obstructing efforts to recover the documents, according to media reports from inside the courtroom. …
Read More »Ruling in Alabama Case Could Boost Suits Increasing Black Voters’ Power In Other States
Zachary Roth, Nevada Current In one sense, the Supreme Court’s surprise ruling striking down Alabama’s 2022 congressional maps maintains the legal status quo. By 5-4, the justices rejected the state’s attempt to restrict the ability of the Voting Rights Act to block gerrymanders that suppress the power of minority voters. But that dramatically understates …
Read More »New GOP Bills Would Hand Richest 1% Over $28 Billion in Tax Cuts Next Year
Tax cut legislation that House Republicans are set to consider this week after pushing the global economy to the brink of disaster would deliver more than $28 billion to the richest 1% of Americans next year—and just $1.4 billion to the poorest fifth of the country. That’s according to a …
Read More »White House To Name Coordinator To Push Back Against Book Bans, Among New LGBTQ Protections
Ariana Figueroa, Ohio Capital Journal As part of the celebration of Pride month, the Biden administration on Thursday announced several new protections for LGBTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country. President Joe Biden was scheduled later Thursday …
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